Possessed by my Step Brothers

3.

I grip Mum’s hand, my fingers tight around hers as I shake my head vigorously. “Dad loved you,” I say firmly, the words cutting through the thick air. “He would want you to be happy. He’s been gone for thirteen years, Mum. He wouldn’t want you to spend the rest of your life alone.”

Mum nods, but there’s still doubt in her eyes. Her lips part, as if she wants to say something, but she doesn’t. She just stares at me, her gaze distant.

“I know,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “But our vows… we promised each other. Those words meant something.”

I sigh softly, my heart aching for her. It’s been so long since Dad passed, and she’s still holding on to those vows as if they were chains keeping her locked in place. I can’t blame her—she loved him with everything she had. But I don’t want her to live in the past forever.

I release her hand, only to grab her face gently, cupping her cheeks in my palms. I make sure she looks me in the eye, trying to make her see the truth. “Mum,” I say softly but firmly. “If it was the other way around—if you were gone and Dad was still here with me—would you want him to spend the rest of his life alone?”

Her eyes widen in shock, and she immediately shakes her head. “No,” she gasps, her voice trembling. “Your dad was a fireball of energy and love! He couldn’t be alone; it would’ve destroyed him! Loving someone else doesn’t mean that he loved me any less. He had so much love to give. I would’ve hated for him to waste it by being alone.”

I smile at her, a small grin tugging at my lips. “Exactly,” I say, giving her a cheeky wink. “So why would he feel any different?”

Mum lets out a small laugh, her face lighting up with a glimmer of relief. She swats at me playfully. “Oh, you!” she giggles. “You always have an answer for everything, don’t you?”

I stand up, shaking my head with a smirk. “That’s why you made me go to college,” I tease, grabbing my bag from beside my chair and slinging it over my shoulder. “All of these brains need to be put to good use somehow!”

As I turn toward the door, I swipe an apple from the fruit bowl and tuck it into my bag for later. My mind’s already shifting to the usual routine—getting my keys and heading out the door to make it to class on time.

“Oh, by the way,” I ask casually, pulling my backpack around to my side. “When does Henry get here? Does he have a lot of stuff? The house is kind of small, but I can help you move things around to make more room if you guys need me to. I’m sure I can make some space in my closet if you need a bit of extra storage.”

There’s a sudden shift in the room. I can feel the air change, like the temperature just dropped a few degrees. I turn around slowly, my body stiffening as I see Mum nibbling nervously on her bottom lip. She looks up at me, her eyes filled with something I can’t quite place—guilt, maybe.

I freeze, the apple in my hand forgotten as I wait for her to speak.

“Well…” she starts, her voice barely audible. She hesitates, her words carefully measured. “He’s not going to be moving here with us.”

My stomach lurches. The room spins slightly, and I grip the doorframe to steady myself, trying to breathe through the shock.

“W-what?” I ask, my voice shaking slightly, unsure if I heard her right.

Mum shifts uncomfortably, clearly finding it difficult to continue. “His business… it’s not something he can just upend and move across the country. So…” She takes a deep breath, and when she looks back at me, there’s a mixture of excitement and regret in her eyes. “He asked me… if I would move to Maine with him.”

For a moment, everything goes silent. I blink, my mind struggling to catch up with what she’s just said. I didn’t expect this. I didn’t expect her to even consider it.

“Maine?” I repeat, my voice barely above a whisper. My thoughts are a whirlwind, spinning uncontrollably as the full weight of her words hits me. “Mum, you… you’re going to leave?”

Her eyes soften, but I can see the uncertainty in them. “I know it’s sudden, Ava,” she says gently. “But I can’t ignore how I feel about him. And he’s been nothing but good to me. He wants us to be together.”

I stand there, frozen, my heart pounding in my chest. My whole life is about to change, and I don’t know if I’m ready for it.

The quiet tension between us stretches into an uncomfortable silence, and I try to find the right words to say. “So you’re just… you’re going to leave everything behind? The house, the life we’ve built here?” My voice cracks at the end, and I immediately regret the sharpness in my tone.

Mum’s eyes flicker with sadness, but she doesn’t back down. “I’ll miss everything here, Ava. But sometimes you have to take risks. You have to chase your happiness.” She stands up and walks toward me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I love you, sweetie, and this doesn’t change that. I need you to understand. I need you to know that this is what feels right for me.”

I swallow hard, trying to steady myself, trying to grasp what’s happening. “So you’re really going?” I ask again, my voice more of a whisper than a question.

Mum’s face softens, and she pulls me into a tight hug. “I’m sorry, Ava,” she whispers, her voice filled with emotion. “I never wanted to hurt you. But I need you to be okay with this. It’s my turn to live my life.”

I stand there for a moment, lost in the hug, my mind swirling with confusion and a tinge of betrayal. It’s happening so fast, and I don’t know how to feel about it. I’m not ready for my life to change like this.

When Mum pulls away, I look at her with a mixture of disbelief and pain. “What about me?” I ask, my voice breaking. “What am I supposed to do?”

Before she can answer, the doorbell rings. We both turn toward the door, the sound interrupting the heavy silence between us. I don’t know whether to be relieved or more anxious. My heart races in my chest, unsure of what comes next.

Mum smiles weakly, wiping away a tear. “That must be Henry,” she says softly. “It’s time.”

The world seems to hold its breath as I stare at the door, my heart hammering in my chest. What happens now?

I take one last look at Mum, my stomach in knots. This is it. Everything is changing, and I can’t stop it.

The doorbell rings again, more insistent this time.

With a shaky breath, I walk toward the door. What’s waiting for me on the other side?

This chapter sets up the cliffhanger with the arrival of Henry and Ava’s emotions swirling around the impending changes. The suspense builds as the conversation between Ava and her mum takes a deeper turn, leaving readers eager to see what happens when Ava meets Henry and how her life continues to change.