Both of our jaws drop.
“What?” I laugh trying to keep it together.
“Your Uncle Cooper sent me quite the entertaining video this morning.”
“Shut up,” Hayley says with a snicker.
“Please tell me that you are joking.” I massage my temples wishing I could disappear.
“I wish I were,” she murmurs and sips her lemon water. “Don’t worry he is working on having it taken down. And no, he didn’t tell Theo.”
“Well thank God for small favors.”
“No, dear. Thank Cooper.” She smiles. “I’m not going to talk about you telling some man to spank you, but please, promise me that you will go to the appointment I made you for this week for birth control.” My face flushes and if I could vanish right now I really would.
Hayley chokes on a fry.
“Do you need an appointment too, Hayley? I can have them squeeze you in. Being safe is important.”
“I’m good thanks,” she squeaks.
Why is my mother being cool? It is freaking me out.
“I’m not going to yell at you, Liri. My mother did that with me, and all it did was push me to James. You are going to make mistakes and hopefully learn from them but no more drunken videos. Next time, I will tell Theo.”
“Got it.”
“That boy, Killian. He’s a bad boy, isn’t he?”
“Mom, stop. We are so not talking about Killian.”
“What about this Hunter guy? I thought you liked him.”
“It’s complicated.”
“No. It isn’t. You know you don’t like this Hunter guy the way you do this Killian. He will break your heart, but it is up to you to make that choice. Did you know that I dated Cooper before I married Theo?”
“Uh no. You never told me that.”
“It’s true. My girlfriend set me up with him on a blind date. She was dating Theo at the time.”
“What happened?”
“I realized that Cooper was a playboy and he wasn’t fond of the idea that I had a kid by someone else. Not that he didn’t think you were adorable. He did, but he wanted his own children and well I didn’t want anymore kids. Our split was mutual. And my girlfriend and Theo had been split up for a year when I was at the park with you. He was there jogging, and he stopped to say hello. We got to talking and he was good with you…we just sort of clicked.”
“You never told me any of this.”
“Well.” she shrugs. “He called me two weeks later and asked me out to dinner but said he wanted me to bring you too. Said he knew we came as a package deal and that was when I knew I would marry him.”
“And Uncle Cooper, he didn’t care?”
“He was happy for us. My point is that when you meet the one you will know. Have your fun. Get Killian out of your system if that’s what you have to do and when you are ready for a real relationship, date a Hunter. Cooper calls me the one who got away and he never had any kids. That’s why he spoils you so much. He gives Theo a hard time and says we should have been his girls. He messed up and missed out, but I love Theo more than anything. Life is just weird sometimes, Liri. But you’ll find your way.”
**
My phone goes off again with another text from Hunter. I know I need to talk to him. I don’t know what to say. I scroll through his messages feeling terrible. What if I choose wrong? Will I be like my Uncle Cooper and have regrets? What if I go running after Killian and all he does is use me and throw me aside like all the other girls? I don’t know if I can handle him. We don’t know how to be around each other without fighting or making the other person crazy. It shouldn’t be this hard.
Hunter: Are you okay?