Twisted Up (Taking Chances #1) - Erin Nicholas Page 0,71

of this town and have a chance. But I knew I wouldn’t be able to let her go if I didn’t push her at that moment.”

Jake felt his throat tighten as his mother’s story came spilling out.

“I knew I’d never go if we talked about it ahead of time,” he said. He’d told her the same thing that morning. “If you had cried and asked me to reconsider even a week before that, I would have.”

Heidi nodded again. “I know. And I might have done that. The next day, when I was adjusted to the idea, and your father and I had talked, I realized the Guard was perfect for you. I was so proud.” Heidi brushed a fingertip along her lower lashes, catching the tear that had formed there. “I immediately regretted what I’d said to Avery. I never wanted her to think she wasn’t wanted or loved. But later I talked myself into thinking it was the right thing to do. She did need to go. She needed to have a chance at something more, something bigger. She needed to know she could do whatever she wanted.”

Jake shifted his weight and worked on not going to her and hugging her. He needed to get the rest of the Avery story, and he needed to make sure his mom understood that she would not hurt Avery again.

He wanted to make Avery smile and blush and laugh. He wanted to kiss her some more. A lot more.

If he had to keep her away from his parents to make sure this was good for her, he would.

But he really wanted to heal all this. For Avery. For his mother. Not so they looked like a happy family to the town or the Bronsons when they came to visit, but because these two women meant a lot to him, and he hated to see them hurting. He hated to see them hurting each other. He fucking hated that he’d had anything to do with any of it.

If he hadn’t asked her to prom, he wouldn’t have realized how amazing she was, and she wouldn’t have dreamed up the fantasy of becoming a Mitchell. If he hadn’t left the next morning for the Guard without any warning or real conversation about it with his parents, his mother wouldn’t have overreacted when Avery showed up on her doorstep.

“She had a plan,” Jake said, his voice scratchy. “She had everything worked out in her head. She was fine leaving her grandmother’s. She was ready to move on.”

“But she was focusing on short-term training programs and staying here, afraid to spread her wings and realize her full potential. She’d never let herself think beyond the boundaries of this town.”

Jake felt a bubble of anger rise again. What was wrong with being within the boundaries of this town? “Becoming a cop, taking care of her neighbors and friends, being a part of this community—that you love and give back to—how is that not realizing her full potential?” Jake asked, incredulous. “She basically wanted to be you.”

Heidi nodded, looking miserable. “I know.”

“How is that possibly a bad thing? How can that be something to push her away from?” He, too, had looked at his parents and wanted what they had. People looked up to Heidi and Wes; they were respected and liked and would have the backing of anyone in town. Everyone in town, if needed. They were part of the core of Chance.

“Your father and I love this town and our life here. But we didn’t choose it. My future as a part of my family’s business was predetermined, and your father couldn’t afford to leave to go to college. The police academy was great for him, and he loves his work, but we’re blessed it was something on the very short list of possibilities. My parents bought the house for us, and we got pregnant young, even though we had to try for a while. Our path was essentially drawn for us.”

She took a deep breath.

“A very selfish part of me that loved you and Avery both so much wanted you to stay. To make your lives here. To live down the street, and have dinner with us three times a week, and sit with us in church, and let me take care of the grandkids after school,” Heidi admitted.

Jake felt a streak of—something—go through him. He couldn’t define it exactly. It felt like surprise, but it also felt like enlightenment or realization or awareness or