Chapter 27 #2
She turns and freezes mid-motion, a hand hovering in the air like she forgot what she was about to do. Her eyes lock onto Maxinne, widening in disbelief. Then, her gaze shifts until it lands on me.
The shock that was there before hardens into something else entirely as tension flickers across her features. Her mouth presses into a thin line as her eyes move over me. I’m not sure what she’s searching for, but whatever it is, she isn’t happy about it.
“Mom…what are you doing here?” Maxinne asks as she stops at the bottom of the steps.
Her mom lets out a small breath as she steadies herself. “I’ve been here all day.”
“All day? In Covewood?” Maxinne says, confusion pulling at her features. “Why?”
Her mom’s gaze drifts past her for a second, scanning the stretch of cabins, trees, and the darkness that’s settling in around us. “I needed to see it for myself.”
“See what?” Maxinne asks.
“Covewood.” There’s an edge to her voice now as she steps closer, and that’s when I notice the bandage on her forehead.
It’s small at first glance, tucked along her hairline, and white against her skin.
She tosses her hands out to her sides, as if to emphasize our surroundings, and there’s another bandage wrapped around her hand, the fabric pulled tight across her palm.
She continues, her eyes returning to Maxinne. “The place that took my family away from me.”
“That’s not—” Maxinne starts, but her words falter. “Mom…what happened?” she asks, stepping closer now, her voice laced with concern.
Her mom waves her off quickly. “I’m fine. It was just a little accident at work.”
Maxinne’s entire expression shifts. “That doesn’t look little.” Her gaze bounces between the two bandages. “When did it happen? Yesterday? Today?”
“About three days ago. One of the machines jammed on the line, and I was trying to clear it before it backed everything up.” She lifts her hand.
“It caught me off guard and sliced my palm open, and then I bumped my head in the process. They made me take the rest of the week off because of liability reasons, said I needed time to heal before I came back, but I promise I’m fine. ”
“Mom…if they sent you home, it’s more serious than you’re letting on.” Maxinne’s voice softens but doesn’t lose its edge. “So that’s how you were able to come here? You drove all this way just to…what, exactly?”
“To hopefully talk some sense into you.”
“Talk some sense into me?” Maxinne repeats, disbelief threading through her voice. “Mom, you drove three hours, while injured, to stand here and tell me I’m making a mistake? This could’ve been handled through a simple phone call.”
“I came because you’re not thinking clearly.” Her mom’s tone sharpens, though there’s something strained underneath it. “You’ve been in Covewood for, what, two months? And suddenly you’re talking about building a life here as if it’s something you’ve been planning for years.”
“It’s not sudden,” Maxinne pushes back, taking a step closer. “You just don’t understand the whole picture.”
“But I can see what’s happening,” her mom snaps as her gaze darts to me again. “You meet some guy, and now all of a sudden this place is everything you’ve ever wanted.”
Her words sting, but I do my best to not let it show. Maxinne freezes for a second before turning to me, hurt written all over her face, and it cracks me right in the middle of my chest.
Maxinne’s expression hardens before she turns back toward her mom. “Don’t do that.”
“Don’t do what?” her mom challenges. “Point out the obvious?”
“Zane’s not the reason I’m making this decision.”
Her words cause my fingers to uncurl as I let out the breath I was holding. I’m glad to know I’m not the only reason she’s wanting to move here, because as much as I want her here, I don’t want to be the whole reason why.
Her mom lets out a sharp, disbelieving breath. “That’s exactly what you said about Derek.”
Maxinne flinches, and so do I.
“This isn’t the same thing, and you know it,” she hisses.
My shoulders stiffen, and my hands clench back into fists, because I hadn’t thought of it like that.
That’s exactly what you said about Derek.
The words settle like stones in my gut, and suddenly, her mom’s warning won’t stop echoing through my head, because what if she’s right?
What if this–me–is just another version of the same mistake Maxinne had just gotten away from?
The thought makes my stomach twist. I can’t become another reason she bends or the reason she stays.
It doesn’t matter how badly I want her here or how many times I’ve pictured building a life together.
If Maxinne chooses Covewood, I want it to be because she found something here worth claiming as her own: family, purpose, community, a future she genuinely wants. Not because of me.
Not because she thinks love means carving away pieces of herself until she fits neatly into someone else’s plans.
The thought of her leaving twists low in my gut, because losing her is the last thing I want. But it’s nothing compared to the thought of her staying for the wrong reason. I’d rather lose her than to become a mistake to her, even if it wrecks me.
“Isn’t it?” her mom presses. “You gave up everything for Derek. You put your dreams on hold so he could chase his. And now you’re standing here, telling me you’re about to do it again?”
“I’m not giving anything up,” Maxinne’s voice rises. “But I’m also not going to put my whole life on hold anymore.”
My jaw tightens as a knot of tension builds inside me with nowhere to go.
I give a faint nod, more to myself than anyone else, because she’s right.
She’s already told me as much. Even so, I drag a hand over the back of my neck, trying to work out the tightness that’s settled there, but it doesn’t help.
I should stay out of this and go back inside, but her mom’s words keep circling around in my mind.
You meet some guy.
You’ve only been here a few months.
You’re about to do it again.
My arms fold across my chest, fingers digging into my bicep.
The night around us feels strangely still, like everything’s narrowed down to this conversation I can’t step away from, even if I wanted to.
Everything else fades into the background until all I can focus on is Maxinne fighting for herself and her mom warning her not to lose herself again.
Part of me understands enough to know her mom is not wrong for asking these questions. I’m starting to doubt things myself. Like, have I even been seeing things clearly, or have I only been seeing what I want to see?
“I’m not throwing my life away,” Maxinne continues. “I’ve already thought this through. I’m going to look into taking some classes online, work with my advisor, and travel back and forth to Westbridge for what I need to be in person for. It’s not one or the other—I can do both.”
“Back and forth,” her mom repeats.