Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 90795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Mom’s eyes are glassy, and she wipes a stray tear. “He sounds wonderful, honey. You’ll make a very good partner—the best. He’s lucky to have you.”
“I’m lucky to have him,” I counter.
She smiles. “Is he a student at Peyton U too? Is that where you met?”
Well, shit. Here we go. I didn’t expect to get into it this soon. “No. We met earlier this year, in the spring, then lost touch, but I saw him again when I started school. He’s a professor.” I can’t lie to her. There’s no way. I want James, Nash, and Sadie to be a part of my life. I want them to be my family. She’ll find out what James does. It’s impossible to keep that secret.
“Oh.” She sits up straighter. “How old?”
“Forty. So not a huge age gap, and really, that doesn’t bother me. What matters is that we fit together, that we work, and we do work well.”
“Is he your professor?” Mom asks tentatively.
“He was, but I dropped his class.” I don’t tell her how recently. She doesn’t need to know that part. “This isn’t anything weird, Mom. We met before. He didn’t know I’d be a student, and I didn’t know he was a professor. It was a surprise when we saw each other again. We didn’t think we’d become anything, but I liked him even then. I wanted to spend more time with him, and now I love him. We’ve taken actions we need to take for school, so that hopefully won’t be an issue.” I want to get it all out there, tell her everything so we can move on. “He also recently got custody of his two siblings—Nash is fifteen, Sadie eleven. They didn’t have the best upbringing. James didn’t know about them, but as soon as he found out, he brought them here to live with him, and he’s great with them. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for those kids, and I adore them too. They don’t know about James and me yet, they think we’re just friends, but eventually, we’ll tell them.” I scoot closer and take her hand. “I know this is a lot, but I don’t want to lie to you. Both you and James mean too much to me for me to do that. I really love him, and I need you to be supportive. I need you to trust me that this is good for me, that it’s what I want and I know what I’m doing.”
Mom watches me for a moment, studies me, looks at me with crinkled eyes and in this way only a mom can. “You’ve always been older than your age, Colton. You’ve always been a family man, even if it was just our family, or just Hannah. You’re a caretaker by nature, but you’re also smart, and you make good decisions. I can’t say I imagined you coming to me and telling me you’re in love with your professor who has two kids.”
“Ex-professor,” I correct.
“Ex-professor.” She smiles. “But if you love him, then I know he must be good. You wouldn’t have it in you to love him otherwise. And if you tell me this is what you want, that you’re happy and he’s good for you and to you, then that’s all that matters. All I want is for my boys to be happy.”
I wish James, Sadie, and Nash could have had a mom like her, that they knew what it was like to have unconditional love from a parent. Sadie and Nash will know what it’s like to have it from James, even if he’s just their older brother. And maybe James will know what it’s like from my mom.
“Thanks, Ma. That means the world to me. The kids are so cool. I’ve been playing basketball with Nash. He joined the team for the first time. He’s had two home games, and we went to both. And Sadie…she’s so sweet. You’ll love her. She’s an artist. James has been hanging her stuff up all over their apartment. She drew a picture for me the other day.”
Mom smiles. “I can’t wait to meet them.”
“I was thinking for my birthday. We could have Kota and Elena over. Tash has been helping Sadie with her hair, so she and Hannah have met them. We’ll have them here too. We’ll have to pretend James and I aren’t together, though. We don’t want to throw too much at the kids at once. They’re still adjusting to living with James.”
“I think that’s a smart decision.”
I hang out there for another hour or so, just spending time with her and talking to her about James.
When I head out, Mom hugs me, wrapping her arms tightly around me. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks, Ma. I wouldn’t be who I am without you.”
“Yes, you would, but thank you.”