Chapter 32
thirty-two
“Do I have to go in?” I whine, leaning against the passenger seat of Jake’s truck.
“Nope. I can take you home, then come back to have lunch with your mom by myself if you need another day before you talk to her,” Jake replies, turning his head to look at me.
“But you are going to have to tell her at some point. Or we’re going to need to come up with a better lie than you being sick because that will only buy us so long before she’s going to demand to see you on video. ”
“I know,” I groan, desperately wanting to get out of this. She’s going to lose her shit when she finds out I ended my engagement with Brian. Jake’s been a lifesaver, visiting her for the past two days on his own. “And, technically, I was sick.”
“How could I forget? The dreaded aftereffects of too much candy and Smirnoff Ice.” He laughs, tossing his head back as the sunlight hits his sandy-blond hair, making it glisten.
“Assuming you’re serious about never drinking Smirnoff again, I won’t have to worry about losing to you at Monopoly in the future.
” He winks at me, sending a wave of heat through me.
I clutch my stomach, just the mention of Smirnoff Ice makes me nauseous. “It’s too soon to talk about that.”
His eyes soften. “And you’re delaying the inevitable. We should go in there and get this over with.”
I nod, knowing he’s right while wanting to find any excuse not to walk inside the rehab facility today.
“You can do this. I’ll be right by your side the entire time.” He reaches over, taking my hand in his. “Plus, she can’t go too ballistic with me there. She has to keep up appearances.” His eyebrows arch. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”
“Fine,” I agree, closing my eyes and then opening them before getting out of his truck and following him inside.
Each step toward my mom’s room increases the dread building inside me.
This conversation will be a disaster, no matter how I break the news to her.
She’ll view this decision as a huge mistake, claiming I’ll regret it one day.
Her adoration of Brian will overshadow any concerns I share with her about our relationship.
Hell, I think she might actually like him more than she likes me.
“It’s going to be okay, Kate,” Jake whispers in my ear, his breathing warm on my face. “I won’t let her tear you down.” He takes a step away and holds out his hand.
I exhale deeply one more time and then take his hand, and we walk into the room together.
“Glad to see you’re well enough to visit, Katherine,” Mom says, sitting in her navy-blue recliner, a tray table next to her. “I was starting to get worried about you.”
Jake and I share a conspiratorial glance. “Feeling much better,” I answer, taking a seat in one of the other chairs. “There’s something I need to talk to you about before we have lunch.” I swallow hard, clasping my hands together in my lap in preparation for what I’m about to say.
“Oh. What’s going on?” Mom’s eyes are fixed on me like they’re trying to pull out the truth before I can speak. “Is something wrong?” Her brow furrows, her lips press together in a thin line—the exact look I’ve seen thousands of times.
Jake nods at me, sending silent support my way from across the room. He’s watching both of us intently, knowing this could go south at any minute.
She’s not going to see this coming. It’ll be a huge shock and will probably devastate her, given her love for Brian. But I can’t wait any longer. She has to know the truth.
Time to cut to the chase. “Brian and I have ended our engagement,” I say in a professional tone, deciding it would be best to treat this conversation like I do when delivering bad news to a client. Direct and to the point. Devoid of emotions.
Her mouth falls open as she gasps. She looks at her lap with confusion across her face. The room falls completely silent except for the sound of air from the vents. Her expression morphs from confusion to anger in seconds as the reality of what I said hits her.
“You can’t be serious. Is this some type of joke?” Her eyes narrow, her jaw clenches, and the room suddenly feels much smaller. Too small for the three of us. “What did you do? I knew you’d screw things up eventually.”
Even though I knew this was coming, it still knocks the air out of my lungs. My entire body shrinks in my seat, crippled by the verbal knife she’s plunged into my heart. I glance across the room to see Jake shooting daggers at my mom, ready to explode. I gently shake my head.
I press my lips together, clenching my fists so hard my nails dig into my palms. Reminding myself that I can’t control what she says, only how I react. “I’m the one who called off our engagement.”
“What’s wrong with you?” she accuses, sitting straighter and glaring at me.
“Nothing. Brian and I aren’t a good long-term match. This decision was in the best interest of both of us.”
She scoffs, tilting her head and furrowing her brow so deeply it might leave permanent creases. “Do you want to be alone forever?”
Fuck. That one hurt. Pouring salt into the wound of my deepest insecurities.
“I—”
“Kate won’t end up alone,” Jake asserts, leaning forward and staring at my mom with a predatory gaze.
“Men will be jumping at the chance to be with her. How can you not see the incredible woman in front of you? How lucky all of us are to be in her life?” He exhales deeply, running both hands through his hair before pulling on the back of his neck.
“Brian didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as Kate.
He wasn’t worthy of her. It’s about damn time she cut herself loose from that asshole. ”
Whoosh. That’s the rest of the air in my lungs disappearing because Jake threw down the gauntlet to my mom. No one has ever challenged her like this, not even my dad. And Jake’s doing it for me.
Why would he do that? Why would he risk alienating the only parental figure he has left to stand up for me?
My eyes dart back and forth between my mom and Jake as they stare each other down. I’ve played and lost this game with Jake countless times.
The tension is palpable in the room until my mom finally blinks, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.
She glances in my direction and lets out a deep sigh.
“It would’ve been nice if you made this decision before I hosted your engagement party.
I can only imagine the gossip once people find out you broke up with your fiancé after the party. ”
Jake clenches his jaw as veins throb in his neck, glaring at my mom. “Feel free to send anyone talking negatively about Kate my way. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he says sternly. He shifts in his seat, glaring at my mom until she nods at him. Only then does his posture relax.
What is happening? Did he win a game of chicken with my mom? Has hell actually frozen over? I shake my head, chewing on my lower lip as I try to process what I just witnessed and how it makes me feel.
He stood up for me. Championed me.
Made me feel appreciated. Adored.
Why was that so easy for Jake to do, yet so impossible for Brian?