The Mechanic

Chapter Thirty - "Roses."

I wasn't sure how to feel, but I allowed her to hold my hands there as the thoughts raced through my head. I knew that he and his mother were close, so the news of Joe telling her about Wilmer shouldn't have been a surprise.

And yet, somehow, it was.

"What does he say?" I tried, watching her face for answers. She released my fingers, briefly glancing down the hall for eavesdroppers. Then, as she began to speak, her smile began to grow. She completely dodged my question, taking the conversation in a new direction.

"Joseph is a very honest man. I've never known him to lie to me. Not once." She stated, holding my eye contact. "He's always been a passionate, driven, hardworking man; even more so after his divorce."

"What do you mean?"

"When Blanda left," she sighed, "Joseph was completely blindsided; our entire family was. She never told him what had gone wrong, so he became obsessed with making sure every decision he made was right."

I could see that. Ever since I'd met Joe, I'd always known him to be desperately committed to completing a task as flawlessly and quickly as possible. Even as I slept on the torn leather couch that first night, Joe went out of his way to track down my car and push it back with his bare hands. And now that I knew that was the same night he had officially finalized his divorce, the very essence of who Joe was, quickly became breathtakingly clear.

"That's not fair to him," I whispered, feeling my heart sink for him. "He's so incredible. He doesn't deserve that."

"I know," she nodded. Then, her tone became firm. "Which is why I want what is best for him. He is twenty-six years old; he's got a lot of life to live. Demi," she said, staring me down. "If you are going to be in my son's life, you absolutely cannot be what that woman was. He has already become invested in you. It won't be long before he becomes invested in your heart."

Nervously, I nodded, feeling myself tremble at the sudden change in her demeanor. 

"You seem like a wonderful woman," she continued. "But my sons are all I have. And I will not allow anyone into their lives who aren't just as invested as they are." She extended her index finger, her eyes completely serious. "You cannot break my son."

"Yes ma'am," I said sincerely. She grinned then, only the tiniest bit, and squinted at me.

"Do you love him?"

My heart stopped.

"I. . . I-,"

"Demi," I heard Joe call, and immediately I turned toward his voice. He appeared at the end of the hall, his eyebrows jumping up in surprise at the sight of his mother and I engaged in conversation. "Oh," he muttered. "I'm sorry to interrupt."

"That's fine, Joey," Denise replied, giving me one last smile before moving toward him. "Demi and I were just finishing up."

"Great," he replied simply. As his mom passed him and exited the hall, he started for me, coming to me quickly. As he walked, I marveled at how handsome he was; his every step seemed perfectly placed. My mind was reeling with everything I'd just learned about him, and it didn't take long before these new things shaped how I viewed him.

"Hey," I said once we were face to face. "Welcome back." He slid his hands into his blazer's pockets.

"Did you do alright without me?" He joked, giving me that smile. I grinned back.

"Yeah," I replied. "We never made it to the kitchen."

Joe laughed.

"I figured you wouldn't."