She smiled, not able to help herself. “He’s doing well.” The silence had Lauren glancing up at her mom.
“Lauren Hannah, I can tell that something is most definitely going very well. Has Ace met someone?”
Her mom didn’t know about the extent of Ace’s past. Lauren had never thought it appropriate to share that. If Ace wanted anyone knowing what had happened to him then she’d let him do the talking. But her mom did know that Ace had a bad childhood of some sorts, and because of that he’d spent a lot of time at her house while in high school.
Lauren smiled wider, felt her cheeks heat, and knew that she’d wanted to be able to tell her mother this for a long time. “I think Ace and I are moving forward.”
Her mom set the books down on the counter, her focus a little serious. That had Lauren’s smile fading slightly.
“Moving forward?”
Lauren nodded, but knitted her brows. “Why have you gone all serious?”
“So he has found someone, and that someone is you?”
Okay, this wasn’t how she envisioned this conversation would go when she thought about it in her head all these years. “Yes, at least right now that’s what I am saying. I know we have a lot to talk about so we know where we stand.” She knitted her brows further. “But you don’t look happy about that. Why?”
Her mother exhaled loudly. The store was dead at the moment with it being close to lunchtime. Once the lunch hour hit college students and people on their breaks would stop by. “Ace has a lot of baggage, a lot that I don’t know about and at this stage don’t think I want to.”
Lauren grabbed the bottom of her braid, played with the strands as she thought about what her mom had just said. “I love him, Mom. I’m in love with him,” Lauren said while staring at the counter. “I know his past, about him, and he had a really, really hard time.” She lifted her head and stared at her mom. It was like looking in a mirror, a future mirror, but one nonetheless.
“He needs to work on himself before he can be with you.”
Lauren shook her head, getting angry. “You don’t know what’s going on, and that really upsets me. I wanted you to be supportive of me for being with Ace, because he makes me happy.”
Her mom gave her a sad smile. “I want you to be happy, but I also don’t want your heart broken because things with Ace didn’t work out. I might not know what’s going on with his past, but I know he is still in pain. I can see that when I look at him, honey.” Her mom grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze.
She stared at her mom, didn’t know how to make her see that everyone had problems, but everyone also needed love. “He’s my everything,” she whispered, and felt her emotions choking her up. “He has been from the moment I met him, and I’m so in love with him that I don’t know what I’d do if he wasn’t in my life.”
Her mom smiled, but it was sad, a little distant. “I know you love him, and I know you want the best for him.” Her mom squeezed her hand again. “I want you both to be happy, and if that means that you want to jump in with both feet, your father and I will support you.” Her mom let go of her hand. “Just don’t expect miracles, honey, because he’s been hurt badly in the past, and that doesn’t just go away, no matter how much someone loves them or how much they are in love.”
Her mom turned and started putting the books away, and Lauren stood there, thinking about it all. Lauren knew that being with Ace might not be easy all of the time. Hell, there had been so many hard times throughout the years that she couldn’t even count them all. But he was a good person, had a good heart, and he loved her just as much as she loved him. She knew that whatever happened she’d never give up on him. She couldn’t.
11
Lauren grabbed her purse, shut off the lights, and after she stepped outside and turned to lock the door she heard the low rumble of an engine approach. Smiling, she looked over her shoulder to see Ace’s fire engine red nineteen sixty-nine Mustang pull to a stop in front of the bookstore.
The black racing stripe that went across the hood, over the top of the car, and down the back, made the vehicle seem bad ass. Ace had bought the car when it was nothing more than a broken down wreck and was being used for spare parts. Over the last few years he’d worked his ass off to get it up and running, and restored to mint condition.