Chapter Nine
“You sure you don’t need me to come with you?”
Annalina and I were returning home today to pack up and prepare to move back here.
Bradley stood behind me with his hands on my shoulders. At his question, I smiled at him in the mirror and finished buttoning my shirt, then shook my head.
“I’ll be fine.” I turned around to face him. “Besides, you’ll get enough of my mother when she is living here with us.”
He grinned. “With us. I like that.” He slid one hand down my back until he reached my ass and tugged me closer.
Our bodies a whisper apart, his other hand snaked around my neck, settling at the nape of my neck as his lips met mine.
It was weird to have him being so freely affectionate after two years. But I wouldn’t complain. Bradley’s kisses were delicious and I could, without a doubt, get used to this.
My hands gripped his waist on either side as he ran his tongue along my lips, seeking entrance. Before I could grant him access, Annalina’s voice had us jumping apart.
“Ugh, mom!” She was standing in the doorway with hands on hips and a smile on her face as I glanced at her. “I don’t wanna see that!”
Bradley chuckled and stepped back as I walked toward her. “Yeah, you look really bothered with that grin on your face. But in that case, you know not to just walk in here any time then, don’t you?”
Annalina threw her arms up in the air, smile widening. “You told me to come get you when I was ready to go.”
“Where is your bag?” I asked, looping my arm through hers. “By the door?”
At her nod, I looked at Bradley. “I guess we’re ready to go.”
“Well,” he said, smiling. “We should get going then. Wouldn’t want you guys to be late for your flight.”
Within minutes, we were out the door and in the car, on our way to the airport. Bradley had taken the morning off — the first time since I’d known him to do such a thing — insistent that he take us there and see us off.
As Annalina sat in the backseat, earbuds in and music blaring from her iPod, Bradley reached over and clasped my hand in his, shocking me with the gesture and his words.
“I’ll miss you.”
I couldn’t help my reaction; my mouth fell open and I stared at him wide-eyed. When I didn’t say anything, his eyes left the road to peek at me, which led to a chuckle from him. I had no doubt it was in response to the look on my face.
“I don’t know whether I am more amused at the look on your face or insulted that you are so shocked I’d say I’ll miss you.” His eyes back on the road again, he gently squeezed my hand. “I am sure I said it when you asked me why I was proposing to you, didn’t I?”
I snapped my mouth shut, gulping. “Yes. You just…you never say it when we part. I always said I would when you would ask me, but…”
He lifted my hand up to his mouth, pressing a kiss to the back of it. “Things are different now. You are going to be my wife; I think I can admit that I will miss you until you are back here.”
I swear, in that moment, if I hadn’t already fallen in love Bradley, that would’ve sealed it for me.
“I will miss you too.”
“I know,” he said, winking at me. “After all, I expect you to. That hasn’t changed.”
“Ha!”
He chuckled and kissed my hand again, making it impossible for me to keep the grin off my face.
I had no reservations, even though I probably should’ve had some at the sudden change of direction in our relationship.
But I didn’t. I loved him and I would take him any way he would let me have him.
It wasn’t a declaration of love, but if he missed me, that was more than I ever could have hoped for when it came to Bradley.
While the rest of the ride to the airport was spent in companionable silence, all I could think about was how long the next month would be while we were apart.
And if I could possibly get things done fast enough to come back to him sooner rather than later.
~*~
By the time our plane landed and we made it home, it was late enough that my mother had gone to bed.
This made me extremely happy. The day had been long enough without having to deal with her hysterics before I’d gotten a good nights sleep. Swearing Annalina to secrecy until I had the chance to break the news, we both headed to bed.
It didn’t take long for the morning to arrive. After taking a quick shower, I woke Annalina up for school and headed downstairs to get some breakfast.
As I expected, my mother sat at the table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. She didn’t even look up as I walked past.
“What time did you get in?”
No “Good Morning” or “How was your trip”? Yep, it was going to be a good day.
“Morning to you too,” I responded, unable to resist subtly pointing out her lack of manners. “And pretty late.”
Turning the kettle on to make some tea, I turned toward her and leaned back against the counter, crossing my arms. It also hid the ring I wasn’t quite ready for her to see yet.
When she didn’t say anything, or even look at me, I sighed. “You didn’t call me while I was gone, so I assume everything went okay?”
At that, she put down her cup and glared at me. “Yes. Not that you actually care.”
Now, at thirty, I should’ve been able to resist the urge to roll my eyes at my mother. I knew that, but at the instant negativity from her, I couldn’t resist. I gave in, watching her eyes narrow before I turned back around and pulled a mug down from the cabinet.
“There you go, acting like a teenaged girl,” she snapped. “Rolling your eyes at me is juvenile.”
Knowing she was expecting me to snap back at her, I held my response in check. She said nothing else, the silence carrying on as I prepared my tea. Then I opened up the fridge and pulled out a container of yogurt, eating a few bites before turning back to her.
“You know what is juvenile?” I asked, picking up my tea and taking a sip. “Your claim that I don’t care. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t ask, would I?”
“Now see—“
“No!” Her eyebrows shot up in shock at my interruption and I rushed ahead before she recovered. “I’m sick of your crap. You have how many kids and who takes care of you? I do, even though I sure as hell don’t have to. Yet all you do is make nasty comments all the time — about me, about Annalina and her imaginary bad behavior, everything!”
“Lucy—“
“Shut up.”
I set my tea on the counter and tossed the yogurt container in the trash before stalking up to the table and slamming my hands down on it. “Look.”
She glanced down at my hands, then back at my face, eyes wide and questioning.
“That’s right,” I said with a laugh, answering her unspoken question. “He asked me to marry him and we are moving to live with him. You can come or not. I don’t care.”
She flinched, saying nothing as I continued. I knew I was being cruel. I didn’t care. I was sick of her verbal abuse.
“You won’t, however, be rude to Bradley if you do come with us. If you are, you will find yourself back on a plane here to live with someone else so fast your head will spin. You want to be miserable, that’s fine, but you keep your damn thoughts to yourself. I doubt he’d put up with you being rude to me either.”
Before she could respond, Annalina walked into the kitchen.
Removing my hands from the table, I smiled at her. “What do you want for breakfast, sweetie?”
She looked at me, then her grandmother’s shocked face and back, ignoring my question. “I guess you told her. She doesn’t look very excited.”
Laughing, I went over and put my arms around her shoulders. “Of course she is! She’s just shocked, that’s all. Isn’t that right mom?”
Her answer was to smile at Annalina, then stand up and walk out of the room without another word.
“See? She’s speechless,” I joked as I opened the fridge. “Now, what do you want for breakfast? You have to hurry or you’ll be late!”
Annalina shook her head at me and took a seat at the table.
Well, I thought. This is definitely going to be interesting.
Perhaps that was just what my life needed.