"I don't know, honey," she answers softly. "What have you done?"
Sitting up, I bunch my blanket and use it as a shield to cover me from the neck down. I've never been so scared for my mother to pass judgment. Inevitably she will; I only hope it's in my favor.
"I broke up with Myles," I confess quickly, to get it out. "The wedding's off."
My mom's smile is small, but there in its most tasteful form. She's never been one to gloat, and if she were, this would be as close as she's ever come to it.
"Yes. I had heard you…." She waits, but now the small smile turns into a grin. "I had heard you ended things in a way Myles couldn't misinterpret."
"Oh, God," I cry. "Rumors have already started."
"Indeed." She laughs then pats my knee, squeezing it once before sitting back and straightening her posture. Her big blue eyes come to mine before she says, "He deserved the humiliation, Ryleigh. If I heard things correctly, he wasn't acting like any man I'd want marrying my daughter."
"What will you do about the wedding? I mean, it's all set."
"I've already canceled what needs canceled."
"Thank you," I whisper.
"Things happen for a reason," she supplies confidently.
I know I have to tell her about Chase. Even though I'm now a grown woman, discussing the details of my sex life with her won't come easy.
I go for vague. "Chase and me," I start, then take a breath so I don't screw this up and have to explain in detail. "I, um, stayed the night with him."
Mom sucks in her lips as her cheeks turn pink. I'm sure mine do as well and I find myself smiling at the memory of being with him for the first time since it happened.
"I know this, too," she whispers as she bends to me.
"What? How?" I have no idea how she'd know, unless, "Did Kate tell you?"
She shakes her head, her face getting serious. "What did I tell you about your father, and if he was forced to wait even a day without seeing me. What would he do?"
Shaking my head, I do what I can to help my mother through the loss of Chase and me ever being together. "It's not like that, Mom. I'm sorry. Chase won't forgive me. I was wrong in..." Dear God, this is painful. "In spending the night with him."
"Having shared a night with him," she corrects.
"Yeah." I roll my eyes. "That."
"Oh, Ryleigh. You're beating yourself up for the wrong reasons."
Clearly not appreciating or understanding her possible point, I ask, "What?"
"You weren't happy with Myles. Surely you'll admit this now."
"Yes, in a way I wasn't happy."
"So, why are you sitting here sulking about what was never supposed to be and not out there fighting for what is?"
She doesn't get it. "Mom, Chase told me to leave. Never come back. Those were his words. Not mine."
"He said those things because you told him you were still with Myles," she tells me.
It takes a few seconds for me to realize what she just said. "How do you know that?"
She hesitates, staring at her hands. She says nothing. "Mom?"
"Because he's been downstairs waiting for you to get out of this bed and get a move on, sister." A new voice joins the conversation. "Don't make him wait already. Get a move on!"
I tear my eyes off my nervous mother and look at Maggie standing in the doorway. She's bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"He's here? Right now?" I ask whoever will answer.
Maggie sighs dramatically. "Well, yeah. He's been sleeping on the couch the last two nights. He said he didn't want to 'pressure' you 'cause then you'd make a rash decision and blah blah blah." She makes talking gestures with her hand, mocking Chase's mouth moving.
"I was so awful to him," I say, more to myself than them.
"You weren't," Mom assures. "I'm going to send him home. I'll tell him you'll talk to him tomorrow. It's late. Maybe take some time to sleep on it before you do anything without thought."
My mom's right. But I want to see his face, feel his heartbeat, just to know I've not broken it.
"I'll tell him," Maggie informs me. "He's gotta go. My shows are coming on soon and I highly doubt the man wants to watch hot vamps chasing their women."
"Maggie, enough," Mom clips, and turns to me. She caresses my face. "You're okay?"
I nod, a tear escaping. "Yeah, I'll be okay."
"You will," she agrees before she stands and closely follows Mags out the door.
Chapter Twelve
CHASE
"I ruined it. Not you," Myles confesses quietly as he sits on my couch.
I came back home at the insistent request of Maggie, who informed me her shows were ready to start and she had no intention of watching her favorite vampires fight crime with me sitting beside her making fun. She nearly threatened bodily harm. She had me sold on the idea of leaving once she said Ryleigh had finally perked up with enough interest to drag her ass out of bed and shower.
So, when I walked in my front door, I found Myles had packed his bags and was waiting for me to arrive.