Unconditional

“Not just a curfew. You can’t just go gallivanting off with my son whenever you feel like it.”

My mouth drops open. “You mean…Cal?”

She looks at me as if to say ‘don’t start.’ “Your boyfriend, Maddie.” No one’s referred to him that way before and I feel my sex clench on instinct. “You’re eighteen, so I’m not going to put very strict rules in place, but no sleeping at his house, Maddie.”

“I can’t stay there?”

“No?”

“Why?” I furrow my brows in question.

“Are you insane?”

“No! That’s a serious question.”

“You think I’m going to allow you to go have a sleepover with your boyfriend?”

I sigh. “Fine. Well, can he stay here, at least?” She looks at me from over her glasses.

“Nice try,” she says sardonically.

I gasp. “What? He’s your son, you’re going to tell your precious baby boy he can’t stay over?” My fingers cross under the table hoping that works.

She narrows her eyes at me. “You think you’re so slick, don’t you?” She chuckles. “Fine, Maddie if my son is so hell-bent on staying here, then fine, in the basement and away from your bedroom.” She gets up and goes back to the stove.

“Can’t he stay in Henry’s old room?”

“No,” she says without another word or glance in my direction.

> “Send me a picture,” I hear growled in my ear and I roll my eyes as I run my hand along my wet leg with the one hand I’ve submerged in water. I grip my phone harder, careful not to drop it in the bathtub that I’ve filled to the brim with jasmine scented bubbles.

“Later.” I murmur. “How was your day?”

“Long. Aria is still avoiding me like the plague and people are taking notice.”

I groan. “Cal…”

“I mean they just think her and Henry are having issues and it’s making things awkward and tense, or that we had a fight.”

“Do you think Aria will say anything?”

“No…I don’t, and I told you not to worry. I’ll handle it if it comes to that.”

“Baby…” I trail off. “If it comes to that…” I clear my throat, prepared to speak my biggest fears. That people wouldn’t be forgiving or accepting or willing to ignore. They’d be outraged and it would be the end of Cal Grayson, glorified Officer of the Law.

“I said I would take care of it.” I go to respond when he cuts me off. “Oh, shit!” And I can hear the smile in his voice. “I’m going through the mail. Seems like someone has a little something from a certain Harvard University.”

“Oh my God!” I sit up so fast the water sloshes over the sides of the tub. I hadn’t wanted to go away to school, but Cal and Aria had forced me into at least trying. I had the grades and SAT scores and extra-curriculars for it, not to mention an essay of what happened that tragic night that’s probably worthy of a bid for presidency. And now that Cal and I probably couldn’t be together here in Oregon, the thought of starting somewhere else new excited me. Pending we could afford it and Cal would come with me. “Big or little?”

“Big or little?” He repeats in question.

“Envelope, Cal! Is it a big or little envelope! Rejections are little, acceptances are big!”

“Not necessarily, sometimes…”

“CAL MICHAEL!” I growl into the phone and he chuckles.

“It’s big.”