Georgia Peach - Book One

Chapter 9 - The Next Step

I get up from the bed, walk over to his dresser, and grab a tissue to fix my makeup and re-do my messy, tangled hair. He hops up, wraps his arms around my waist, and kisses the side of my face. "You look beautiful. Get dressed, baby. Let's have a fire tonight and roast some marshmallows."

"Sounds fun! Let me call Aunt Las and tell her I'm coming home a bit later."

He nods his head before strutting to the bathroom. I grab my clothes from the floor and quickly get dressed before running out to the truck to grab my purse. I fish through the inside for my cell phone as I stalk back towards the house, and I look at the caller ID to see that I have eleven missed calls! Holy Shit! I can see Aunt Las only called twice, but my Mother has called nine times! I do not dare call my Mother until I speak with Aunt Las first. I assume she called me to warn me about something. I dial her number, and she answers after two rings, "Colie, your Mom has been trying to get ahold of you. You better call her back. I don't know what she wants, she seems ticked off, but she didn't tell me anything," She says.

"Oh, God. Okay then. I'll be home a bit later. Dylan is starting a fire to roast some marshmallows before bringing me home."

"Okay, no problem, sis, I love you."

"I love you too, Las," I tell her as I disconnect the call.

Then I decide to put on my big girl panties and dial my Mother's number. Bile rises in my throat as it begins to ring. It rang three times before she answered, "Mariah!?"

"Umm, yeah, Mom, I'm kind of busy right now. Why did you call me so much? Can't I just call you when I get home?"

"No, you won't call me later; you will talk to me right now," She answers sternly.

"Mom, what is wrong with you?"

"Well, Aaron stopped by because he said he's been trying to reach out to you, and you haven't returned any of his calls. What the hell is going on? Why are you not calling him back?"

I do my best to keep my temper at bay, but I'm beyond angry at this point, "What the hell is he doing going to you about all this? He needs to keep his mouth shut and leave me alone!"

Dylan stands at the front door, watching me; shock crosses his face. I know he's never heard me yell before. This is nothing new with my Mother. I mouth the word "Mom" to let him know who I'm speaking with in that tone. He appears confused and shakes his head from side to side. I realized I never warned him about the beast that is Reagan Knox.

Mom continues, "I don't know what's going on up there, Mariah, but you better figure it out and get your ass back here come August, or I'm coming up there to get you myself, do you understand? I don't care if I have to drag you out by your hair; you are coming home with me!"

Dylan stands in front of me, listening as she yells; I can tell by the expression on his face that he can make out what she is saying. His jaw clenches as he makes a fist with his hands, his face three shades of red as he's overcome with rage. I put my index finger up, letting him know to give me a minute to handle it. He shakes his head and crosses his arms. I can tell he's pissed. Attempting to distract him, I place my hand on his chest, pull the phone away from my ear for a moment, and stand on my tiptoes to kiss his jaw, "Baby, it's okay. I can handle this; I love you," I whisper.

He nods and reluctantly jumps down off the porch to gather the firewood. Realizing I haven't responded to my Mother's threats, I try to direct my focus back to the call; she continues, "Do you hear me, Mariah?!"

"Yes, I do, and the answer is no. Get a life, Mom! I'm not coming home. Forget it! Tell Aaron I said to get a life and leave me alone! He and Lacy deserve each other. I've moved on, and I'm happy for once. You don't get to make decisions for me anymore. You don't know what's right for me, and you don't even bother to understand! How about you listen to me right now. I'm in love with someone. His name is Dylan, and he treats me like a fucking queen! Never have I ever been treated so well! I will not allow you to come in and mess things up for me!" I bark.