Aiden continues, “You’re asking us to keep our mouths shut and forget what we all know. Mason is my best friend. I’m basically living with you and Natalia until I’m eighteen. You want me to lie to her for you?”
Brian locks eyes with Aiden, probably trying to decide how best to get his way. Before he can say anything to make this situation much worse, I exhale the breath I’ve been holding and look between my mom and Brian.
“We’ve both known for a couple of weeks and didn’t say anything,” I admit. “If you’re trying not to get caught, at least do a better job hiding it.”
It’s hard to keep the venom laced in my words hidden, and Mom opens her mouth then closes it again. They both look genuinely taken aback.
“You were spying on us?” she asks incredulously.
“As I said, you should do a better job hiding it,” I say flatly, then look over at Brian. “And you have a family. Your son is our best friend. The only reason we didn’t tell him yet is because we didn’t know how to do so without destroying his world. You need to figure your shit out, Brian.”
“I’ll have to take that into consideration, Amelia,” Brian says.
“This secret has been weighing on my conscience for two weeks now. I could barely look at Mason without wanting to puke the entire time we were in Torywood Springs. It’s not my place to say anything, but I will if I have to. I can’t keep living like this, running away every time he breathes in my direction because I can’t take the guilt. He deserves better. So—I’m going to say this once—either you tell him, or I will.”
Brian puts his hand on my mom’s lower back. “Like I said, this situation is . . . complicated. You’re right, Mason and Natalia deserve better, and it’s not our intention to hurt anyone. I’ll have to take some time to think about the best thing to do. Don’t say anything to Mason, I’ll figure out the best course of action.”
Aiden and I exchange a glance. Is he buying this? Am I?
Brian straightens up. “I should get going now. Good-bye, Caroline. Amelia. Aiden, I’ll see you at home later.”
He gives my mom a quick kiss and then turns to leave. Mom watches him go, then turns back to me and Aiden, trying to assume the Responsible Mom role instead of the Mistress one.
“I don’t think I like the fact that you two were here alone, doing goodness knows what. That’s not very responsible of you, Amelia,” she says, frown lines marring her mouth.
“And I don’t think I like the fact that you’re fucking my best friend’s married dad, so I guess we both can’t get what we want, can we?” I reply with as much attitude as I can.
Her mouth drops, and even I’m a little surprised. I guess to hell with a brain-to-mouth filter? But we did just catch her shirtless and making out with Brian, so she really can’t stand here and lecture me about being responsible. Such a hypocrite. We stare at each other in a standoff, our shoulders squared and eyes challenging the other to say something.
“I should go pick up the twins from school,” Aiden says. “I’ll call you tonight?”
Aiden slips out quickly to avoid the fight that’s about to happen. I don’t break the staring contest I’m having with Mom.
She’s the first to break. “I don’t think I want you seeing that boy anymore.”
“Who? Aiden?”
She turns and I trail after her into the kitchen, where she pulls some vegetables from the fridge and places them on a chopping board. I face her from the other side of the island.
“Yes, Aiden. You spend a lot of time with him. What if you slip up and tell him our secret?”
For a split second, I consider telling her that Aiden already knows, and that he’s more supportive of me than she’s ever been, just to spite her. But I don’t, because I’m trying to be logical, and telling Mom that a boy she doesn’t particularly like knows our life-changing secret wouldn’t go over too well.
“I’ve been doing this for over a year now, I think I know how to keep a secret,” I lie, since I can’t keep a secret from Aiden. “We’re leaving soon, so it doesn’t even matter, does it?”
I add, “Plus, you’ve been spending a lot of time with Brian. What if you slip up and reveal everything?”
“Oh, we don’t do much talking when we’re together.” She laughs.
I make a general sound of disgust and take a seat at the island. “Mom, for real.”
“Relax, I was joking. I know how to keep certain information from people. But can you?” She pauses from chopping vegetables to raise an eyebrow at me.
“Are you asking me if I’ll keep your affair a secret from my friends?”
“Well?”
“Depends,” I answer nonchalantly, stealing a carrot that she just sliced.
“On what?”
“Are you going to keep seeing him?”
A corner of her lip turns up. “Depends.”
“Mom, come on. I’m happy you’re not moping around after Dad and are getting back out there, but with a married man? And he’s my friend’s dad! He’s going to end up finding out, one way or the other. It’s not going to be pretty.”
She puts down the knife and studies me. “Why does everyone always go after the other woman? I’m not the one lying to my family and cheating on my wife. I’m not breaking my family. I’m a grown woman and can make my own decisions, and so can Brian.”
She makes a valid point, but this is Mason’s family we’re talking about here. “But you know that he’s married. You’re choosing to be a part of possibly ruining his family. And we’re leaving soon, so you’re a part of all this drama and it’s not even worth it in the end.”
“I don’t need an ethics lesson from my daughter.” She picks up the knife and starts chopping again. “And it’s different with Brian. He means more to me than just a fling, Amelia.”
“What . . . what do you mean, Mom?”
“I haven’t felt this way in a long time. Maybe since your father and I started dating.”
“Mom,” I whisper. Does she know what she’s saying? What the weight of her words means?
She brushes her brown hair out of her face. It’s the same shade mine used to be. Would I feel more like myself if I hadn’t decided to dye mine? “Life is unpredictable, Amelia. We of all people should know that. With everything going on, we need to make the most of it.”
Those words coming from her lips are funny, considering she hasn’t been quiet about the fact she disapproves of Aiden and me, but I don’t want to keep fighting. It’s been a long day, and I don’t want to get into it even more with her. I get up to leave. She’s my mom; I can’t tell her what to do.
“Amelia?” she calls just before I leave the kitchen, and I turn to look at her.
“Yeah?”
“You’re not going to tell Brian’s son, right? You’ll wait for Brian to figure it out himself?”
I shrug and leave the room, not even knowing the answer to that question myself.