Only Yours

39. Important Contact

Tamina

Mum sets down a miniature plate of cookies in the centre of the table while the other hand places a cup of tea in front of me.

"Thank you for having me over," I earnestly say, earning a peck to my hair before she rounds to her seat, occupying her own brew.

"Of course, my darling." Her voice is soft but surprised. "When I heard your sniffles, there was no way I'd leave you alone." Offering a warm smile, she adds, "Drink, have a cookie, then tell me what's wrong."

Glancing out the rectangular window, dad is on his knees with a trowel in hand, and a smile tugs at my lips at the sight of him carefully shewing off a small sparrow. As if sensing my thoughts, she peers over her shoulder and humorously shakes her head. "Jack's back. He's been persistent with your father lately."

"Probably the seeds," I chuckle, and she hums in agreement.

After a sip from her cup, she settles it down before her eyes soften. "He'll be out there for a while, let's talk before he overhears and conjures a plan that's going to backfire on his sweet soul."

I'm unable to help the laugh. "There's no harm in imagining it though, and it's only because he cares."

Mum's eyes hold the understanding I'm feeling. We know dad won't harm a fly, but it doesn't stop him from throwing out an empty threat that means he's going to spray penises on their cars or leave a dog's turd on their driveway.

Mum's gaze startles me from my thoughts, and my fingers are quick to fiddle with one of the cookies. With a defeated sigh, I drop it next to my cup. "Mum. . . everything went so wrong," I whisper. "He wasn't really who I thought he was, and then I thought he was cheating on me—"

"What makes you say that?"

Her soft features harden, and it makes my heart swell at the thought of her scolding Brandon until the sun goes down and then some. Shaking my head, I pick up the cookie, dunking it in my tea while clarifying what exactly happened so she doesn't get the wrong idea before eating it.

"Would you have trusted him without the CCTV footage?" Mum asks afterword, hesitantly.

Thinking about it, my shoulders slump. "If this was before today, yes. . . now I'm not so sure."

"Darling, you can't live in doubt." Taking my hand softly in hers, she tries to smile for me. "If you can't trust the person you're meant to, then they're not the right one for you. On the other hand, I'm not going to tell you who you can and can't see because you're all grown up, but that doesn't mean I won't be there for you to offer some advice and an ear."

Squeezing her hand in a silent thank you, she proceeds to ask who the person was that showed me the picture, and it was a whole new complication to tell her altogether.

"Lucius Aventail, you've probably heard about him. He's been a pain ever since I met him, but it feels as if it's because he's been trying to tell me things I didn't really want to hear. He warned me about Brandon, and he even took care of me when I was sick. . ." I trail off, leaving mum to soak it in.

Rubbing her thumb over her lower lip, a small smile starts to play on her features. "My darling, it sounds as if this young man has caught some feelings for you."

I almost spit out my tea, which would have been better than swallowing since I'm wheezing. Mum simply laughs while I furiously shake my head. "No, mum, it's not like that. He just wants to warn me off, and then it's a mission complete. He wants to get back at Brandon, and I've made it clear that I'm not going to be caught up in their mess."