Still The One - Carrie Elks Page 0,77

for him to get his breath back enough to pull out of her, tying the condom and putting it aside. He pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head as she spooned into him, pleasure still warming her body as her eyes began to droop.

“I love you,” he murmured. It was so soft, she wasn’t sure she was supposed to hear it. So she closed her eyes and let her breathing slow, trying not to think too much about those words.

He loved her. And it was beautiful. But it was scary, too. Because he’d loved her once before and look how that turned out. Love was a fluffy cat with claws, it soothed and it cut in equal measure. She hoped to god the claws stayed hidden this time, because she had no idea what she’d do if they didn’t.

We’re not kids anymore. Damn, she hoped that was true. Because she’d been in love with Tanner Hartson her whole life.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“Guys, I gotta head over to the drive-in and get everything ready for tonight,” Van called out, walking out of her bedroom into the hallway. When she reached the kitchen, she gazed out of the window, checking for the twentieth time that morning that the sun was still out. The clouds needed to stay away. There was no way she wanted the grand opening party to be a wash-out.

“Mom?” she called out. “You and Zoe need to get there by six, okay? I’ve reserved you a space at the front.” She grinned at Zoe who was sitting at the kitchen table, spooning Rice Krispies into her mouth. “And you get all the popcorn you can eat.”

Zoe grinned back. “I can eat a lot.”

“I know.” Van winked at her. “Mom?” she called out again. “Where are you?”

“She’s in the bedroom.” Zoe inclined her head toward the hallway. “She came out about ten minutes ago to pick up the mail, then disappeared again.”

Van walked back into the hallway and knocked at her mom’s bedroom door. “Mom, I gotta go. Did you hear what I said?”

No answer. Van sighed. Don’t let her be like this. Not today of all days. She needed everything to go perfectly. It wasn’t too much to ask, was it?

“Mom?” she said again, trying to keep the impatience from her voice.

“Come in.” Her mom’s voice was thick. Croaky.

Van pushed the door open, and tried not to wince at all the clothes strewn over the floor. “I was just saying I gotta go.” She looked over to the bed. Her mom was curled up, facing the wall, papers in her hands. “Are you okay?” Van said softly.

Her mom rolled over. Her eyes were red, her hair a mess. She held out the papers to Van. “He’s divorcing me,” she whispered. “I just got this.”

Van took the papers from her mom’s outstretched hands and scanned through them. “It’s a letter from his lawyer. He wants to discuss separation terms, not a divorce,” she said, looking up. “It’s not that bad.”

Her mom’s lips trembled. “It’s the first step. A separation agreement and then a divorce after a year. He really isn’t coming back.”

“But it’s a good thing, right?” Van said, forcing a smile onto her face. “It says here he’s going to pay you enough money to cover the rent. And he doesn’t want any of the furniture.” She turned over the page. “Look! He wants to see Zoe every other weekend. She’ll be happy about that.”

“I’m not letting my girl go and stay with him and that bitch,” Kim hissed. “They don’t get to play happy family with my kid.” She shook her head. “Zoe isn’t even his.”

Van’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out to see Tanner’s name on the screen. “Can we talk about this later?” she asked. “After the gala? I have a thousand things to do at the drive-in. And you don’t have to do anything about it right away.”

Her mom said nothing, just took the papers from Van and turned back on her side again.

“You need to be there at six,” Van said. “I’ve saved you a spot. Just give your name at the booth and they’ll direct you. Everybody else arrives at seven, so don’t be late.”

“Okay,” her mom whispered.

Van leaned forward to rub her back. “It’s going to be okay. Nothing’s changed. We’re all still good, right?”

Her mom sniffed.

Van’s phone rang again. This time she answered the call. “I’m on my way,” she said.

“Good. Because I miss you already.”