Traction - Dani Rene Page 0,60

who adopted me and gave me a life I never thought I could have.

And all those doubts that plagued me for years, that I’m not good enough, take hold and refresh themselves in my mind. They remind me that I’m nothing but a charity case. As much as I attempt to fight off those thoughts, I can’t stop them from replaying in my mind in a constant loop.

I’m not sure how long I sit on the tiles, but when the taps shut off suddenly and a towel appears, I glance up through wet lashes to find Mom standing over me.

“You’re getting out of there now, and you’re coming down to talk to me,” she informs me with a tone so hard, so rigid, it causes me to shiver. I’ve seen her angry a few times while growing up, but this is something else. I’m afraid I’m in deep trouble, so I quickly scoot up, and I take the offered towel.

“I-I—”

“Get dried and dressed,” Mom says. “We have to talk.” Without waiting for me, she spins on her heel and leaves me in the bathroom, shivering. I quickly wrap myself in the towel and race into my bedroom to get some clothes on. I have a feeling I’m in for it now.

When I reach the living room, Mom is sitting on the couch. I join her, settling on the soft cushions, crossing my legs, and taking her in. “I’m sorry you saw that.”

“I know what happened,” she admits.

“What?” Snapping my gaze to her, I watch as she lifts her head and observes me for a long moment. “How did you—”

“I got a call from Kayden. He told me you don’t want to speak to him,” she states slowly. “I think you should give him a chance to explain.”

“There’s nothing to explain, Mom,” I insist, trying to stop the whine from escaping my lips. “His mom told me everything. If he’s with anyone outside his social circle, he could lose his father’s company. And that’s something I couldn’t live with.”

“Did he tell you that, Haelee? Did he agree with his mother?” Mom poses two questions I can’t respond to because when I think about it, I realize I pushed him out without so much as giving him a chance to say anything.

“No, Mom,” I finally answer, knowing she’s going to be disappointed in the way I’ve conducted myself. But in my defense, the thought of Kayden losing his dad’s company was scary. I couldn’t let that happen.

“What did she say to you?” Mom asks, her gaze locked on my face, taking in my expression. That’s something she could always do, gauge my emotions by simply looking at me.

“She told me I’m not good enough for her son. That one day, I’d turn out just like my junkie whore mother.” She flinches at the words. One thing about Mom is that I’ve hardly ever heard her cursing, but I want her to know the exact phrase Kayden’s mother used. Even though I have fought all my life not to be like my birth mother, the fear I may end up just like that is something I’ve lived with daily.

“If that’s something you believe, then I’m sad.” Mom’s words have my attention snapping to hers. “You’ve come so far. I understand you’re nervous. Genetics is something we can’t understand, but already, you’re not like her. You have an education you’re going to put to use and a passion that will gift you a career for as long as you want it.”

“I know all that, Mom,” I agree. “I can’t stop the fear from taking hold of me, though. It’s not something that I can just put at the back of my mind and forget.”

She nods. “No, it’s not, but you need to look at the life you have now. You need to believe in the present, not the past. If you spend too much time focusing on what’s behind you, how can you see what’s right in front of you?”

Silence hangs in the air for a long while as I consider her words. I know she’s right. I know it down to my inner core, and I need to do as she says. My mom has always offered the best advice, and she’s definitely more understanding than I thought she’d be.

“Now, are you going to give this poor boy a chance to tell you all he has to say?” she quips, a small smile playing on her lips. “Because I actually feel quite sorry