'Oh, Mom.' I shook my head. 'Was that al it was? A
mistake?'
'No. It was the best mistake I ever made,' my mother said
with a smile. 'Because I ended up with you.'
Chapter 36
It was sily to be shy around Austin, but I was. He'd seen
every part of me, the best and worst, and that should've
made me more comfortable with him than anyone else.
That was the way it had been when we were together, but
now…now things had changed and I was stil not sure
what that meant for either one of us.
He wasn't pushing, for once. He caled to ask me about
my mom and to see if I wanted to meet him for dinner. He
didn't say it was a date, but that's what it felt like it had to
be on a Saturday night. I told him I was busy, that I was
tired, I told him a bunch of excuses and he listened to each
one with a soft 'mmm-hmm' but no protest.
'Tomorrow, then,' Austin said.
'I have plans tomorrow,' I told him, and he was silent.
'But…Austin, I'l cal you.'
'Okay, Paige. You do that.'
He hung up, and I wondered if I'd lost him. I dialed him
after five minutes, and when he picked up, I said, 'I told
after five minutes, and when he picked up, I said, 'I told
you I'd cal you.'
He laughed. 'You changed your mind?'
I thought of a hotel room and a man on his knees. 'I do
have plans tomorrow. But I wil cal you. Okay?'
'With that guy?'
I should've known caling him back would lead to a
conversation I didn't want to have. 'Yes. Eric.'
'Does he treat you right?'
I laughed. 'Oh, Austin.'
'I want to know.'
'He…it's not realy…like that.'
Austin grunted. 'Then what's it like?'
'I can't explain it to you.' I sighed. 'Listen, I'm realy wiped out. I'm going to go take a hot bath and read a
book and go to bed.'
'No dinner?'
'No dinner?'
He could be persistent, and charming, and I loved him.
Suddenly, I loved Austin with everything I had inside me.
More than I ever had, years before, when I was young
and stupid and had no idea what it meant to love someone.
I knew now, because I'd had it and lost it. And then I was
crying, a hand over my eyes and swalowing hard to keep
him from hearing. But Austin heard me, anyway.
'Paige? What's wrong? Is it your mom?'
I couldn't tel him. Not until everything else had been taken
care of and I'd done al I needed to do. I couldn't tel
