Chapter Twenty-Three
WOW, MUM WASN’T KIDDING about V. When I reached her house, V was in a mess, yelling and cursing her soon-to-be-ex husband’s very existence.
“Caroline! Cuz! I swear to god, avoid men, they’re all fucking assholes!” She was holding a huge glass of wine, and when I raised my eyebrows at mum, she pointed at the empty bottle, and the second one that was halfway there already.
“I um… I’m sure they’re not, cuz. Look, why don’t you sit down before you fall down.”
She laughed bitterly, raising the glass to me as if toasting something, but I had no idea what the hell she’d be toasting, or who. Definitely not her ex, that’s for sure.
“Maybe you should try it, C. I swear, alcohol is the only way to get through this shitstorm called life.”
Mum gasped, and practically forced her into a chair, jerking her head at the kitchen for me to follow her.
“How long has she been here?”
She sighed, putting the kettle on, hopefully for some strong coffee for a certain sloshed somebody.
“An hour and a half. In that time, she’s finished a bottle of wine, decimated most of a second bottle, cursed him and everyone she’s ever met, and declared life not worth living. I’m worried, kiddo. I don’t think she should be alone anytime soon.”
I heard glass clinking in the other room, and knew she was finishing that second bottle.
“What happened exactly? All I know is they’re divorcing, and she hates him. Last I heard they were trying for a baby!”
Mum prepped three mugs as she glared in my direction.
“That bastard declared that their failure to get pregnant was her faulty body, then promptly got Debbie pregnant instead.”
My mouth dropped open, and I stepped closer to her.
“What the hell? Isn’t that her business partner? They opened that vet surgery together. My god, they’ve been friends forever!”
Mum gave me one of those looks. The ‘duh’ look, like well, that’s why she’s drinking her bodyweight in wine.
“My god. Those monsters. So… she’s here for good?”
Mum nodded, pouring hot water into mugs as she spoke.
“Yep. Most of her stuff is in the small bedroom, but there’s more in storage. She packed up the business, and left both of them to it.” That’s when I froze.
“Wait. So where’s Glenda?” Her grumpy cat was nowhere to be seen, and I really hoped she hadn’t been hurt during all of this. Although what exactly would they do to a cat who liked to claw any man she met?
“She’s in the bedroom too. Don’t worry.”
I wasn’t overly worried, although the cat definitely didn’t like me either. It wasn’t like I gave off masculine energy, so there was clearly something else about me she didn’t like, and I didn’t know what.
“Has she eaten?”
“The cat?”
“V!”
Mum shook her head, so I dug my phone out and used the online app to order a couple of pizzas.
This wasn’t the time to abandon V to cook something.
Pizza makes so many things better, and although I was pretty sure broken hearts or marriages weren’t either of those things, I figured it couldn’t hurt.
That’s when I messaged Harley to tell him I’d be here for the night.
He’d become really important to me so fast, that the idea of not seeing him again tonight was actually physically painful.
You know, deep in my chest where those feelings hide.
I lost my virginity to him last night, and it felt like we’d barely had a chance to really absorb that fact. Or explore our growing feelings.
“Why are you smiling at your phone?”
My head shot up from Harley’s response, and I frowned at V as she groaned and literally facepalmed.
“It’s a man, isn’t it?! I swear, they’re all bastards! However nice he seems, he’s just after one thing, and when he gets it, he’ll disappear.”
Even though I knew she was wrong about Harley, it still felt like a slap in the face.
Mum took V back to sit her down and returned to me, watching as I tucked my phone away, my cheeks red with embarrassment.
“The man? Is it… the one you mentioned? From the bike shop?”
I nodded, waiting for some recriminations or warnings about men, even though mum hadn’t had bad experiences like V, just losing dad too young. I guess when it’s the one, there’s no point in trying again, and he was definitely the one for her.
“Kiddo, look at me. You told me he’s been really good to you. Is he still being kind and gentle? He’s not pushing you into things, is he? You don’t have to sleep with men just because it’s expected.”
I gasped and covered my face, feeling overheated with embarrassment and humiliation, and I know mum figured it out in that instant.
“It’s okay, sweetie. Don’t panic, and don’t hide. I’m not judging you, I just care. He didn’t… it wasn’t…”
She didn’t know how to ask, but I needed her to understand that it wasn’t something he did to me, it was something we did together.
“It’s what we both wanted…” I paused then, because was that strictly true?
“Caroline?”
“It’s what I really wanted, and he kept trying to slow us down, and just do little things together, but I wanted it all. I… didn’t want to wait anymore. Not with him. He’s the one, mum. I’m sure he’s the one.”
She smiled, tucking a curl behind my ear, just the way Harley seemed to like doing.
“And you were careful?”
I nodded, because we’d both taken precautions, hadn’t we? Because he cared. Because he wanted to protect me.
“He’s… he’s wonderful, mum. He’s so kind, and thoughtful, and he looks after me in ways I didn’t even realise. He even made me text him when I got here, so he knew I was safe!”
“That’s control,” V blurted, having poked her nose in again.
“Oh don’t be silly. He cares that she’s safe. V, go and sit down. Drink that bloody coffee!”
I swallowed hard as she left again, grabbing mum’s arm to draw her attention back for a vitally important moment.
“It wasn’t a bad thing, right? It… it made me feel safe, and protected. Cared for. He always tells me to drive safe, when I leave. He… he checks my helmet to make sure it’s on properly. He does a million sweet things like that.”
Mum smiled. “He sounds a lot like your dad, sweetie. It definitely sounds like he cares for you very much. I’m afraid you’ll have to bring him here to meet me at some point. You know I need to meet this man who’s quickly becoming everything to my little girl.”
I hesitated, because would she understand who he was, or be able to see the kindness and the genuine heart that might be invisible once she found out he was a biker?
“Caroline, it’s okay. I’ll be nice to him, I swear, but I need to know he’s a good man. I need to see it with my own eyes.”
“Because you don’t trust that I can make a good decision about him?”
She shook her head, her eyes soft and caring. “Because I know that men can show us one side to win us over, and then that’s when the real person steps out. Look at V right now. When she and Ted met, it was all hearts and roses, and she was convinced he was the best man on earth.”
“He’s not like that. Harley’s not…” I bit my lip, “he’s a good man, mum. He’s… he’s a biker, but not a bad one.”
Her lips pursed and I just knew she was about to say he’d be no good, or a criminal or something, but he really wasn’t.
“Mum-”
“I’ll withhold judgement, sweetie. I just need to meet him, and see that he’s good enough for you.”
I had a feeling the problem was that I wasn’t good enough for him, or not enough for him at least. He was such a patient man, but wouldn’t he prefer someone he didn’t have to be so patient with?
“I like his touch!” I blurted out, and mum smiled, patting my cheek gently. Even mum couldn’t hug me often or anything, because I just didn’t like people touching me. Nobody but him.
“That’s a good sign, Caroline, it really is. Now let’s go sober up your cousin, because I really don’t want her puking on my sofa.”