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“It was real for me, too,” I sighed. My stomach churned at the admission, at the idea that I was walking back into a situation where I could be hurt again. “It should have been obvious that I was in love with you. None of this had anything to do with Hunter. It was purely coincidental.”
“I know that now. Do you love me?”
My chest tightened, aching. “Of course I do.”
————
I let Wade drive me home. I’d taken a taxi out to the winery since I hadn’t gotten around to sorting out a new car for myself yet. Everywhere I needed to go had been costing me an arm and a leg.
“Mom’s home,” I said softly as we pulled into my neighborhood. “You can meet her if you want. She’s having a good day today.”
Wade blew out a long breath. It had taken him a long time to calm down entirely, and even then, I wasn’t sure if he was fully back to normal. “Are you sure you want that?”
“Only if you want to.”
He parked the Aventador in the driveway and pulled the handbrake up. He didn’t say a word as he pushed his door open and exited the car, coming around to my side to help me out.
We walked up to the front door in silence. The light of the television flickered in the living room window and the kitchen light was still on, signs she was still awake. I twisted my key in the lock.
“Mom?” I called.
“In the kitchen!”
I waved Wade inside, watched him kick the little bit of ice from the bottom of his shoes before he stepped across the threshold. “I brought someone for you to meet,” I said, letting the little grin I’d been holding back surface as Mom stepped around the corner.
“Hi, Mrs. Harleson,” Wade smiled. “Hope you don’t mind the intrusion.”
“Of course not,” Mom chirped.
“Mom, this is Wade. My…” I looked up at him, lost for a word to describe what he was to me. We hadn’t decided on anything as far as I was aware.
“Boyfriend,” Wade answered with a chuckle.
“I think I’ve heard your name once or twice,” Mom joked, giving me a wink. “I was just finishing up the brownies I made. You guys want some?”
“You’re not supposed to be cooking when no one’s home,” I groaned. I set my bag on the little table by the door and stepped through the living room into the kitchen, Wade following me.
“It’s not cooking, sweetheart, it’s baking.”
“She’s right, you know,” Wade said, every ounce of charm coming out for my mom. Bastard. “It is baking.”
Mom pulled the tray of brownies from the oven, filling the room with the scent of delicious chocolate. “I like this one, Stingray.”
Wade went to the oven, closing the door behind her and helped her set them on the cooling rack. He went back and turned it off and my heart smiled. “To be fair, Mrs. Harleson, I’m acting on my best behavior right now.”
“Oh, you can call me Jane,” Mom grinned. “No need for formalities in my house. Where have you two been this evening?”
“Actually we were at a charity event for Alzheimer’s and dementia,” I replied, giving her a small smile.
“We left early,” Wade added.
“Adam and I used to do that,” Mom laughed. “We’d get invited to events and go just to show our faces, making up some excuse to get the hell out.”
————
Somehow, Mom convinced Wade to stay and watch an episode of Family Feud while the brownies cooled enough to be able to eat. I’d bickered with him, insisting that he didn’t have to wait around, but his ever-charming ways had snaked their way into Mom’s heart. She didn’t want him to leave.
“Your elbow is digging into my ribs, you probably re-injured them,” I grumbled, pushing away from where he leaned on me.
