She gives me a side-eye. “What do you mean?”
I turn to face her and take my necklace off. “Look what Kai and Amari gave me.” I’m not ready to tell her about the touch, because what if I’m reading into it? It was probably nothing, and I shouldn’t even be thinking about it.
She reaches out for it and holds it in her hand, inspecting it. “This is pretty. Whoa. It’s Tiffany & Co.” She narrows her gaze at me. “Holy shit! This is expensive.”
“Right?! And look here.” I lean in closer and show her the two letters on the bottom corner.
“F and E. What does that mean?” She looks up at me and then back down at the necklace. She holds the necklace up higher to get better lighting as she examines the letters.
“Rememberforever and ever? How Kai and I used to always say it to each other?”
She looks at me, eyes wide. “No way.” She looks at the necklace again. “Is he trying to get you back?”
I shift in my seat, shrugging my shoulders. “He has done some weird things lately, but I thought it was just Kai being Kai.”
“What are you going to do?” she asks, eyes narrowing toward me as she studies my expression.
I let out a sigh. “What do you mean, what am I going to do? I’m with Liam.”
“Right.” Her tone drops as she flicks her gaze back down to the necklace.
My brows knit together. “What, did you forget?”
She waves her hand, brushing off my question. “No. I’m just wondering what you thought about it.”
Getting back with Kai has crossed my mind over the years. I’ve always wondered how it would be—especially now that we’re older. What would our everyday family dynamic be like? But when Liam came into the picture, those thoughts went away.
Until now.
But even now, I don’t know what to think.
Pullingup to my childhood home, a wave of nostalgia washes over me. This home will always be familiar and comforting. A home that, no matter what happens, I know I can always go back to.
“Hi, Mom!” I yell through the house, making my presence known. I round the corner and find my mom sitting at her kitchen table, working on her laptop.
She stops typing and looks up at me. “Hi.”
Coming back to live with my mom when I left Kai was a struggle. I was afraid she didn’t want me in her life. I also feared the inevitableI told you so. Still, it didn’t take long for us to repair our relationship. After she found out everything that I had accomplished and how great of a mom I was to Amari, she was proud of the way I handled everything—from the time I found out I was pregnant to the steps I took to come back home to her. Even after the first time I went out after having Amari, and the cops came and called her. She understood people make mistakes along the way while growing up. She stopped holding that, or anything else I did, against me. I was right about one thing, though. She and Brynlee fell in love with Amari the second they met her.
Mom was hard on herself, knowing she missed so much. I always remind her that things happen the way they were supposed to happen. If it weren’t for her kicking me out and making me figure everything out on my own, I don’t know if I would have become the mother I am today. It shaped me, that’sfor sure. Also, Bryn always wanted a baby sister to play with, so she was ecstatic to have Amari living with her.
“Where’s Amari?” I ask, looking around.
“Out back with your sister.” I head over to the sliding door. The same sliding door I used to use to sneak out of. It always reminds me of those nights. The thrill of not getting caught, seeing Kai, and the parties we would go to. It’s still etched in my mind like it was yesterday. Sometimes I miss those carefree nights.
Bryn and Amari’s giggles echo through the backyard. Their hair is flying in the air. Amari’s little arms are failing around for balance with each jump she makes. It makes me happy to see both of them jumping on the same trampoline I use to jump on. The relationship between Bryn and Amari reminds me of the relationship I use to have with Bryn when I was younger. Bryn is almost sixteen—the age I was when I had Amari. I can’t imagine her doing the things I used to do. Especially getting pregnant at sixteen. She’s still a child.Iwas still a child. It’s hard to believe what I was thinking back then. I thought I was so grown, and then my actions forced me to grow up. I wasn’t doing what all the teenagers were doing. Instead, I was taking care of a baby, working, and going to school. I didn’t have time for anything else. Because of what I did when I was a teenager, my mom is stricter with Bryn. She doesn’t want her to do what I did, and Bryn gets frustrated with the overprotectiveness.
“How’s work?” I ask my mom as I sit down next to her and watch as she types away.
“Busy,” she says, still focusing on her laptop. “It’s been picking up now that summer is coming. Everyone is putting their homes on the market.”
She’s still a mortgage loan officer and works from home most days. It helps me out a lot, especially when I need her at the last minute. Like today, when I needed her to pick Amari upbecause we were behind with patients in the office. Kai’s jobsite is a couple hours away, and I couldn’t get a hold of Liam. I’m assuming he was in surgery. Mom has a flexible schedule, and she can work her own hours.
When I first moved back in with my mom, I let her know all I needed was a place to stay until I got back on my feet. I didn’t want her thinking I was moving back in so she could help me with Amari. Even though it was hard to see Kai, he would watch her when I would go to school in the evenings. My mom would offer to watch her, but I wouldn’t let her. Most the time, I tried to do everything myself. She would see me struggling and would jump in and help, but then it made me more anxious because I knew she didn’t want to raise another kid. After a while, I loosened up a little and realized she wasn’t raising her—she was only helping. It helped our relationship a lot. Plus, she loved Amari and wanted to be with her. I ended up living with her until I moved in with Liam. She and Bryn never wanted us to move out. So, I stayed, and it helped me so much.
The sliding door opens, pulling me from my memories. “Hi, Mom,” Amari says, walking into my arms and giving me a hug. “I’m hungry.”
I inhale the earthy scent lingering in her hair from being outside. “Should we have pizza tonight?” I ask, glancing down at Amari.
