My Family’s Suitcase Was Always Too Small for My Future Chapter 09

My Family’s Suitcase Was Always Too Small for My Future Chapter 09

Mom ran to me and pulled me into her arms.

Her eyes were swollen. She looked furious and wrecked at the same time.

“What is wrong with you? Do you have any idea what you’ve put us through?”

Dad and Grant zeroed in on Wesley. Without a word, they lunged for him.

The officers stepped in before they could reach him.

I pulled away from Mom, took Wesley’s hand, and turned to go.

“Maren, where do you think you’re going?”

Mom and Dad came after me.

I hadn’t seen them in almost a year. They looked worse than I’d expected.

Dad’s beard had gone white. The lines around Mom’s eyes had deepened.

Mom caught me looking. Her eyes welled up again.

“Do you have any idea what this past year has been like? How could you do this to us?”

“We’re still your parents, Maren. Whatever we did, who else is going to love you like we do? And you just ran

off and married some stranger without telling us?”

She was shaking. If the officers hadn’t been standing there, I swear she would’ve gone after Wesley herself.

I didn’t flinch.

“Wesley. Twenty-seven. From Evermont. Engineer. Only child.”

“What else do you want to know?”

Mom’s voice went high and shrill.

“Excuse me? You think rattling off his résumé makes this okay?”

A year apart, and nothing had changed.

“Mom.”

The word stopped her cold. Her chin trembled.

“We said we were sorry. What more do you want?”

What did I want?

Somehow, I was still the problem.

“Wesley and I are heading home.”

“You walk out that door and we’re done, Maren. I mean it. You’re no daughter of mine.”

Wesley’s hand tightened around mine.

The look on his face said everything. He stood his ground.

I looked at Mom. And for the first time, I felt nothing pulling me back.

“Fine.”

Mom went completely still. Her lips were shaking.

Dad dragged a hand down his face like the floor had dropped out from under him.

Tessa just watched me. Quiet. Almost like she understood.

I looked at Grant last. I held his gaze for a second. Then I turned around and walked away.

Behind me, Mom was sobbing and cursing in the same breath. Dad was shouting.

Good. They hadn’t changed at all.

That made it easy.