Lured into Love (Blossom in Winter #2) - Melanie Martins Page 0,121
I know she hates not being presentable.
Mom wipes her tears, and for once her voice sounds truly genuine and sincere. “Your dad didn’t come home last night, so don’t worry.”
“Oh.” Now I’m even more surprised. “And how do you know that?”
“Well, Janine arrived at my room at six this morning and told me his bed was exactly like she’d left it the day before.”
Her tone saddens me, and for the first time in eighteen years, I decide to ask, “Was he like that during your marriage?” A question I’ve never dared to ask before. One, because their marriage has been over since I can remember, and two, because I know Mom hates to talk about it.
She just shrugs in return. “Nothing has changed.”
“You must’ve felt very lonely,” I point out.
“You get used to it,” she says, before taking another sip of her tea. “And find hobbies to get over it.”
Such as drinking? The question is on the tip of my tongue, but I decide not to ask it. I know the answer already.
“Mom?”
“Yes?”
“If I ask you something, can you be honest with me?” Not that I expect her to be, but one can always dream.
“Sure.”
“Apart from the age difference and the fact that you don’t like his family, is there any other reason you disapprove of my relationship with Alex?”
“Oh God…” Mom rolls her eyes just as fast. “Twenty-three years of age difference is reason enough, Petra.”
“Mom…” I insist, letting the word trail off. She looks me in the eye, calming down, and I hope this time she will be sincere.
“No,” she answers back. Liar. Jeez, for once I had hopes that Mom would finally open up and tell me what she has against him. But not surprisingly, she didn’t. “The age difference is the main reason. As Dr. Nel explained to you, your brain isn’t fully developed until you are twenty-five, which means you need seven more years to be able to fully weigh the consequences of your actions.” She pauses, a disgusted expression settling on her face. “What Alex did to you,” she says, shaking her head, “is beyond gross and shows a complete lack of any decency or respect toward you.”
I can’t help but protest, “You do realize we love each other, right? He didn’t do anything I didn’t want him to.”
Mom chuckles. “No eighteen-year-old knows what love is.” Because she does? “Believe me, what you have is nothing more than infatuation turned into an obsessive disorder.” Her cold, formal tone has now taken over. “One day, you will understand.”
The more I hear her speak, the more I wonder if Mom would’ve been against me falling in love with someone else, but of my age. Deciding to test the waters, I ask, “What if I were in love with Matthew? Would that be infatuation too? There is no age gap between us. I mean, unless you consider one year a significant difference.”
“You are too young to develop those kinds of feelings,” she says simply. “Love is a serious commitment that a teenager cannot fully understand. You may have a crush, but that’s it.”
Playing along, I keep inquiring. “So should I just fool around like Emma?”
“You don’t have to fool around like Emma. I don’t particularly fancy her lifestyle, but you can have a boyfriend and remain emotionally and physically safe.”
My eyes widen at her comment, and I can’t control the way my mouth hangs open. “What does that even mean?”
“Well, someone who respects your boundaries and understands that you are both too young to do certain things.”
What? At that instant, I must have the most cringeworthy grimace on earth on my face. “Like having sex?” I’m about to crack. The infantilization she is into is borderline offensive. The more I think about it, the more I realize I actually never spoke about sex or kinks with her, only with Emma. Jeez, if Mom thinks I’m too young to have sex, I can’t even imagine what she would think about the rest…
“Is that a requirement nowadays? You can have a boyfriend perfectly fine without doing it.”
And here we go. I’d never have imagined she’d be so protective and strict about this until now. “It’s not a requirement, but it’s natural. And it feels even better when you do it with someone you love.” I emphasis the word love to tease her.
But Mom is having none of it, and keeping her distant, formal tone, she says, “Of course it’s natural. Teens are high on hormones. That’s why it’s our