Prince with Benefits

Chapter Eight

"It's fine." I walked to the backdoor and opened it to let the air pass through. "I'm a mess in the kitchen too. I don't even try anymore."

Mom chuckled at that. "Well, at least you also inherited my eyes!"

"Yeah," I said, smiling.

"Let's leave the window open. There's more bread, ham, and cheese. We can make a sandwich." She left the towel on the counter, opened the kitchen cabinet, and took out the bread. "Or, we can go out to eat breakfast. I wanted to go shopping, anyway. We need a coffee machine."

At the mention of coffee, a pang of guilt played in my chest. I was rude when I told her I didn't drink tea anymore. Tea was our thing, but I had swapped it for coffee because I was hurt. Now, it was all I drank. "You don't need to get a coffee machine."

"No, we do need one because I don't have one in London and you said you're not going back to the States. That's still the plan, right?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm positively not going back right now," I reassured her.

Mom let out a huge breath, and my heart shrunk a little because she seemed to be holding her breath. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me, Mom," I said. "How long are we staying at Castle Combe, though?"

She put the kettle on. "I have to go back to London in three days to resume my lectures at the university."

I grimaced. "Oh."

Mom studied me for a moment. "Why? Does this have to do with a dashing prince, by any chance?"

"Not really," I lied. But I wasn't too good at it because my mom wasn't buying it.

"Aha."

My ears were warm as I threw away the burnt bread. "I'm so hungry! I can make a mean sandwich—do you want to try it?" I busied myself by taking the ham and cheese out of the fridge. Mom placed two plates on the counter and took out the mayonnaise while chuckling.

"I take it you don't want to go out, then."

I paused and gazed at her. "Is it okay if I go out later?" I bit my lip. Mom wanted to spend time with me, and I had made plans with Scott. In my defense, it was unlikely that I'd meet with him again, that's why I wanted to enjoy the little time I'd get to be with him.

"Of course. You don't need to spend every hour with me." She squeezed my hand in reassurance. "Do you have plans?"

My whole face felt hot as I answered her. "I'm going out for a walk with Scott."

"That sounds like a date." Mom raised an eyebrow.

I made a face as I scrunched up my nose. "It's really not. We just met, and I'm not ready to date anyone. Especially a prince." I finished stacking the ingredients and set the two sandwiches on the plates.

She grabbed her plate and placed a steaming mug in front of me. "It is kind of soon. But he is one handsome prince."

I stayed quiet. He was. Not only handsome but he also had a sense of humor and was too charming for his own good.

"Mom, did you ever date anyone else? You know, after Dad?"

She sipped her tea before shaking her head. "Maybe I'm not the right person to talk about this."

I frowned. "Why? Do you still love Dad?"

She pressed her lips. "Since we divorced, I was more worried about trying to talk to you than anything else." Her eyes teared up. "James cheated on me, but I was the one to push you away."

I placed my hand over hers. "But I'm here now."

She sniffed. "But you're here now," she repeated, a sad smile playing on her face. "You know, when a relationship breaks it's because both partners failed." I opened my mouth to protest. Mom shouldn't take the blame. "Listen to me, Emily. I have thought about this too much. I've always been a workaholic, always. My priority has always been writing more articles, researching more. I'm a good teacher because of that. James resented it, but I didn't care. I believe that's my responsibility. He slept with another woman, but I cheated him first with my work."

I stared at her. "You don't want me to hate Dad."

"I don't."

"I think that makes you the better person." I said with a hard edge on my voice. "Your divorce is not the source of my anger, Mom. It's the fact my father lied to me. He let me believe you left because you got tired of us, because your job was more important."

Mom let out a bitter laugh. "He was right in a way, Em."

I shook my head, my chest tightening. "He should have told me he cheated."

"How would that change anything?"

"I would have been there for you," I reached out for her. "You wouldn't have had to go through this alone."

"But then, I'd probably blame him." She said with a downturned mouth. "Sometimes you have to touch rock bottom so you can learn how to stand up." She raised her chin while straightening her back. "I don't blame your father, that feeling doesn't sit well with me, or anybody. I take responsibility from my faults; I learned and moved on."

I hugged her. I was glad I listened to Hugh an came to England to reconnect with her. Mom amazed me. It's never easy to accept your mistakes, and she was owning hers. I felt nothing but utter admiration at her.

"I love you, Mom."

She teared up. "I love you too, honey." She sniffed before clearing her throat. "Let's eat, we both have a busy day ahead."