Page 126 of The Spare

"Well, I gotta do something to work off that honey cake you brought over, Mel," she huffs through a curl that looks unnecessarily painful. "Your sweets are wayyy too luscious for me to let sit on my hips like that."

"So, what exactly is Isobel being honored with at this wedding?" I ask, running on the treadmill next her.

Physical fitness is about the only thing I think mom and I have in common. Though I love her to death, we're not exactly close because of her absence when I was growing up due to her working under the table for money so we wouldn't be discovered by Isobel's father.

Isobel took over mothering me because mom was gone so much until I was about fourteen when Isobel was able to help with money from her interior decorating business. And even though I lived with mom after Isobel moved in with Christopher, Isobel only really disappeared when we worked out.

She was there to take me shopping for clothes, only relenting to mom's outfit restrictions. Was there for every parent teacher conference right alongside mom as if she was the second parent and came to every track meeting. She only missed one time when she had the stomach flu.

Mom's eyes flit to mine in the mirror.

"Apparently with the wedding alliance between Amelia Scognamiglio and Joaquin Baluducci, she and the King family are being granted protection from both the East and West coast mafia. It's a very big deal because it includes protection from the other mafia families within the states. A tall order, if you ask me."

"That's nice." I hit the button upping my speed, and clocking the disturbed look on her face.

Momdisdainsthe mafia. I'm shocked she's even going.

Mom nods, putting the weights down and taking a drink of her protein shake, wiping her face with a towel. I eye her well-defined body, wondering for the first time why she feels the need to keep herself toned like this. Just like she always needed everything neat and orderly. When shewasaround when I was growing up, she didn't leave much room for spontaneity.

Everything in our home had a place, and we didn't have much. Hardly any art on the walls. We never really went out to do much of anything fun. Our free time together was spent doing physical exercise because I ran a lot for school. So, that's how we ultimately bonded.

"She needs it, because they're going to forever be a target," she gasps, wiping the back of her hand to her mouth and then bending to grab her curling bar.

I think my arms would fall clean off if I did even half of what she puts her arms through. She won't stop after the curls either. She'll step over to the pull up bar and put her security man to shame with the amount of pull-ups she can do.

I'm impressed she's not bulky, though; she's toned and lithe like an arrow. But don't let her punch you. She broke Hendrix's guard's nose one day when they'd playfully made a wager that her arms were all show, and she couldn't actually hit.

She can.

"So, how's it going with Mason?" she asks, failing to hide the hurt in her voice.

I run for a few seconds, watching her arms contract and flex before answering, fighting the guilt that I just don't feel close to her no matter how hard I try. I come here every other week to workout, I call once a week to check in, but I can't feel close to her for some reason, and it really bothers me.

"It's nice."

"It's nice," she parrots back, almost to herself. And I hear her asking herself in her head why I won't give her more. It makes me sad because I don't think I'm capable of giving more. But I try anyway, though it makes me uncomfortable to do so.

"Yeah, it's nice. We've decided to not have kids."

Her brows raise. "No?"

"No. We don't want them in this life like this," I explain. "With all these expectations of kids and stuff."

"Ah. I get that, I think."

"I quit school."

Her eyes fly to mine. "Really? What happened?"

"It's just not for me."

"Oh. What did Izzy have to say about that?" Her voice is hesitant.

Her eyes tighten, and I see it for the first time, maybe a hint of jealousy that Isobel took her spot? Is that it?

Does she resent Isobel?

I have so many questions, but don't dare bring it up.