Just a Little Crush(51)

“Let’s get you to bed.” I attempted to keep my tone level and calm in order to avoid an argument.

“You’re sneaking around with him.” Mom slurred and stumbled into the wall. “That’s why you want me in bed. You think you can hide it? Where is he? Huh? Where’s Mike?”

My shoulders sank. We were going down this road again. “Mike’s not here, Mom. He hasn’t been in a long time.”

“You lying whore,” she screamed.

Ryder’s entire body went rigid. “Brinley, we are leaving. Now.” He grabbed my hand and led me to the door.

I yanked free. “I can’t just go.”

“I get that she’s your mom, and you love her, but I can’t stand around and listen to her talk to you like this.”

“Then don’t. You can leave.”

Mom fell to the floor in a heap. “Brinley!” She buried her head in her hands and sobbed. “Why? Why did you do it? Huh? He loved me. Loved me. Until you. You seduced him. He’d never hurt me like that.”

My lower lip quivered. “I didn’t do anything. That’s not what happened, Mom. You know that’s not what happened.”

“You’re a lying whore,” she screamed again.

“Fuck.” Ryder slammed his hand against the door. “This is bullshit. I’m throwing her ass in bed and we are out of here. End of discussion.”

He stormed to where Mom had collapsed and scooped her up with ease.

I snapped out of my state of shock and rushed into her room. I yanked the blanket back and stepped out of his way. He set her down more gently than I’d expected.

He turned her onto her side then grabbed my hand, marched into the kitchen, dropped the car keys into the first drawer he opened and pulled me through the front door. He locked it from the inside then slammed it shut.

“Get in.” He held the passenger door open and I slid inside.

Once in the driver’s seat he turned on the car, pulled onto the street and took off away from the craziness that was my life.

My eyes clouded with tears of embarrassment but I forced them away and refused to blink. I could bury Mom’s hateful words along with the countless others, but I couldn’t undo what Ryder had witnessed.

Fifteen minutes later, we pulled into the driveway of a large house.

“This is my house,” he said. “My mom and stepdad are out of town for the weekend. So we’ll have the place to ourselves.”

“Oh.”

“I don’t mean like that. Noah’s at my place and your roommate is at yours. I just want you with me tonight, but if you want to go back to the dorms, I can take you.”

“No, this is fine.”

He glanced at me, a mixture of sympathy and pity crossing his face.

My stomach dropped like I’d been kicked in the gut. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I wish you hadn’t seen that.”

He slammed his hand on the steering wheel. “No. You don’t apologize. You are not the one who should be sorry. I had no idea, Brinley. No idea how bad it was. You—you are so fucking perfect and how you managed to be the person you are with that…that person as your mother. You’re fucking amazing.” He reached over and cupped my cheek. “You should never be sorry for who she is. What I saw tonight doesn’t change who you are. It only makes me…” He looked away and his words trailed off. “Just don’t be sorry. Don’t ever apologize for her.”

He turned back to me, and I shook my head as he stared into my eyes.

He brushed his thumb over my cheek. “Let’s go inside.”

He unlocked the front door and reached for my hand. “My room’s upstairs. Stay close. I don’t want to turn a bunch of lights on. The neighbors are nosy.” He walked me to the second floor and into his room. He flipped on a small lamp. “This is my old room.”

His full-size bed was covered with a navy blue comforter. A desk was pushed against one wall, a dresser on the opposite.

“Bathroom’s in there.” He pointed at a door to my right. “Not to be confused with the closet.” He pointed to the door on my left and grinned. “You’d be surprised how easy that is when you’ve been drinking.”

I smiled. “Bathroom. Closet. Got it.”

“You hungry?”

“Not really.” My stomach was still upset over the day’s events. I wandered over to the desk and glanced at the pictures. Most were from high school and I recognized the people in them. They were all a grade older than me and had been the “cool” kids. Seeing those photos served as a reminder. When it came to Ryder, I was out of my league.