Page 87 of Fierce-Matt

“Then you know where you stand. Don’t let it eat at you.”

“Am I a horrible mother if I don’t reach out again?”

“No. You’re not. He should check onyou. I understand he doesn’t care about Dad. I can’t live like that, but you were there for him for everything. EJ should at least try to see how you’re doing and he’s not.”

“He’s not,” her mother said, sniffling. “And enough of this. I’ve got you and you did a great job. We’re going to be just fine.”

“We are, Mom. You can count on me.”

“I always could, sweetie. And you’ve got Matt if you need him.”

“You know, I think I do.”

24

CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC

“Icaught you,” Matt said the next day. “Is Dad available for a few minutes?”

He’d looked at their calendar online and saw nothing for them at this time, but that didn’t mean anything. It was more about the fact they weren’t in court, like they’d been yesterday morning. He was in the afternoon.

The last thing he wanted to do was put this conversation off when Anya had already talked to her mother.

He hadn’t known until this morning when he’d sent her a text and she’d filled him in on the celebratory dinner she shared with her mother.

Her father was thrilled with the offer when he’d found out and this morning their papers were signed and sent on.

Everything was falling into place for his girlfriend.

He was ready to share that news with those he loved.

“He should be,” his mother said. “I don’t keep tabs on him.”

Matt knew that. His parents didn’t even ride to work together most days, as one of them could be in court running around.

Grace stood up. “I’ll go get him. We can talk in here.”

“It’s fine. I’m going to grab something to drink.”

He moved to his father’s office, didn’t see him and set off to find him, but saw his mother coming down the hall with his father next to her.

“Mom said you wanted to talk?”

“Yes,” he said.

He went into his father’s office, stood by the door for them to come in and then shut it.

They’d know it was serious then.

Rather than going behind his desk, his father moved to the chair on the other side. There was another chair and couch. His mother sat on the couch, so Matt sat next to her.

“What’s going on?” she asked. “Everything okay?”

Matt smiled. “It is. I wanted to let you both know that I’m dating Anya. Don’t worry. It won’t affect anything with her parents’ lawsuit.”

His mother smirked and then looked at his father.

“We don’t think that,” Tim said.