Summer Spent with You

Chapter Thirteen, Part One: The 4th of July

Ava's POV

"So how did it go?" Mama asked as she joined me on my bed. I dog-eared the page 124 of the book I was reading and set it down beside me.

"It was fine." I gave a small shrug, pretending that I hadn't just gone on the best date of my life.

"Uh-huh." Mama appraised me.

I raised an eyebrow at her, "Why are you looking at me like that?" I felt like an ant under a magnifying glass.

"Well you are aware that you have a hickey on your neck, right?"

"What?!" I screeched as I ran to mirror hanging on my wall. I moved my hair and glanced at both sides of my neck, then double checked. There was nothing there. Not one tiny mark. I turned to my mother who had an amused expression on her face.

"So you just had a "fine" time, did you?" She tried to conceal her smile.

"How did you know?" I asked, curious about what gave us away. Did the arguing look staged? Was it too much?

"I didn't know anything until you reacted like you did."

I felt my cheeks heat up. Unbelievable. I had unintentionally told on myself. "Something had to make you suspicious though."

"Call it a mother's intuition. We know things."

"Are you mad?" I prayed that she wouldn't be. I couldn't take another two weeks of getting the silent treatment.

"Baby, you're 17, I can't expect you to act like my little girl forever. I mean, I wish you would, but I know you're growing up. Experiencing love is apart of it. I'm sad that you didn't talk to me about it, that you felt the need to sneak around and hide it, but if anything I can understand it. I didn't want to talk to my parents about Bentley either."

"Are you gonna tell Daddy?"

"When to tell your father is your call. I'm not going to make you tell him if you aren't ready to. But he will be hurt if you don't come to him and tell him yourself. I know he is protective and all, it's just because he loves y'all and he isn't ready for y'all to grow up. And part of that is my fault, his missed three years and he is trying to get them back."

"Its not your fault Mama." I tried to reassure her.

"Yes it is." She gave me a sad smile,"I was young, scared, hurt... and angry. I was so angry at him."

"Why?"

"I was mad at him for leaving me. I felt betrayed. Then I called him about a month before y'all were born, I was going to tell him. Because even though I was furious with him, I knew it was the right thing to do. I knew that y'all would need him... but when she answered his phone, I lost it."

"Who answered his phone?" I quirked an eyebrow up.

"Kate," Mama let out a sigh as she spoke of my father's former girlfriend, "I pretended to be Hope."

"Mama!" I exclaimed.

"Not my finest moment, I know. When I hung up, I told everyone that I was going to do it on my own, that Bentley deserved to be happy with his girlfriend. But part of me wanted to hurt him, I wanted to punish him for finding a way to be happy without me... for moving on so quickly, while I was still heart broken and not to mention, very pregnant with his babies."

"I'm glad y'all worked things out." I rested my head on her shoulder.

"Me too." She laid her head gently on top of mine.

"Do you think Daddy will be mad that I'm with Parker?"

"He probably won't be too thrilled, but he can't tell you who to be with and he knows that."