never been your kids.” He slammed his fist onto his chest. “I’m the one who has been there for them. Not you. You were too busy getting lost in your latest fuckin’ bottle!”
My body sank lower into the seat as I realized this was his mom.
Wow. This was his mom.
She reminded me of mine.
“All it’d take is one call.” She placed her hand on her chest. “One call to say you took them from me. Kidnapped them.”
“You think anyone would care?” He laughed as he pushed his hand into his pocket, but his movements were jerky. She knew what to say to get a reaction out of him. My eyes narrowed as he handed over some cash to her. “Here. Go get drunk and leave us the hell alone.”
She greedily snapped up the money, not giving him a second look as she sprinted away from him, bypassing the apartments. She was going to spend the money on the only thing she cared about: her vice. She was an addict, just like my parents.
Damn.
Mateo stood there for several minutes, staring at the empty space where his mother had just been. I wasn’t sure what to do. Did I get out and see if he was okay? Did I stay put and let him come to me? I bit down on my bottom lip, trying to figure out what was best, but by the time I came to a decision to stay put, he turned. His feet carried him to the driver’s side, and he didn’t say a word as he got inside the SUV then turned the engine on.
He pulled out of the lot, the silence in the car almost deafening. I opened my mouth, not sure what to say. The entire night had gone to shit, and I didn’t think anything I spoke could have made it better. But there was no harm in trying, right?
“So…that was your mom?”
“Yep.” He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in time with a beat that only he knew. “She’s a drunk.”
“I can see that,” I said softly, dipping my shoulders down to make myself smaller. “I get it.”
He hummed a noise in the back of his throat, not committing to actual words. He didn’t want to talk about it. I got it. I truly did. Which was why I pinched my lips together and stared out of the window. It looked like we were headed back the way we’d come, and for a second, I wondered if he’d changed his mind.
But then he pulled into a small driveway in front of a house. I couldn’t make it out completely in the dark, but I could see the trees surrounding it and toys scattered around on the front lawn. The rumbling engine cut off, but neither of us moved to get out.
“Why?” I asked, the burning question taking root and demanding to be voiced. “Why did you tell him I was your fiancée?”
Mateo laughed, shaking his head. “It was the only way to get you out of there.” He turned in his seat, his arm leaning on the top of the steering wheel. “Do you understand what you did?” His voice was deeper now. “You sealed our fate.”
I frowned. “No. I—”
“You made a decision.” He leaned forward, sucking up all of the air in the confined space. “You stole from Lorenzo, and the only way to get you out of there was to claim you as mine.”
“You don’t have to be mine though.” A thought occurred to me and I turned completely in the seat. “We can pretend. He’ll forget after a while and then—”
“No.” His word was final, his eyes lighting with fire. He thrust open the driver’s door, and I scrambled out after him.
This couldn’t be the end of it. So, Mateo told a white lie, it didn’t mean it had to be the end of the story. “I could disappear. I could run away. They’d never find me.” I rushed the words out as I caught up to him at the front door. I didn’t think twice about following him inside. “Mateo—“
“You can leave now.” I stumbled back at his words, my breath whooshing out of me. “Thanks for tonight.”
“Ma—”
“You’re welcome,” a new voice said, and I moved to the side to see around Mateo. An older woman shuffled forward, taking the stack of cash from him. “They did all of their homework and went to bed with no problems.” She smiled at me as she exited the house silently,