“Eden?” Mom presses. Anxiously, she tucks stray strands of hair back into her once-neat pin-up. “What is it? You’re scaring the hell out of me.”
I know that if I stay silent for any longer, Mom will most likely jump to conclusions. She’ll think I committed murder in New York. She’ll think I robbed a bank. She’ll think I broke every single law ever known to mankind, so I know I need to start talking pretty soon. Tyler seems to sense my apprehension, because he leans forward slightly, placing his hand on my knee and squeezing to get my attention. My eyes flicker sideways to meet his, and he looks back at me from beneath his eyelashes, parting his lips as though he’s about to speak for me. But thankfully, he doesn’t. He only nods. We both know I have to be the one to tell my mom the truth, and I’m hoping that Tyler will do all the talking when it comes to telling Dad and Ella.
I shift my eyes to Gucci. She’s sprawled out on the floor by Jack’s feet now, breathing heavily. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I let out the breath I’ve been holding. “What we need to tell you is really important,” I begin, still staring at the dog. Tyler’s hand has yet to leave my knee. “So please keep an open mind.”
“Eden,” Mom says. “What’s going on?”
I glance up. She’s folded her arms across her chest now, her expression growing more stern than worried. Even Jack looks a little exasperated, as though my slow unraveling of the truth is torturing the pair of them. I can’t help it. It’s hard to force the words out. Tyler squeezes my knee even harder. “Okay,” I say, mostly as an attempt to convince myself that I can do this. My stomach twists as I try to meet Mom’s eyes, but it’s hard. I’m afraid that in a few moments from now they’ll pool with disgust and disappointment. “Okay,” I say again. Breathing deeply, I rest my eyes on Mom’s shoulder, and I force myself to bluntly utter the words I’ve always dreaded having to say. Only three words. So simple, and most definitely the easiest way to phrase the truth. And so I murmur, “I love Tyler.”
Silence ensues after that. Mom and Jack only stare at me. I want them to say something. Anything. Growing frustrated with the lack of reaction I’m getting, I glance at Tyler for help, but he’s too busy furrowing his eyebrows to even attempt to offer me a suggestion. I turn back to my mom, and as though to emphasize my words, I place my hand on top of Tyler’s on my knee and shift my body closer to his on the couch. Still no reaction. “Like, in love with him,” I clarify. She doesn’t even blink. “Like, this Tyler. Him,” I add, jabbing my finger toward Tyler in a final attempt at making myself clear. “You know, my stepbrother?”
Finally, Mom slowly parts her lips. She and Jack exchange a look. I’m waiting for her to explode, to demand an explanation for my irrational feelings, but instead, she playfully pushes Jack’s shoulder. “You owe me seventy bucks!”
Jack groans, but he’s laughing as Mom’s lips curve into a smile, and all I can do is rapidly blink back at them. Now I’m the one waiting for an answer. Even Tyler rubs his jaw from beside me, attempting to understand why the people sitting across from us are laughing. Laughing. Perhaps Mom thinks I’m kidding. Maybe she thinks this is all a joke.
I remove my hand from Tyler’s, shaking my head in confusion. “Mom?”
Her gaze shifts from Jack back to me, and her small laugh subsides, but her smile remains. As she sighs, her shoulders relax. “We made a bet,” she admits. “Fifty bucks that there was something going on between you guys,” she continues, nodding to Tyler and me, “and another twenty bucks if you told us about it.”
“What?” I breathe in disbelief. Even Tyler laughs now, but I still don’t understand. I’m not sure what’s going on. I don’t get why I’m not being yelled at.
“Eden, please,” Mom says, rolling her eyes as she leans down to scratch behind Gucci’s ears. “I’m your mother. I notice everything about you, especially the way you look at him,” she murmurs, glancing up from the dog for a second to grin at Tyler. “I always thought it was similar to the way you look at Dean.” Immediately, she pauses and sits back up. Her smile falters and once again her forehead creases with concern as a new thought occurs to her. “Eden . . . What about Dean?”