Did that Rose girl come back to annoy you downstairs after I…after I left?”
“Nah, I think I’ve lost her for the night. What about your little friend Jeremy?” I asked.
She shrugged. “He didn’t see me come up here. He’s probably still downstairs, insulting women and setting society back by fifty years.”
I snorted with amusement. “Probably. I guess you have to kiss a few frogs before you find your prince, huh?”
She sat on the bed again, a flash of emotion in her eyes.
“Uh, did I say something wrong?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, it’s just…my Mom said that to me not long before she died.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to remind you of that.”
“No, it’s fine. It was a sad time, but in the exact moment she said that phrase to me, she was smiling and joking around, saying that I didn’t have to literally kiss frogs. I guess it’s actually a happy memory of her.” She smiled and continued. “I suppose if that saying is true, then that makes you one of the frogs?”
“I prefer ‘toad’, thank you very much,” I replied as images of our heated kiss in Biloxi filled my head.
“I guess you do look like a toad.”
I grinned, then sat on the end of the bed and hesitated for a few seconds. “This is gonna sound awkward as hell, so I apologize in advance. But with what you were just talking about — with your Mom and all — I think you should know…she’d be really proud if she saw you today. I mean, look at you. You’re smart as anything, and you’re gonna be a bigshot lawyer one day. That’s awesome.”
She smiled weakly. “Thanks, Brad. That’s really nice of you to say. But I’d hardly call my career aspirations ‘bigshot lawyer’. I don’t care about the money all that much. I just want to help people.”
“Yeah, I get you.”
“You do?” she said, one eyebrow raised. “I thought you were all about the money. At least that’s what it seemed like when we first met. Plus I’ve heard you talking to my Dad about it a few times.”
I shook my head. “Shit, I guess I did come across that way, huh? It’s not exactly like that. I do care about helping people, and honestly, medical science is interesting as hell. But I also want to make a fair amount of money one day, not for myself, but for my Mom.”
“Your Mom?”
“Yeah. My bio dad left her when she was pregnant with me. It was really hard for her to raise me on her own. We never had much, but she did her best. Then when I was twelve, she met Vince. That’s the guy she was married to before your Dad. He helped her out with money, but he treated her like shit. So I decided that I wanted to make enough to give her everything she ever wanted to pay her back for sacrificing so much for me. Also, I didn’t want her to ever feel like she had to rely on another asshole to take care of her again. There are a lot of Vinces in this world.”
I’d never told any other girl about that part of my life before. They all assumed I came from some rich family and had a perfect upbringing, and I never corrected them. I simply didn’t want any of them knowing anything about me that might make me seem vulnerable, but with Mia, I didn’t care so much. I wanted her to know everything about me; my strengths, my weaknesses, my past, and my dreams.
She gazed at me, her eyebrows furrowed with concern. “Brad, you don’t think my Dad is like that, do you? Believe me, he’d never hurt your Mom.”
I nodded. “I know. He’s a decent guy. I have to admit, I was a bit worried at first when she decided to spring the wedding on me without letting me get to know him, but I’ve realized since then that it’s okay. Your Dad is great. You’re lucky to have him.”
“Yeah, I guess I am,” she said softly.
We sat in silence for a moment, pondering our situation.
“So, anyway,” I said. “I know we got off to a rocky start, but there’s no reason we can’t at least try to be friends now. What d’ya say?”
She
“Nah, I think I’ve lost her for the night. What about your little friend Jeremy?” I asked.
She shrugged. “He didn’t see me come up here. He’s probably still downstairs, insulting women and setting society back by fifty years.”
I snorted with amusement. “Probably. I guess you have to kiss a few frogs before you find your prince, huh?”
She sat on the bed again, a flash of emotion in her eyes.
“Uh, did I say something wrong?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, it’s just…my Mom said that to me not long before she died.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to remind you of that.”
“No, it’s fine. It was a sad time, but in the exact moment she said that phrase to me, she was smiling and joking around, saying that I didn’t have to literally kiss frogs. I guess it’s actually a happy memory of her.” She smiled and continued. “I suppose if that saying is true, then that makes you one of the frogs?”
“I prefer ‘toad’, thank you very much,” I replied as images of our heated kiss in Biloxi filled my head.
“I guess you do look like a toad.”
I grinned, then sat on the end of the bed and hesitated for a few seconds. “This is gonna sound awkward as hell, so I apologize in advance. But with what you were just talking about — with your Mom and all — I think you should know…she’d be really proud if she saw you today. I mean, look at you. You’re smart as anything, and you’re gonna be a bigshot lawyer one day. That’s awesome.”
She smiled weakly. “Thanks, Brad. That’s really nice of you to say. But I’d hardly call my career aspirations ‘bigshot lawyer’. I don’t care about the money all that much. I just want to help people.”
“Yeah, I get you.”
“You do?” she said, one eyebrow raised. “I thought you were all about the money. At least that’s what it seemed like when we first met. Plus I’ve heard you talking to my Dad about it a few times.”
I shook my head. “Shit, I guess I did come across that way, huh? It’s not exactly like that. I do care about helping people, and honestly, medical science is interesting as hell. But I also want to make a fair amount of money one day, not for myself, but for my Mom.”
“Your Mom?”
“Yeah. My bio dad left her when she was pregnant with me. It was really hard for her to raise me on her own. We never had much, but she did her best. Then when I was twelve, she met Vince. That’s the guy she was married to before your Dad. He helped her out with money, but he treated her like shit. So I decided that I wanted to make enough to give her everything she ever wanted to pay her back for sacrificing so much for me. Also, I didn’t want her to ever feel like she had to rely on another asshole to take care of her again. There are a lot of Vinces in this world.”
I’d never told any other girl about that part of my life before. They all assumed I came from some rich family and had a perfect upbringing, and I never corrected them. I simply didn’t want any of them knowing anything about me that might make me seem vulnerable, but with Mia, I didn’t care so much. I wanted her to know everything about me; my strengths, my weaknesses, my past, and my dreams.
She gazed at me, her eyebrows furrowed with concern. “Brad, you don’t think my Dad is like that, do you? Believe me, he’d never hurt your Mom.”
I nodded. “I know. He’s a decent guy. I have to admit, I was a bit worried at first when she decided to spring the wedding on me without letting me get to know him, but I’ve realized since then that it’s okay. Your Dad is great. You’re lucky to have him.”
“Yeah, I guess I am,” she said softly.
We sat in silence for a moment, pondering our situation.
“So, anyway,” I said. “I know we got off to a rocky start, but there’s no reason we can’t at least try to be friends now. What d’ya say?”
She
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