That was…triggering, though she bit back the retort that immediately wanted to escape.
She knew they meant well, but it was also a cop-out, dammit, because she’d told them how it made her feel unheard and incapable, how it smothered, how it made her want to lower and lower contact until she didn’t see them hardly at all.
In fact, she’d done that.
During college.
Had gone to one on the other side of the country, stayed there for every holiday, got internships every summer so she didn’t come home.
But then her mom had gotten sick.
And…Teresa had moved back.
She loved them.
Loved her family even though they drove her bonkers. She didn’t want to miss out on time with them. She just wished…
All the same things she’d been wishing for years.
All the same things that wouldn’t happen.
Because they wouldn’t change…and neither would she.
Anton set the spoon down on the plate catching the overflow of her milkshake then wrapped his hand around hers, squeezing lightly. “I’ll talk to them.”
Again.
He’d get them to calm down.
They listened to him.
Kind of.
But then eventually fell right back into the same overbearing shit as had happened Wednesday, and look, maybe she was a whining asshole for complaining about her parents wanting to be too involved in her life, especially when so many other people craved to have parents who loved them, who wanted to be involved.
She was lucky.
But sometimes it was really hard to see that.
“Thanks,” she said. “But I can handle them.”
Anton studied her for a long moment, but eventually he nodded, picked up the spoon, and went back to her milkshake, the stink.
“You know,” Gabe said, always on their parents’ side. “We’re lucky to have Mom here at all, and you know that it was a close call after Dad’s heart attack.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “That’s why I’m here in California.”
Gabe’s lips pressed together, but he didn’t comment.
She held his gaze.
And thankfully, he let the topic drop, then proved exactly why she still had these dinners, why she loved the big lug.
Because unlike her parents, he could take the hint and move on.
“So, if you don’t want to talk about your week and why it’s put that grumpy, little sister expression on your face”—she narrowed her eyes in his direction—“do you have any update on the app?”
Her body relaxed.