"I HAVE A surprise for you," I told James the next day at lunch. I was way too excited to keep the news a secret from him.
He looked up from his mashed potatoes, his eyebrows raised. "I hate surprises."
I bumped his shoulder with mine. "Shut up and listen."
James put his spoon down, a bored look on his face. "Let's hear it."
"I found your mom's address!"
Nothing. I was hit with the cold air of silence. James' face was blank, not a single expression on it as he stared back at me. Finally, after what felt like forever he blinked, once and then twice. James genuinely looked at a loss for words until he cleared his throat. "What did you do?"
"I found your mom's address," I repeated in a much smaller voice, feeling a wave of regret course through me. Damn it, why didn't I listen to Niko? For once the idiot actually made sense, but of course I was too stubborn to listen to him.
"Okay."
"That's it?" I asked bewilderedly. I just dropped a bomb on the guy, and that was all he had to say?
He poked the mashed potatoes with his spoon evidently not interested in the rest of this conversation. "I have nothing else to say about this."
"You don't want to meet your mother?" I questioned.
James shoved a spoonful of his lunch in his mouth before spitting it out into a napkin. "What the hell is this shit?"
"The lumpy gravy should've been a giveaway," I muttered.
"We're going out for lunch tomorrow," he proposed, wiping mashed potato residue off the side of his mouth.
"We can get food tomorrow," I agreed. "After we see your mom."
His expression turned hard and he looked at me so intensely I shifted in my seat. "Why don't you understand I have zero interest in seeing her?"
"But she's your mom," I cried.
"So what?" His expression softened when he saw my reaction from his yelling. "If she really wanted to see me she would have reached out."
"I'm sure she had a good reason," I offered. Why couldn't this guy just give her the benefit of the doubt?
"I'm not interested," he finalized.
"James," I whined.
He raised his hand to silence me. "This is my choice and I say no. End of discussion"
~*~
"Come on," I said during the drive home.
"I said no more talking about this."
"Too bad," I simply answered. I didn't even have to take my eyes off the road to know James was scowling at me. "I really think you should see her, James."
"Daniella," he started, making me emit a groan. "No means no."
"I don't care." When the light turned red I turned to face him. "It's obvious how much you love your mom, and you two should patch things up before you leave for college. If you're not going to do it for yourself, then at least do it for me."
The light turned green and I stepped on the gas pedal and drove. You'd think after pestering James all afternoon he'd budge but nope. He was as hard as steel. Neither of us said a word and the rest of the drive was in silence. I parked in front of his house, too annoyed to say goodbye. James must've sensed my irritation because he quietly got out. Once he was out of earshot, I let out a sigh and parked my car. Instead staying cooped up in my bedroom talking to him through the window, I decided to stay on the main floor today. It served him right for being so damn stubborn. If the idiot just stopped for one second to think about it, he'd realize seeing his mom was a good idea. I really did believe they could patch up whatever went wrong if the two of them were together and able to talk things out. I didn't realize how much time I spent sitting on the couch lost in thought when the door opened.
"Honey, I'm home," Brenton called out as was his usual greeting.
"Living room," I replied in a dull voice.
He plopped down beside me. "What died in your pants?" Too bummed out to even argue with him, I meekly stood up but he grabbed my arm to stop me from leaving. "What's wrong?"
I sighed. "James."
Brenton's forehead creased in concern. "Do I need to knock some sense into him?"
I rolled my eyes and sat down beside him. "No, he's just being really difficult."
"What happened?" he inquired.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "When did you become so caring and interested in my life all of a sudden?"
He looked down in embarrassment. "I may or may not have taken a breather from hanging out with the team." When I raised my eyebrows he continued. "I can't chill near Rollins without wanting to beat the shit out of him for what he did to you."
Although it warmed my heart that he chose me over his best friend, I couldn't help but feel bad that Brenton didn't really have anyone else since his teammates were his best friends. As much as I did not want to talk about my boy troubles with my twin, I knew he'd appreciate spending time with me so I told him.
"James is estranged from his mom and I kind of, sort of, maybe found her address."
"Dani," he said in a stern voice. "What did you do?"
"Nothing illegal," I assured him. "Niko's weird roommate helped me find her."
Hurt flashed across his face. "You went to Niko first?"
I was about to tell him it was because Niko wasn't a heartless piece of shit, but the look on his face made me feel a little bad. "This was when we were fighting," I lied, mentally giving myself a high-five when I saw the instant relief on his face.
Brenton grinned at me. "Good, I'd be sad if we lost our twin telepathy."
I chucked a pillow at him. "For the last time, we do not have goddamn twin telepathy."
He laughed, completely unfazed by the pillow. "Say what you want, but we both know what I'm thinking."
"You're so annoying."
Brenton threw his arm over my shoulder, pulling me into a headlock. "You know you love me."
~*~
After spending the better part of my evening with my twin, I eventually called it a day and went upstairs to my room to prepare for bed. I forgot all about the situation with James until I saw him leaning against his window, something dangling from his mouth. Despite being annoyed with him I stormed to my window, aghast at the sight before me.
"You really couldn't go that long without smoking, huh?"
James opened his mouth to speak, but I shook my head and continued.
"I get it you're annoyed that I went behind your back but seriously? I thought we were actually making progress here but clearly, I'm wrong."
I was expecting James to be silent, not to burst into laughter. Confusion was etched all over my face as the maniac continued to laugh. When he finally sobered up, he smirked at me. "I'm so sorry for smoking, here you go." He launched his cigarette at me, hitting me square in the chest.
My cheeks flushed ashamedly as I picked up the object. It was no cigarette by far, in fact it was a measly baby carrot. "Shut up," I warned before he could make any jokes.
James ate another baby carrot to spite me. "About earlier..."
"I'm going to bed," I announced. I already humiliated myself once tonight and I really wasn't in the mood to do it again.
"You're not leaving until I finish," he ordered.
I placed my hands on my hips as I tried to look intimidating. After shouting a chorus of no in my face all day I had to stand here and listen to him say it again? James eyed me as he said his next words slowly.
"I thought about what you said, and I decided we can go." I had mentally prepared myself for a myriad of responses including but not limited to, yelling, lecturing James, giving him the cold shoulder, acting unfazed, or throwing the carrot at his head in hopes it would get his brain cells moving. What I didn't anticipate, however, was him actually agreeing. "Please, don't say your thoughts all at once," he said sarcastically.
"Why the change of heart?" I asked.
James avoided my gaze, gently nibbling on his carrot. If I wasn't so intrigued by his response, I would've been cooing at how adorable he was. "The whole thing seems important to you and I don't want to let you down." My heart warmed at his words and he must have sensed it too when he glared at me. "I don't do mushy shit."
"You're a good guy," I told him earnestly. Instead of a sweet reply, he chucked another baby carrot at my head. This boy was going to be the death of me.
~*~
I was beyond excited when the weekend rolled around because we were finally going to see James' mom. We left bright and early in the morning before my mom could come home and catch me with James. I was set on getting him and his mother to rekindle their bond and I wasn't going to let mine come in the way. His mom lived about an hour to an hour and a half away from Stone Creek but it felt exceptionally longer since James was quiet the entire time. No matter how many prompts I suggested, he never continued the conversation, and instead, we rode in silence.
"This is a bad idea," James spoke after what felt like eons of silence. I didn't tear my eyes away from the road as I waited for him to elaborate. "We should turn back."
I extended my free hand and wrapped it around his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You have nothing to worry about."
"I mean we didn't even inform her that we're coming," he pressed. I bit back a smile though it didn't go unnoticed by Sherlock over here. "What aren't you telling me?"
"I may have found your mom's number and called her beforehand..." I admitted nervously. Instead of the outburst I was expecting, James was quiet. I peered at him for a second before looking ahead, absolutely confused. "So..." I drawled. "Is this a good silence or a bad one?"
He eyed me strangely before talking. "She actually wants to see me?" When I nodded, I saw James smile out of the corner of my eye. "My mom wants to see me," he repeated in disbelief. When I felt something warm press against my cheek I had to bite my lip to hide the humongous smile threatening to show. Thank God I was sitting because my knees felt so weak I was scared I'd topple over.
Sharing that bit of information with James completely revamped the atmosphere for the remainder of the drive. Although he was still quiet, the mood in the car felt a lot lighter and jovial. We played I Spy for the rest of the ride and James shared useless nature facts anytime a dumb bird flew in front of us. As much as hearing his stupid facts annoyed me, I couldn't find it in myself to be irritated because it was just so nice seeing him this relaxed.
After another twenty minutes we pulled up in front of the same house I saw in the picture Martin showed me, 3286 Juniper Lane. It looked a lot older and beat up now than it did from however long ago that picture was taken. The white paint was chipping off the house's exterior, some of the shingles were missing, most of the plants were either near death or completely dead, and all in all, this looked like the last place I'd want to visit. James, however, was still on his next-level high so he either didn't notice how shitty this place was or he didn't care. My money was on the latter.
"Let's go," he urged. We got out of the car and James enveloped his hand in mine as we walked up the porch. There was no doorbell so he knocked on the door a couple of times as we waited for a reply.
The door opened to reveal a short plump woman with greying blonde hair, wrinkles, and a small smile. I would've assumed we were at the wrong place if it weren't for her captivating grey eyes, the same colour I recognized from the boy beside me. "Jameson," she breathed as her eyes widened.
He swallowed hard. "Ma."
Tears welled up in her bright grey eyes. "My baby's back." She wrapped her arms around James as she hid her face in his stomach. It was almost comical to see a small frail woman yank a guy as muscular and tall as James. He remained frozen in place, unsure of how to react. Slowly, his arms wrapped around her and he rested his chin on top of her head.
"I've missed you," he said. She pulled away, tears streaking her face. James took her hand in his and kissed the back of her hand, tears welling up in his eyes. I felt like an intruder on this intimate family moment, so I took a step to the side to let them have privacy. My plan was foiled before it even began because I happened to step into an empty little flowerpot. Letting out a yelp, I fell back right onto the dirt ground.
"Oh my goodness!" James' mom cried while the idiot snickered at me. "Go help your girlfriend, Jameson," she scolded.
My cheeks reddened and it wasn't from the fall. "Actually we're notâ"
James clamped his hand over my mouth as he helped me up. "Ma, this is Dani."
She furrowed her eyebrows. "Danny?"
"Daniella," I corrected with a grimace, ignoring James' smirk. God, I hated that name.
"You were the one who called me," she continued as the realization seeped in. "I'm Helena Hastings."
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hastings," I answered politely which only made the two of them guffaw uncontrollably. I looked at mother and son with confusion, not sure what I did wrong and also slightly disturbed by James' boisterous laughter. Sullen James was what I was used to, not this overly cheery James.
"Helena is fine," she assured me before pulling me in for a bone-crushing hug. I let out a wheeze as this woman knocked the air out of me. James stifled a laugh at my reaction and as much as I wanted to cuss him out, I was honestly really happy seeing him in such a good mood. "I prepared lunch for you both, let's go eat." Helena released her iron grip on me and I gasped for air. For a petite woman, she sure as hell was strong.
We followed her inside and sat at a tiny wooden four-seater table in the dining room. As Helena went to get the food James ducked his head down and avoided my gaze. Knowing all too well why he was being weird, I held his hand under the table.
"You don't have to be embarrassed," I told him. Yes, I was well aware I was a privileged little rich girl whose mommy not only worked as a paralegal but also had a massive inheritance left behind by her dead parents. I knew we had a hell of a lot more money than we needed, but unfortunately, that made people like James feel shitty or less worthy. "I don't care about how rich your family is," I continued when he didn't speak. "I like you for you, and nothing is going to change that."
James, who was quite stiff in his seat, slowly loosened up as a small smile grazed his lips. "I'm really happy I met you, neighbour."
I grinned at him. "Right back at you, neighbour."
Helena returned with her arms full of different dishes. "I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I made a bit of everything." She scurried back to the kitchen to bring the rest of lunch but I stared in awe at the spread before us. This woman really outdid herself. On the table were potato salad, roast beef, tomato soup, baked potatoes, hamburgers, and corn on the cob.
"Ma, you didn't have to do all this," James chided with a shake of his head.
She smiled at him. "I wanted to make today special."
James opened his mouth to say more but was drowned out by the loud rumbling of my stomach. He rolled his eyes and smirked at me. "Dig in, piggy." Ignoring his comment, I helped myself to just about everything on the table. The drive here made me hungry and I wasn't going to let this amazing spread go to waste. James watched me with amusement as I chomped down everything as ladylike as I could.
"She's a keeper," Helena noted, making James choke on his lemonade. The two of us chuckled at him as we continued eating. I wished I could've stayed in this moment forever. I gazed at Helena and James, who were too busy catching up to make up for lost time that they neglected the food on their plates. They reminisced over the past and it warmed my heart to see how lovingly Helena looked at her son as he told her about the classes he was acing. Today was the epitome of perfect, and nothing could have ruined this day.
At least not until the front door swung open.
"Bobby," Helena said with wide eyes, abruptly standing up. I raised my eyebrows at the sudden change in demeanour, but when I felt James' grip tighten on my hand I turned to see him tensed with his jaw clenched. I gulped nervously, unsure of what to expect as a man stomped into the dining room.
"The hell's this?" he spat venomously.
"Jameson came to visit." I could tell Helena was trying to keep her voice levelled but the fear in her eyes told another story.
"With whose permission?" the man who I presumed was Bobby demanded.
"Don't talk to her like that," James spat.
"Jameson," Helena hissed, but he paid her no mind.
Bobby shifted his steely eyes to James, a dangerous smile on his face. "I see you're still the same son of a bitch you were before you left." His attention was now directed at me and I wanted nothing more than to hide. "Who the hell is that?"
Noticing his creepy gaze, James put an arm in front of me protectively. "Her name's Daniella." I was too scared of what would happen next to even be annoyed at him for using my proper name.
Bobby took in the whole view, his focus now on the spread in front of us. "You think we have the kinda money to be giving a whole damn feast?" he shouted at Helena.
She looked down. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to do something special for my son."
"Your son, eh?" Bobby grabbed a glass off the table and threw it at the wall. Helena gasped as it broke into several shards and clattered all over the ground. "He's no damn son of mine."
"He didn't do anything wrong," I spoke up, fed up with this guy's bullshit. Who the hell did he think he was, storming in like this and causing a whole ruckus for no reason? Helena was happy to see her son and that was all that mattered.
He glowered at me, making an involuntary shiver run through my spine. "Put a muzzle on her, Jameson."
That was the tipping point for James. He threw his napkin on the ground and stood up, his figure towering over Bobby. "Her name is Daniella, don't refer to her as a goddamn dog."
Bobby laughed dryly. "You're gonna come into my house and tell me what I can and can't do?"
There wasn't a hint of amusement on James' face at Bobby's words. "How about you treat your wife and stepson with some more respect?"
Any trace of a smile was gone and was replaced with a scowl. "You're gonna teach me about respect too? You're the criminal here, son, not me."
"Boys, stop," Helena intervened. "Can't we just have a nice family lunch?"
"That boy's no family of mine," Bobby spat. He glared at James before darting his eyes to me but before anyone could say another word he left. I held my breath as I waited for someone to break the silence. While I was ready to crap my pants and drive back home, I didn't want to speak until James or Helena did.
"I'm sorry," Helena whispered. "You know how Bobby gets."
James, who was still standing, shook his head. "It's clear that we're not wanted here so we're leaving."
Helena grabbed his arm to stop him from moving. "Jameson, please, a mother needs her child just as much as he needs his mother."
James' expression softened when he saw the tears roll down his mom's cheek. He brushed them off with his thumb before resting his chin on top of her head. Helena wrapped her arms around her son, and if I weren't so shaken up from Bobby I might've shed a tear at the sight. "I'll stay," he promised.
"You can both sleep in your old room," she offered, making my eyes widen. James' mother was okay with her son and his unofficial girlfriend sleeping in the same bedroom and sharing a bed? I never thought I'd say this but damn I was jealous of James.