The Bad Boy Thinks I'm Cute

Passed Mom

A month after the carnival...

"Oh, cheer up, it'll be fine. She liked you the first go 'round." I nudge Parker reassuringly.

"Yeah, the time before I broke your heart. "

"Oh lord. Stop being such a pessimist and guess what? If you're right you win the bet. "

"What's the prize?"

"You'll just have to wait and see about that, now, won't you?" I cross my arms, getting impatient.

"What's the pri-"

"Parker!"

"Ok, ok. " He smiles and links his hand with mine.

We walk over to my front door and suddenly I get nervous. What if my mom doesn't want to be as accepting as she was before? Now that she knows what happened there is no way she will be willing to accept him because she is sill thinking he will harm me.

"You ready?" Parker asks, raising his eyebrow at me.

"More than you. "

He laughs and raises our hands to his lips, kissing them gently. Parker closes his eyes, as if to prepare himself, and then raises his hand to push the doorbell. Ding dong.

"Coming!" I hear my mom shout from the other side of the door.

"Alright. It's going to be alright. " I say this more to myself than Parker, but he seems to gain confidence at these words. He puffs his chest up, straightens his shoulders, and grips my hand a little more tightly.

My mom slowly opens the door. As she opens it her jaw clenches and she looks first at Parker, then to me, next to our hands. My mom slides her hand to grip the doorframe and the drops the book in her hand. Silence takes over. Parker clears his throat and glances at me really quickly.

"Mom..." I say gently.

"Aubrey, how?" Mom steps out of the house, closing the front door behind her.

"I love him. I know that he wouldn't do that now. I forgive him, because I really do love him. " I look down at Parker and I's linked hands while my mom takes it all in. "I want you to be able to forgive him, too. "

"I love Aubrey, ma'am. With all my heart. I would never hurt her again, I can't stand the thought of losing her." Parker says in a deep, sincere voice.

"Don't you talk, mister! You're just here to prove the fact that Aubrey thinks I have no say in this! You're just a little add on to help her convince me!" My mom shouts at him, pointing an accusing finger at his face. I've never seen her so angry. Her hair is flying astray and she is shaking, her eyes at a squint. Her face is turning redder by the second.

"Mom, don't talk to him like that!" I stand in front of him protectively. Usually he would wrap his arms around my waist and kisses the top of my ear when I do this, but thankfully he understands the circumstances.

"You would've talked to him like that by how upset you were last month! I can't let my baby girl go off to some guy who breaks her heart for no apparent reason, then has a friend tell her what he did! I can NOT have a COWARD running around with my daughter!"

"It's ok, now. We sorted everything out. "

"No, Aubrey!"

"Mom! I love him! At this point I don't care what you say, because I am out of high school and soon I will be going to college and you won't have any say over what I do! You can't make me leave someone I care about!" I step away from Parker to step towards my mom. I feel tears stinging my eyes.

"I can't stop you from loving him, but I can stop you from getting hurt. I am your mother, it is my job to-"

"Take away what makes me happy? Because if you take him away...I don't think I could do it. " My voice is suddenly calmer, a new sort of confidence surging through me. I look back at Parker and go back to him, just as suddenly as I left.

"I just want what's best for you!" She says, her shoulders sagging. "I just want to prevent you from becoming that hurt again! "

"I know. But it's ok now, I can manage it. "

"I guess I keep forgetting how old you are. I guess I also keep forgetting how I forgive your dad all the time for the sake of my own heart. I can't tell you to leave him. That would be hypocritical..."

I wait in silence as my mom works out her thoughts in her head.

"I want you to be happy. " She steps forwards and squeezes my shoulders. "But I'm scared to let you go back to him!"

"Mom, he made one mistake. And he won't do it again. He does make me happy."

"It's not like you're getting married, I guess. Just dating. Just trying things out. "

"Yes. Exactly. "

My mom pulls me in for a tight hug, squeezing me a little too hard. I wrap my arms around her, too, and close my eyes. Sometimes other parents say my mom is a pushover, that she lets me run all over her. They say it's like she lets me do whatever I want. It's not that she's a pushover, it's just that she understand and tries to see things through my eyes. She puts herself in my place and imagines how I would feel and then she lets me do something. For this, I am grateful I have the mom I have. I love her.

"I love you, Aubrey. My beautiful, strong daughter. " I feel her run her hands through my hair.

She pulls back and looks me in the eyes with her teary ones.

"I love you, too. And thank you for letting me have him. Thank you so much. "

"Have him? I never gave you guys permission. " She suddenly smiles, wiping away her tears. Her and her mood swings...

"Well?" I ask.

"I suppose you can. " Mom lets out a sigh. "But if you so much as say one insult to her I am punching your face into the ground and cutting off every body part you own. Which is nice for saying, I will cut you to pieces. Deal, Parker?"

"I-yes, ma'am. " Parker nods his head vigorously.

"Good. "

"WOOO!" I scream and jump into Parker's arms.

He swings me around with a matching grin on his face while I clutch his shoulders desperately so I don't fall. I cup his cheeks and press my forehead to his and for a moment it seems like it's just me and him trapped in this wonderful moment.

"We can be together. We passed Mom. " I laugh.

"We sure did, princess, we sure did. " He says, pecking my lips.

"Alright, just because I gave my permission doesn't mean you express your little love fest in front of me. " My mom snaps.

Parker gently places me back on the ground while I laugh at my mom.

"Well, if you will excuse us Mrs. Summers, we are going to go celebrate in honor of you. " Parker grins and holds out his hand towards her.

"You're excused. No slip ups, boy. " She shakes his hand, giving him a suspicious look on her face before letting go.

"Never again. " He assures her.

With that we rush over to his motorcycle.

"Where are we going?" I ask before he pulls off.

"You probably can guess. "

"You and that forest. " I roll my eyes and grin, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist.

"And it'll just be you and me baby. "