Page 91 of Room to Breathe

His mom turned toward him in surprise.

I stopped in my retreat. He finished his walk down the stairs. She was still blocking the door, but he stepped around her and over the books and didn’t stop until his arms were wrapped around me. I melted against him.

“I thought you didn’t want to see me again,” he said by my ear.

“I wanted to. I couldn’t.”

“I thought if you were grounded that you’d sneak out or something.”

I gave a watery laugh. “I wanted to, but I have a lot to make up for with my parents. I didn’t want them to catch me sneaking out.”

“Beau.” His mom’s voice cut through our conversation.

He turned to face her. “Mom, I love you, but Indy is going to be a part of my life.”

Warmth spread down my spine with his statement. His mom wasn’t having the same fuzzy feelings, though, because her face hardened another degree.

“I need to speak with you alone,” she said, and marched away, down the hall toward the kitchen.

He turned an apologetic smile my way. “I better go talk to her, try to minimize the resistance.”

I nodded.

“Will you wait for me?” He pointed to the bench on the porch.

“Yes,” I said.

He started to walk away and I grabbed his hand. He turned back, his blue eyes softening as he looked at me.

“I’ll come back,” he said. “I promise.”

I released his hand and he walked to the still-open front door. He bent down and picked up his stack of books. “You’re my hero,” he said over his shoulder.

I laughed. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

He carried them into the house, shutting the door behind him.

Anxiety immediately flooded my senses as I stared at that closed door. What was his mom going to say to him in there? Was she going to get King Grandpa on the phone? Were they going to tell Beau how his name was all he had and a bad reputation could destroy his life?CouldI destroy his life? When colleges Googled him, would he somehow be linked to me and then my dad by association? Even if my dad was cleared of the charges, the internet was forever. That story would be out there forever. Maybe his mom was right to warn him against me. Maybe I wasn’t good for him.

If I could come to these conclusions out here on his porch, talking to myself, how much more effective would she and King Grandpa be inside?

I paced the porch, unable to sit down. Maybe I needed to leave. Maybe that would be better for everyone.

No.

I wasn’t going to leave. People weren’t their mistakes, and I was a good person. My dad was too. His mom didn’t get to tell us otherwise.

I wasn’t sure how long I paced his porch, but after a while the door opened and Beau stepped out. I waited for him to take the lead. I didn’t want to assume anything. He held out his hand.

I stared at it, confused.

“Come here,” he said.

“Okay.” I walked forward and took it.

He guided me inside. I wondered if I was now going to get a lecture from his mom, but he didn’t take me down the hall toward the kitchen; he led me upstairs.

“What happened?” I asked. “What did she say?”