Page 150 of Make You Mine

He leans forward, his hands wrapping around my hips. He pulls me to him and envelops me in a dangerous kiss. His wet tongue in my mouth making heat slither down my legs and in between my thighs.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I stretch my hand his way this time, prompt him to take it, and he gives me a small smile as he does. “Let’s do this.”

***

The service doesn’t take long.

Kayden doesn’t volunteer to talk at the funeral, and my mom doesn’t suggest it. She gives him his space.

Turns out, she knew what a horrible man Lucas, Kayden’s father, was. She had been trapped under his thumb for too long before he got sick, and she didn’t know how to get out. As suspected, she didn’t tell me because she thought she was protecting me.

Yet, for the audience, she pretends to have been a loving wife, in a loving marriage, letting his memory be taintless and hopefully forgotten. My mother is strong, and I know she will move on.

The good news is that now she’s richer than ever before. She had been such an obedient little wife that Kayden’s father actually left her all his money.

Of course, she didn’t tell us this, but rather Russell, Mom’s assistant, did. He sits in the first row just like us, nodding as we get up and prepare to leave the church.

As much as I didn’t like the idea of my mother having another man in the house when I first found out about him, I’m grateful for Russell. He’s a nice guy, and he told us about the situation behind closed doors, claiming my mother needed help when we showed up at the house a month after Kayden and I officially started dating.

Mom has no idea about our conversation.

Apparently, Russell is so tech-savvy that he, too, helped us research what we needed to make things happen. His knowledge, plus Kayden’s coding skills, helped us make sure we left no traces behind. Russell is in love with my mother, despite having a twenty-year age gap. Mom has no idea about that, either. He wanted to help set her free.

Now, Russell has to sit in the corner, pretending to be mourning a monster just like Kayden and me, unable to reach for the woman he loves and comfort her so as not to raise any suspicions.

But I’m sure he’ll get his shot in a couple of months.

“Kayden, darling.” Mom digs her palm into Kayden’s shoulder as we approach her, standing right by the open casket.

Her blonde bob is hidden under an elegant hat that she’s wearing with a black blazer and long skirt. Her face is paler than usual, her eyes puffy with dried mascara underneath them. To anyone else, she’s playing the perfect part of the mourning wife.

I divert my gaze, not wanting to face the corpse of the man who gave Kayden so much pain.

“Thank you for coming. How are you holding up?”

Kayden adjusts his tie and shrugs. “I’m not sure what I’m feeling to be honest.”

Mom approaches me, wrapping me in a quick hug. “Thank you for being here, Maddy. I know you never liked Lucas.”

“I’m here for you, Mom,” I say, pulling back a bit. “Always.”

“Thank you,” she whispers, her voice faint and fragile, directing the words at both of us.

“You don’t need to thank us for anything, Mom. We’re family. We’ll always be here if you need us.”

“That’s not what I—” Mom pauses. Her tone changes, still low. She clearly doesn’t want anyone to hear us. “Thank you. For everything.”

This time, she gives us a knowing look.

It dawns on me as Kayden and I exchange a look of our own.

She knows. She knows what we did. That this is on us.

She knows, and she isn’t going to tell anyone. That’s how loyal Mom is. Just like when we showed up at their house knowing we’d get a momentary hissing look from Kayden’s father as we confessed to them that we love each other, that we decided to be together. Mom doesn’t judge.

She doesn’t back away when things get hard or are unconventional. She fights and sees them through.