“Is everything okay?” he asked, rubbing his tired eyes that had yet to adjust to the light.
Mom’s indecision didn’t help to calm his budding nerves. Something had to be wrong. If not, then why would she awaken him out of his slumber on a school night? She always told him that he stayed up too late, yet here she was, causing him to do exactly that. It was strange.
“Um…not really,” she told him.
He immediately sat up in bed, concerned.
She used her gentle smile to calm him the best she could. She cherished how much he loved her. Even a hint of discomfort caused her son to hurry to her side to protect her, and she absolutely treasured the way that he always put her first. Truthfully, it was a sense of adoration that she didn’t feel with Peter.
He refused to allow his incredible mother to be troubled. “What’s wrong?”
How was she expected to confess her dilemma? She looked at her eighteen-year-old son, for God’s sake! Not only did she prefer to shield him from such heinous behavior, but she despised burdening him with her problems. But who else could she turn to? Certainly not her husband.
“Dad did something very stupid today.”
He didn’t like the sound of that, but he also couldn’t begin to guess what she meant. Dad wasn’t the kind of guy who would hurt Mom physically. Did he say something dumb? Or even mean? Regardless of the cause of her sorrow, he knew that he needed to do his part to cheer her up. Nothing killed him like seeing her upset.
“What did he do?” he questioned.
She observed her shirtless son sitting with his back against the bed headboard while his legs ran horizontal along his mattress. She decided to join him up on his bed, also resting her back against the headboard.
He promptly grew tense.
“I don’t want you to think poorly of Dad,” she started, doing her best to explain the situation. “He’s a great father, and I know that he would never do anything to hurt you. He only wants the best for you. Even if he’s hard on you at times.”
Didn’t they already have this conversation earlier? He recalled a similar speech during dinner, but Mom had never looked overwhelmed while they sat at the table together. He couldn’t say the same now, however. She appeared downright flustered.
“He hurt me,” she confessed honestly.
He simmered with rage. He didn’t know how, why, or exactly when that Dad had wronged Mom, and he honestly didn’t care either. His only concern involved Dad doing anything to hinder his mother’s happiness. Mom was the most amazing woman in the world! She should never be upset!
He needed to do his part to help her. “What happened?”
She couldn’t mask her embarrassment. Not only was she married to a man who’d cheated on her with their own daughter, but she turned to her son for comfort. It was an odd twist-of-fate for a woman who seemingly had everything that she could ever dream of.
“Mom, what happened?” he offered his support. He would do anything to make her happy again.
“I love you.”
His eyes squinted sharply, reflecting his perplexed mood. Did that really need to be said? “I love you too.”
“You wouldn’t hurt one of your girlfriends, would you?” she inquired.
He shook his head, unable to look away from her dazzling blue eyes.
She felt the need to explain herself. “Obviously, I know that you would never harm a girl physically. You’re not that kind of guy. I’m talking about emotionally or mentally. You would only do what’s best for her, right?”
He nodded. His blankets covered everything below his waist, preventing her from seeing his boxers.
“Your father betrayed my trust earlier. Severely.”
Nick wanted some answers. Did he need to have a talk with Dad? Would he be asked to take the physical route in order to defend Mom’s honor? He would do absolutely anything to protect his mother, but by no means did he look forward to confronting Dad–especially physically. Fighting would do much more harm than good–literally and figuratively.
“What did he do?” he asked, preparing himself for the worst. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen Mom so sullen. Where was her trademark energy?
As close as Kim was to her son, she couldn’t pretend to know everything about him. What eighteen-year-old guy didn’t have secrets? She didn’t know much about his history with girls. Don’t even get her started on her lack of knowledge involving the drugs he’d tried or the trouble he’d barely managed to escape from either. Although, she did know one thing for certain.
Her perfect angel would never let her down.
So, she decided to treat her little boy like a man. For the next few minutes, Nick was no longer her eighteen-year-old son. Instead, he was an eighteen-year-old man who she could rely on in her time of need, and she’d never required support more in her life. She desperately needed him tonight.
“Your father fooled around with Stacy.”
He stared at her, unsure of what she meant.
“Sexually,” she confessed, no longer holding back. “After their dinner together.”
His blank gaze didn’t dissipate. In fact, it grew as a result of Mom’s serious stare.
“I know, I can’t believe it either,” she said.
He attempted to process her words. Disregarding the fact that Mom obviously messed with him, a quick peek at her incredible chest further cemented how ridiculous her prank actually was. And what about her beautiful face and wavy brown hair? She could be the nastiest woman in the world and no one would ever think of cheating on her. How could they? She was so fucking hot!
But Mom wasn’t nasty. No, she was funny, smart, and unbelievably kind. His mother possessed the body of a model and the heart of a saint, and he started to laugh after realizing how ridiculous his situation was. She’d seriously woke him up for this? Really?
“What’s so funny?” she asked, extremely serious.
His laughter increased by the second. “Dad cheated on you with Stacy?”
She nodded.
“What is this?” he questioned.
She didn’t follow. “What’s what?”
“What’s this all about?” he asked again. “Listen, Mom, I love your sense of humor, but this one kind of fell flat.”
“I’m not joking,” she said, yet to break eye contact.
They found themselves engaged in an unexpected staring contest. Much to his surprise, Mom didn’t crack. Who knew that she had such a good poker face?
Her refusal to drop her act confused him. This was so unlike his mother. Normally, she would tease him for a moment before eventually revealing a big smile, but her typical playfulness wasn’t anywhere to be found in his bedroom. It was enough to make him think that she could actually be serious.
But he knew better than to believe what she’d said. Dad messed around with Stacy? On what planet was that a possibility? Despite how enamored his father and sister seemed with each other at times–their relationship reminding him of what he shared with Mom–he wasn’t naive enough to actually think that something could happen between them. It just wasn’t a realistic scenario.
“So, what exactly did they do with each other?” he chuckled, eager to see if Mom would continue her outlandish game.
“Stacy gave him a blowjob.”
He immediately gulped. One, Mom’s casual demeanor threw him for a loop. Two, visualizing Stacy blowing Dad definitely qualified as the most outrageous thought of his life. Three, and by far the craziest moment of his day, was hearing Mom say the word blowjob.