The auditorium was packed with proud family members, all jostling around to take photos with the recent graduates. I made my way through a sea of dark, billowing robes and mortarboards toward my mother.

“I’m so proud of you, sweetie,” she said, giving me a big hug. Winston and Alex stood behind her, their million-dollar smiles flashing at me.

“Thanks, Mom,” I said. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Oh, you did it all on your own,” she beamed. “I sent some pictures of you receiving your diploma to your brother. He told me to tell you congratulations. Now, we should probably head out of here or we’re going to miss our reservation. Winston picked out a very nice steakhouse for the celebration.”

“Cool,” I said. I still felt weird ordering from menus that didn’t have prices listed, but it was something that I would have to get used to. Winston seem genuinely happy to spend that kind of money on my mom and me.

As we walked from the building, Alex rested his hand on my shoulder for a brief moment. I turned around and gave him a wink. As of an hour prior, we were officially no longer student and professor. We could date without fear of repercussions. Well, the only potential repercussions would be of our own making.

My mom figured out that there was something going on between Alex and me right away. She noticed that I would get very quiet or tried to change the subject whenever she mentioned his name to me. At first, she thought it was because I had a crush on him. Eventually, I let her know that it was more than a crush, and he reciprocated those feelings. Initially, she was mortified that she gave me no warning about her marriage to Alex’s father before we were already in too deep. But, she was supportive of our courtship, as long as Alex was on his best behavior and treated me well. I made a point not to get into the specifics about the nature of our relationship. I don’t think she’d want to hear about him pinning me up against the wall of his elevator.

At the restaurant, I sat next to Alex while my mother and stepfather sat on the other side of the table. My mom pulled out a small, beautifully wrapped present and handed it to me.

“Mom, you didn’t need to get me anything,” I scolded.

“Of course, I did.” She smiled. “Open it.”

I peeled back the paper and opened the small, leather box. Inside was a gorgeous, rose gold watch.

“I thought it would look nice with a blazer,” she said.

“It would,” I replied. “Thanks.”

Winston sat up a little straighter. “I have a present for you as well, but it can’t exactly fit into a box.”

My shoulders sank. I wondered what outrageous gift Winston bought me to make up for everything he put my mother through. I liked the guy, but if he thought he could buy my loyalty, he was mistaken.

He leaned forward, a big smile on his face. “I’ve decided to come out of retirement,” he said. “I get myself into trouble when I don’t stay busy, and I miss working. I’m going to open my own office and work with a small client base.”

“That’s great,” I said, faking my enthusiasm.

“And if you’re okay with it, I’d like you to come work for me. I’m not talking an internship, either. You can work as much or as little as you want. You can consider it an apprenticeship. It’s basically what Alex did to cut his teeth in the business. What do you think?”

My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. “Seriously? That would be amazing!”

“Great,” Winston said. “I’ve leased a little office in Manhattan and have found a few clients. Would you like to start next week?”

“Yes,” I said breathlessly. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” he said proudly. “You’re going to be a lot of help. By the time you’re done with business school, you’ll be more experienced than any of your other classmates. I think you can even give Alex a run for his money.”

I looked over at him and he rolled his eyes at his father.

“Were you in on this?” I asked Alex.

“Well, I’m not going to work for him, but I may have suggested he hire you. I promised you I’d find you some summer experience.”

“Thank you,” I said to both men.

When we were finished with lunch, I figured we’d spend the rest of the day together as one fucked-up family. But, I was surprised when I asked what we were doing next, and my mother said she and Winston were headed to a couple’s retreat in Mexico for the next five days.

“A combination of vacation and couple’s counseling. Sounds fun,” Alex said sarcastically.

“It will be fun,” Winston told his son. “This woman is the most important thing in my life, after you kids, of course. I want this marriage to last.”

“Well, have fun,” I said as I hugged my mother goodbye. “Call me if you need me to fly down and get you.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

I was a little skeptical when my mom said she was going to give Winston another shot. I don’t know if I could if I were the one in that situation. But, despite his issues with infidelity, Winston was a pretty good guy. I liked that he treated my mother well—for the most part—and that he was making a real effort to get his act together. Even Alex noticed a difference in his father. Winston was more attentive to my mom and Alex seemed to think he might be changing for good.

If a retreat was what they needed to move forward, then I would support it. However, I told my mom that she couldn’t give the man a third chance. If he truly loved her, he would do whatever was in his power to stay faithful. Thankfully, she agreed with me. They continued to work on their marriage and certainly hadn’t completely fixed things. She had been spending most of her time in Hazelwood while he stayed in New York. But, in the past week, he had been staying at our house to prove his faithfulness.

And, even though it didn’t seem like a divorce was imminent, Alex and I decided we would still try to make it work. We acknowledged that our situation was weird, but not so weird that we wanted to be apart. We could live our lives while being part of our larger family. It would take some getting used to, but we weren’t ready to let each other go.

“What now?” I asked as we stood in front of the restaurant.

“Come back to my place?” Alex suggested.

“I don’t know,” I replied. “I have to have my dorm cleaned out by tomorrow afternoon. Are you still able to drive all of my stuff back to Hazelwood?”

“Sure,” he said, taking me under his arm. “We can do that later. I’ll even help you pack. Let’s just chill out at my place for a little bit until the crowds around campus die down.”

I gave him a funny look. “Are you afraid of seeing students or faculty?” I asked.

“No,” he said hastily. “But since you mention it, I’m not sure if I’ll go back next year. I don’t think I’m meant to be a teacher, even if it’s just for one measly class.”

“You were good,” I said without thinking.

“I don’t think so,” he laughed. “You don’t understand how very little I did.”

“Well, I’m glad you came for this semester,” I said, putting my arm around his waist as we walked down the street.

“I am too,” he said, leaning down to kiss me on top of the head.

We walked arm in arm to his apartment. Luckily, there was no sign of Kevin. We rode the elevator to the top, this time behaving ourselves.

Inside, I tossed my bag on the counter and plopped down on the couch, exhausted from the long morning. I kicked off my heels, flinging them onto the rug. I stretched out the full length of the couch, causing Alex to have to rearrange my limbs so he could cuddle up next to me.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said, letting his voice trail off. “What if you didn’t move back to Hazelwood this summer? You’re going to want to be in the city if you’re going to be working here all summer. Plus, you’ll be starting school again in the fall and the commute will really cut into your free time.”

“I can’t really afford a place in the city,” I said. “And, I don’t want you or your father to buy me a place. You’ve already done too much.”

“Can I make another suggestion?” he asked.

“What?” I asked, snuggling into his chest. I let him wrap his arms in front of me.

“What do you think about just moving in here?”

I whipped around. “Really?”

“Why not?” He shrugged. “This place is plenty big for the two of us. It’ll be convenient for you. Besides, I’m going to want you around here all the time anyway. If you just officially move in, you won’t have to worry about leaving some of your things here and some of your things at home. Make this your home.”

I bit my lip to keep it from quivering. “I’d really like that,” I said softly.

“Good,” he said, giving me a big kiss on the lips. “We’ll pick up your things after we’re done here.”

“What do we have to do here?” I asked.

Alex nuzzled his nose in my hair. “I don’t know about you, but these last few weeks have been the longest of my life. Do you know how hard it was to give my last lecture and not stare at you the whole time? A few times, I thought about breaking our agreement, just to spend a few hours with you, in person. Talking on the phone was nice, but it doesn’t compare to the real thing.”

I moved onto his lap, cradling his face in my hands. “You’re all mine now, aren’t you?”

He grinned broadly. “I am.”

I kissed him on the lips as his hands began to caress my body. “Then I’d like to have you now.”

I giggled as he picked me up and carried me to the bedroom. I had only lived there for minutes, and it already felt like home.