Page 24 of Not Until I Found You

“Covewood? Why on earth—” Her voice stumbles as she tries to process the news. “I thought everything was fine with Derek. What happened?”

Tears sting behind my eyes, and I try to blink them back, but they slip anyway. At least she can’t see me fall apart, and I can focus on keeping my voice steady.

“Derek and I haven’t been happy for a long time.”

I envision her shaking her head as she replies, “I had no idea. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to admit it out loud, I guess. We agreed it was best to end things.” My voice wavers on the last word.

“Oh, honey.” The sympathy in her voice nearly undoes me. “When did this happen?”

“A few days ago.”

“A few days ago?” her voice jumps an octave. “And you’re only telling me now?”

I wince. “I’m sorry.”

“Maxinne!”

“I was going to call. I just needed a little time to figure things out first.”

“But you didn’t have to figure it out alone.” Guilt twists in my gut because I know she’s right.

“I know.”

Her sigh crackles through the speaker.

“Okay,” she says carefully. “So why are you in Covewood?”

“Ashton suggested I come stay with him for the summer.”

“The whole summer? Of all the places you could have gone, you chose the town that took your father away from us.”

“He needs help.”

“So did you.”

I squeeze my eyes shut. I really don’t want to get into this with her right now. “Summer is Ashton’s busiest season with his job, and Dad’s still recovering from his stroke. They need an extra set of hands right now.”

“And what about what you need?”

The truth is, I don’t really know what I need right now. I only know that, today, for the first time since my life was uprooted, I wasn’t thinking about Derek. I was focused on what was right in front of me. And it was nice.

“I need some space,” I say quietly, sniffing away a few tears as I attempt to steady my voice. “I need time to figure out who I am without Derek.”

Mom is silent for a moment. “I understand that. But I still think you should’ve come home. You could stay with me, and you wouldn’t have to worry about anything.”

“I know,” my voice breaks, but I push through. “I love you. And I know you’re trying to help. But this is something I want to do for Ashton…and also for myself.”

The line goes quiet. When she finally speaks, her voice is gentler. “You’ve already made up your mind, haven’t you?”

I smile through my tears. “Yeah.”

Mom exhales as she tries to accept my choices. “You’re as stubborn as your father.”

“That’s not exactly a compliment.”

“It wasn’t meant to be.” Her tone is teasing, and a small laugh escapes both of us.