One More Time (Ruby Falls #2) - Aurora Rose Reynolds Page 0,45

relationship he has with the people who raised him, especially his mom, says a lot about the man he is. Not only does he love her; he respects her and just enjoys her company. I’m sure, like every family, they’ve had difficult times, but I doubt his mom is sleeping around while his father is drinking himself into an early grave to bury his feelings. They’ve probably dealt with any issues like normal adults and taught their son to do the same, which makes me hopeful for Tide and me. It’s not that I don’t think that two people who grew up with similar circumstances can’t work; I just think it can make things more difficult.

Like me, my ex Josh had a turbulent relationship with his parents. They were either around, causing a whole bunch of drama, or out of his life completely. There was no in between—something I know he hated, even if he would never, ever admit it. Looking back, I can see why he would think my parents and my relationship with them were normal, or maybe even better than he had growing up. But with two people coming from the same unhealthy place, there was no middle ground. Neither of us knew when to stop and take a step back or when to say “We need to work on this together so we could both be happy.” Or maybe our relationship was so unhealthy, we both knew deep down it wasn’t worth the time or effort it would take to fix it. Then again on my part, I knew there was just nothing to fix. I knew things wouldn’t work out, that staying with him would be me forever attempting to push a boulder uphill—something that is both pointless and extremely tiring in the long run.

“What are you thinking about?” Tide asks, dragging me from my thoughts while grabbing my hand to pull it to rest on his thigh.

“Just that I really like your parents,” I admit, and his fingers give mine a squeeze. “They’re so normal.”

“They aren’t perfect,” he says gently. “They’ve just found what works for them. Dad puts up with the constant projects, floral wallpaper in the dining room that he hates, and decorations in the house and outside most of the year, and Mom makes sure he’s always got a warm meal when he comes home, and stays away from the den, because that’s his space, especially during football season.”

“So… normal.” I shrug.

“Yeah, I guess so.” He laughs, and I smile, hoping that one day we have what they do, because even though normal might sound boring to some people, it sounds pretty damn amazing to me.

Chapter 14

Tide

“IT’S WEIRD THAT I haven’t been to your house before now,” Aria says a couple days later as I drive down the tree-lined street my house is on with the sun setting off in the distance, causing the sky to turn a mixture of pink and purple.

“You think so?” I glance over at her, seeing her looking out the window, and she turns my way.

“Don’t you? I mean, we’ve been seeing each other for a while now. It’s just kind of weird that I haven’t been to your place.”

“Your place is a fuck of a lot nicer than mine, and you work from home, so it’s easier for me to stay with you. Plus, I prefer your bed to mine.”

“Really?” She raises a brow. “Because you complain every night about my pillows.”

“No, I complain about the excessive amount of pillows you have that you don’t even use.”

“Whatever,” she mumbles, and I smile. Honestly, I wouldn’t have even suggested we stay at my place tonight, but Anna is dropping Olivia off early. I wanted to be on neutral ground the first time she officially met Aria. I just hope the two of them meeting doesn’t blow up in my face.

“So this is it,” I say as I park in my driveway, and I turn to watch her eyes scan the small yard and cream house with black shutters.

“It’s cute.” Her eyes meet mine as she smiles. “And your neighborhood is adorable.”

“I think that was the exact listing the realtor wrote up for this place,” I reply, listening to her laugh as she unhooks her belt.

“Is that why you bought it, because they used words like cute and adorable?” she teases with a sparkle in her beautiful eyes.

“Yep, well… that, and it’s located right between Olivia’s school and my parents’ house, which makes things easier the weeks