I Hate You, Mr. Boss-Man [18+]

053

-Katherine-

"I've truly missed you, kitten."

My mother's warm hands hold mine in a firm squeeze, eyes welling rapidly before a few tears flow onto her cheeks-standing in the middle of JFK.

It was early, the last day of her spontaneous trip. Although spending time with her was brief, I was glad she made the trip. "I've missed you too, momma," I almost break into a sob-her arms pulling me into a hug. I sucked in a breath, letting the barricade crumble to a million pieces. Yes, I was still on guard with my grief, but the sincerity in her cadence allayed my fears.

"Seeing you again..." She whispered into my hair, her grip tightening around me. "I only wish it didn't take me seven years. I'm so sorry for that, honey." My mom pulls away, cupping my cheeks in her palms-and drying up the tears on my cheeks with her thumbs. "I will regret that for the rest of my life."

"I got the ticket!"

My eyes snap over my mother's shoulder, the sight of Jesse making me smile-his excitement canceling out the tension. "Took you long enough," I quip and choke out a laugh, drying the rest of my tears with the sleeve of my sweater.

"The line was long," Jesse chirps and joins me at my side. "Don't even get me started on the wait," He turns to my mother and happily gives her the boarding pass. "Your flight boards in thirty minutes, Mrs. Stratford. You're in first class."

My mother's brows raise surprisingly, sharing a glance with me as she gently takes the ticket from my boyfriend's grasp. "That's incredibly generous, but you honestly didn't have to do that," She meets his eyes and begins to fumble the piece of paper. I inherited that trait from my mother.

I notice the recognition on Jesse's face, almost scoffing while he gives me a side glance. "It's no trouble at all, ma'am," He assures her with a curt nod. "I only wanted you to be comfortable."

We had an unspoken understanding, my mother and me. I could immediately recognize her expressions and what they meant. She often read me like a book, on occasion. So the wide-eyed look was something she coined as a signature. It meant-according to her-holy shit.

"I have to say," Olivia begins, lowering her ticket from our gaze. "When we first met, I assumed the worst." Her attention is solely on Jesse-sincerity laced into her gaze as she gestures to take his hand in hers. "I didn't think you had what it takes, but..." Her eyes flicker over to me, smiling warmly. "Having talked with you...the way you speak about my daughter. I know that my husband would've approved."

My stomach tightly clenches, the smallest of knots forming in the base of my throat. If only. Jesse's hand unknowingly slips into mine, interlocking our fingers-eyes gleaming as he stared at me as if he were looking at me for the first time. It made my heart beat faster. "Thank you, Mrs. Stratford," Jesse says loud enough for my mother to hear. "But I'm just lucky that she chose to love me."

A scalding heat begins to claw its way up my neck-settling to burn at the apples of my cheeks. And I would choose you in a thousand lifetimes. I bury my face in his chest, ignoring the chuckles around me. "You're embarrassing me, you dork," I grumble-the words muffling against his pecs as he kisses the top of my head.

"Flight 132 will be boarding in ten minutes."

"You should get going, mom," I say, pulling away from Jesse. "You don't want to miss your flight and all."

Olivia concurs with a nod, her smiling tightening while she pulls me in for a hug. "Take care of yourself, kitten." She whispers into my hair-my arms coming around her, tightening on her frame.