At Your Most Beautiful, Harper Bliss [books to get back into reading .TXT] 📗

“Tommy.” Maya kissed him hello. “What are you doing here? Where’s Ethan?”

“He’s with Beth’s mom.” Tommy narrowed his eyes. “Something told me I didn’t want to miss this event.”

Maya was too stunned to reply.

“It was easy enough to find the details online,” Tommy said. “There’s been quite a bit of buzz about this show, actually, and…” He maneuvered Maya away from the small group they stood in. “When my mother mentions she’s been spending time with our former neighbors’ daughter, and my wife tells me she found that very same person naked in my mother’s bathroom… I don’t know, Mom. I guess my curiosity has been more than piqued.”

Oh, damn. Maya had been prepared to deal with Bill and Brooke. Awkward as it might be, it would make good practice for when she would need to confront Tommy. But she hadn’t expected to have to do that tonight as well. A chill shuddered along her spine. She took a deep breath, but she still didn’t know what to say. It was an impossible situation because she’d just kissed Quinn on the lips in front of Bill and Brooke. She’d just shown them how she felt about their daughter. She couldn’t rewind, nor could she hide her feelings for Quinn any longer. Most of all, she didn’t want to lie to her son.

“Tommy,” she started. “I—” How to say it, though? It was especially hard because Maya could feel Brooke’s icy stare on her. She might have agreed to hug her for Quinn’s sake earlier, but she didn’t look as though she was going to make any more allowances now that Quinn had been whisked away.

There was only one way to say it—only one way to do this. “Quinn and I, we… we’re together.”

“I figured as much,” Tommy said matter-of-factly.

Maya huffed out a breath. She needed to release some tension from her body. “There are many reasons why I couldn’t tell you sooner.”

“I told Beth weeks ago there was something different about you.” He shook his head. “When she told me about Quinn in your bathroom, all the pieces of the puzzle slipped into place in my head.” He cast his gaze about the room before it landed on Maya again. “But I had to see it for myself.”

More and more people were arriving, filling up the gallery. Maya wondered what it meant that Tommy and Beth had taken time out of their busy schedules to be here tonight. It was hard to tell if it was a show of support or an opportunity to frown on Maya’s choice of who she spent her time with. Beth wouldn’t want to draw attention to herself like that and Tommy was usually such a discreet person. But still, Maya’s mind was too frazzled for her to read her son, the person she knew best in the world, right now.

“I’m in love with her,” Maya said. They were both the hardest and the easiest words she’d ever spoken to her son.

“You must be.” Tommy released a deep breath. “Beth and I have talked about this beforehand and we didn’t come here to make a scene. I just… wanted to know.” He eyed Beth who was still talking to Griff. She looked about ready to be saved. Maya called her over.

Tommy gave her a quick nod, as though confirming their suspicions.

“I have a lot to say, but this isn’t the place to say it.” Maya braved their gazes. “Bill and Brooke are here and they aren’t too pleased to see me, but there’s one thing that I’m not going to do and that’s apologize for how I feel. I’ve waited years to feel like this again and now that I do, I don’t want to ruin it.” She held up her hands. “That doesn’t mean I won’t take your feelings into account. I will listen to whatever it is you have to say, just not right now. I’m here for Quinn. It’s her night.”

“Mom,” Tommy said. “It’s okay.” He looked her in the eye. “I’ve done some pre-processing about this, in case my intuition was correct. I just want you to be happy. That’s really all I want.” He briefly touched his hand against her arm.

Pre-processing—that sounded just like Tommy. It was something his father would say.

Beth, who was a much more tactile person, curled her arm around Maya’s shoulder and pulled her near. “Don’t worry about Tommy, Maya. You know I’ve got him whipped.” She leaned in closer and whispered in Maya’s ear, “You deserve to be happy just as much as anyone else. Who are we to stand in the way of that? We love you.” Beth released her grip.

Maya wished she could be held a little longer.

“Evening, Mercers,” Angus said. With all the commotion, Maya hadn’t seen him come in. “Don’t mind me. I have a knack for interrupting special family moments. Pretend I’m not here, if it helps.”

“Yeah right.” Maya was so happy to see a friendly face—someone she didn’t have to explain anything to. “As if you would ever stand for not being noticed.” Angus was wearing his most flowery suit with a mustard yellow shirt underneath.

Angus gave her a look before turning his attention to Beth, whom he adored. “How’s that adorable little boy of yours, Miss Robbins?”

“Angus, please, call me Beth.” They played the same old game every time they saw each other and the familiarity of it comforted Maya. She tried to find Quinn in the crowd, but she couldn’t see her. She couldn’t wait to tell her that, suddenly, everyone knew.

“Can I speak with you for a minute?” Brooke asked.

Maya was just studying—again, she had to admit—the blown-up portrait of herself. The one where she seemed to float on a cloud over the Acton Academy building.

“Quinn is so talented,” Maya said, in case Brooke was refusing to look at the picture of her daughter’s… partner? Girlfriend? Lover? Ever since her conversation with Tommy, Maya’s elation had only