Page 70 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 11

Friday

I froze on the steps. As if maybe my mom hadn’t actually seen me. And that maybe if I was able to stay completely still she never would.

But no such luck.

“I’ve been waiting for you to get home,” she said.

Crap!

She blew on her cup of tea and set it down. And then her eyebrows pulled together. “Wait.” She looked to the left toward the hallway to the front door. “Did you not come in through the front door?”

Double crap! There was literally no other way in or out of our apartment than the front door.

I mean, other than the gaping hole in the guest bedroom floor.

But my mom could never find out about that.

Ever. “I did,” I quickly said. “I was just tiptoeing very softly.” I was glad I wasn’t right next to her, or surely she’d see the lie all over my face.

“Oh.” She stared at me for a moment. “I must have been lost in thought. Well, I think the two of us need to have a talk.” She tapped the seat next to her at the kitchen island.

“Is Dad hiding in the pantry about to jump out and yell at me?”

My mom laughed. “No. Which is good because he’d be very upset about how short that dress is. Your dad is sleeping. And he has no idea that you snuck out to go to that party despite the fact that you’re grounded.”

I pulled on the hem of my skirt. I was so royally screwed. But my mom didn’t yell. And she hadn’t told my dad what I’d done. Yet. Maybe there was still some way to get out of this without being grounded a second time. I walked into the kitchen and sat down on the stool. “Mom, I’m sorry, I...”

“We both know you’re not.”

I opened my mouth and closed it again. Well, I didn’t really know what to say to that.

“And I don’t need to hear some made up excuse.

I know why you snuck out. I get it. I do.

I was your age once. If I’d been invited to any parties in high school, I probably would have done anything to go.

And before you add some comment about me not being all innocent or whatever, I know that, Scarlett.

Which is why I know that we can’t keep you locked up in this apartment forever.

Even if that’s what your father wishes.” She smiled at me.

I just stared at her. “Does that mean you’re not going to tell Dad I snuck out tonight?”

She slowly took a sip of her tea. “Well, that depends on two things.”

“I’ll do whatever you want. Just tell me the conditions.”

She raised her eyebrow at me. “First, you won’t sneak out again while you’re grounded. I don’t like keeping things from your father.”

“I won’t, I promise.” Honestly, I wish I’d never snuck out in the first place.

All I’d accomplished was ruining my first kiss.

And I wanted to be ungrounded before the first football game of the season.

I pictured Axel’s face when he’d told me he wanted me there.

Right before he basically said he didn’t care who I did or didn’t kiss.

“And second.”

I looked back up at my mom.

“Tell me about your night.”

Was this some kind of trick?

She put her chin in her hand and waited.

“What exactly do you want to know?” I asked. Because I definitely wasn’t telling her how I’d snuck out in the first place. Yeah, this was definitely some kind of trick.

“You used to tell me everything, you know. You’d come home from school with a big smile on your face, excited to recount your whole day to me and your dad.

I know that you’re older now. And maybe there are some things you don’t want to talk to your mom about.

But I just...” her voice trailed off. “I’m here.

Wishing you would tell me about your day again. ”

Something about the way she said it made me want to cry.

And the way she was looking at me like she truly did just want to hear about my night made me want to tell her every last horrible thing that had happened.

It had been a terrible, no good night. And I really just needed my mom.

My bottom lip started trembling again. And something inside me cracked.

“Sweetie, are you okay?” she asked.

“I had my first kiss,” I blurted out. And then I started crying. “But it wasn’t with Axel. And I really wanted it to be with him.” God, it’s all I’d ever wanted. And I’d messed everything up.

She pulled me into a hug and let me cry on her shoulder.

“Why doesn’t he love me back?”

My mom didn’t respond. She just hugged me tighter.

“It was supposed to be with him.” I didn’t want to tell her that I had no idea who I’d kissed.

I was too mortified. All that mattered was that it wasn’t with Axel.

And I might have been okay if I knew for sure it was with Jacob.

But I didn’t remember smelling freshly cut grass.

All the clues that the kiss thief left were scrambled up in my head.

And I was pretty sure I’d hooked up with a drifter. I started sobbing harder.

“I know, sweetie.”

“I love him. And he’ll never feel the same way about me.

” My chest hurt so much that it was hard to breathe.

Axel hadn’t cared that I was giving my first kiss away.

He didn’t care about me at all. And I didn’t understand how I could love him so much and he could feel nothing in return.

He’d dated so many girls. What was so wrong with me?

My mom squeezed me tight. “Sh.”

I just wanted everything to stop hurting.

I wasn’t sure how long I cried. But my mom held me until my tears dried up. And until I stopped mumbling unintelligible things. Until I wasn’t even sure why I was crying in the first place. Axel Stevens didn’t love me back. And that was the end of our story.

“You are beautiful,” my mom said and pulled back. She put her hands on both sides of my face. “And smart. And witty. And any guy...”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said with a sniffle. “And any guy who makes me cry isn’t worth my time. Yadda yadda.”

She frowned. “Hm.”

“Hm? What do you mean by that?” Why did it seem like everyone responded to me tonight with hm ?

“I know exactly what you need.” She slid off her stool and opened up the freezer. She turned to me with a smile as she held up a container of Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream.

“Mom, what did you mean by hm ?” I wiped at my cheeks.

She grabbed two bowls and scooped some ice cream into them. She walked back over to the kitchen island and slid a bowl in front of me.

I took the spoon she handed to me. “Seriously, what did you mean by hm ?”

She sat back down and started eating her ice cream, like I’d just forget the whole thing.

“Mom.”

“I just don’t think I agree with that sentiment. I was going to say that any guy would be lucky to have you.”

I took a big bite of ice cream. “So you think that a guy making me cry is a guy worth my time?” This was very bad advice from a mother. Maybe I should be talking to Dad instead...

“I just think that if you’re upset enough to cry, that means you have real feelings. And strong emotions usually do revolve around love.”

“So you think Axel should treat me like crap and I should still love him?” Saying it out loud made my chest hurt.

Because the truth was...I did still love him.

No matter how much he hurt me. No matter how many times he rejected me.

I just kept going back. I was sick in the head. And apparently my mom was too.

“No. I hate that he’s hurting you. A piece of me wants to call up his father and...”

“Don’t you dare call Uncle Tyler,” I said. I really needed to stop calling Axel’s dad Uncle Tyler. It was making all this incest phase stuff all too real.

She smiled. “I won’t interfere.”

“You swear?”

“I promise. But back to that phrase.”

Geez, why did she so badly want Axel to be a jerk to me? “I think I got it. The more I cry over a boy, the better, right?” I shook my head and started eating my ice cream again. Maybe it would comfort me more than my mom would.

“That’s not what I said. But I can’t sit here and say that it might not be worth the pain. Because then I’d be a complete hypocrite.”

I just stared at her. I needed her to say so much more right now. Why wasn’t she saying more? “What do you mean?”

She sighed. “I can’t even count how many times your dad made me cry when we first started dating.

I was so in my head. And our relationship was so up and down.

But God I loved him. I loved him with everything I am.

And even though there was some pain, I wouldn’t change a single thing. Because it led me to this moment.”

“So you’re saying that Dad was a dick?”

“Language, Scarlett.”

“But that’s what you just said...”

“I did not call your father a dick.” She laughed. “He was just...difficult.”

“Mhm.” My dad was a dick. Just like Axel. But the difference was that my mom and dad were dating when he was being terrible. Axel and I weren’t. And I was tired of feeling like crap. I was tired of wanting someone who’d never want me back.

I thought about Jacob and the way he’d looked in his boxers. Maybe I’d kissed him. Maybe I’d already moved on from Axel. Seriously, who the hell had I kissed? I sighed and took another bite of ice cream.

“And I wouldn’t worry too much about your first kiss.” My mom patted my back. “Mine was with a guy that meant nothing.” She shook her head like it wasn’t even worth thinking about the little blip that was her first kiss.

Why did she always stop talking when I wanted her to say more?

“The important kiss to remember is your last first kiss.”

“Dad was the last guy you had a first kiss with?” That was really sweet.

“Yes, he...” She paused and pressed her lips together. “Actually. Wait. No.” Her cheeks turned red.

“Mom!”

“Forget what I just said. I meant the important kiss to remember is with the person you choose to kiss for the rest of your life.”

“Mom, who was your last first kiss with?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“You were such a slut.”

She pretended to gasp but it turned into a laugh halfway through. “Your father mentioned that you’ve been really into throwing that insult out recently. Maybe rein it in a bit, okay?”

“Well then Liam should stop dressing like a slut.”

She laughed and shook her head. “Not wearing his tie to class hardly classifies as slutty.”

“If I chose not to wear an article of clothing to class it would be.”

She shrugged. “Please stop tormenting your father. He’s just trying to spend more time with you before you head off to college.”

“He could do that at home.”

“I did try to tell him that.”

I sighed.

“I’m going to go get some sleep. Maybe change out of that dress before your father wanders down here and sees you?” She kissed the top of my head. “Goodnight, sweetie.”

“Goodnight, Mom.”

I watched her walk up the stairs. I couldn’t believe I wasn’t in trouble.

And I’d found out a lot of interesting information.

My father was a total dick to my mom when they first started dating.

And my mom kissed someone after they were dating.

I had so many questions. But maybe my mom was right.

She had played fast and loose with her kisses.

So maybe my little screw up tonight didn’t mean that much.

I made my way upstairs. I wanted to believe that the kiss meant nothing. But...it had been a really great kiss. I plopped down on my bed and closed my eyes. All I could picture was my back slamming against the wall and the mystery man’s hands on me. And the way his lips felt pressed against mine.

Seriously, who was it?

He’d kissed me like he’d been dying to do it for ages.

I remembered the feeling of him pressing the back of my hands against the wall. Possessing me.

My phone buzzed. I grabbed it and opened the text, expecting it to be Sophie checking in on me. But it was a text from an unknown number.

I bolted upright in bed as I stared down at the words.

“Did you dream about our kiss all night?”

It wasn’t Axel.

Or Jacob.

It wasn’t anyone I knew.

Or else I’d recognize the number. The words stared back at me. It was two in the morning. Whoever it was probably saw me leave the party early. They probably thought I was fast asleep. And that I wouldn’t see this text until morning.

“Who is this?” I texted back.

I wasn’t sure how long I stared at my screen. But my heart was pounding against my ribcage. Seriously, who the heck was this? I just kept staring, willing him to tell me who he was.

He finally responded: “So you’re lying awake thinking about our kiss instead? Good to know.”

Cocky asshole. I quickly typed back. “No, I’m lying here thinking about how angry I am that a dirty kiss thief stole my first kiss.

” As soon as I hit send, I regretted it.

I cringed as I stared at what I’d just texted.

I’d told my stupid kiss thief that he’d stolen my first kiss.

That was definitely information that he didn’t need.

“Why, were you saving your first for someone in particular?”

He was so nonchalant about it. Like first kisses meant nothing. His lips were probably as loose as my mom’s. “None of your business,” I typed out. This text was short and un-incriminating. I hit send.

“Everything you do is my business, Scarlett.”

My heart started pounding even harder. This guy clearly knew who I was. He knew my name and had gotten my number from someone. “Who is this?” I texted back.

He didn’t respond.

I waited and waited, but he clearly didn’t want to answer my question. “You know my name. So just tell me yours.” I hit send. I could go off a first name. That would narrow it down significantly.

“There’s only one thing you need to know about me,” he replied.

Okay... I waited but he didn’t elaborate. What was with everyone not continuing their thoughts tonight?! “What?” I texted and stared at my phone. My heart was beating so fast that it actually hurt.

“That I’m going to steal all your firsts.”

Who the hell was I talking to? “WHO. IS. THIS?!?!” I texted.

“Your kiss thief.”

I swallowed hard. I needed a list of everyone on the football team ASAP.