Chapter Eighteen.

Harlow woke up feeling like she had been hit by a truck.

Her body ached from tension, and her mind was still groggy from the whirlwind of emotions from the night before. She blinked against the soft morning light streaming through the hotel curtains, turning over to see Sage sprawled out beside her, face buried in the pillow, hair a wild mess.

For a moment, Harlow just looked at her. Even in exhaustion, Sage was stunning—the soft rise and fall of her chest, the way her lips were slightly parted, her arms loosely curled around the pillow like it was Harlow herself.

She reached out, brushing a strand of hair from Sage's face.

Sage stirred slightly, letting out a sleepy groan. "You're staring," she mumbled, voice hoarse from sleep.

Harlow smiled. "You're beautiful."

Sage cracked one eye open, a lazy smirk forming. "And you're a simp."

Before Harlow could argue, her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She sighed, reaching for it and blinking at the name on the screen.

Mom.

Her stomach twisted, anxiety creeping up her spine. She hesitated before answering. "Hey, Mom."

"Harlow, baby," Theresa's warm, slightly raspy voice came through. "I've been worried about you. How are you?"

Harlow swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm… I'm okay."

"Mm," her mom hummed knowingly. "That doesn't sound too convincing."

Harlow bit her lip, glancing at Sage, who was now watching her with quiet attentiveness.

"I, uh… I ran into Jessica last night," Harlow admitted.

Silence. Then a slow exhale.

"Tell me everything."

So she did.

She told her mom about Jessica's texts, about how they went to confront her, about the fight, about how Sage had to use her powers to get them out of it. She told her about finally blocking Jessica, about the weight that had lifted but also the exhaustion that had followed.

When she was finished, there was a pause. Then—

"I am so fucking proud of you."

Harlow's throat tightened. "You are?"

"Are you kidding?!" Theresa's voice was thick with emotion. "You finally stood up to that narcissistic little gremlin! You broke free from her bullshit! Baby, I knew you had it in you."

Tears pricked Harlow's eyes.

"Thanks, Mom," she whispered.

"And Sage," Theresa continued. "Put me on speaker, I wanna talk to my almost-daughter-in-law."

Harlow snorted but did as she was told, holding the phone between them. "You're on."

"Sage," Theresa said dramatically. "My new favorite person. Thank you for looking out for my girl. She's too stubborn for her own good, but I know she's in good hands with you."

Sage chuckled. "I'd do anything for her."

"I know. And I love that about you. Which is why I think we should all hang out today."

Harlow blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Yup. I miss my baby, and I wanna meet her badass girlfriend properly. You two come over, and we'll go to the mall. I'll drive separate so you can be all gross and couple-y on the way there."

Sage grinned. "I like your mom."

Theresa laughed. "Good. Now, bring me something delicious and greasy. Love you, baby."

"Love you too," Harlow said, still a little in shock as she hung up.

Sage nudged her. "Mall day?"

Harlow grinned. "Mall day."

After showering and getting dressed, Harlow opted for a more masculine look—baggy jeans, an oversized hoodie, sneakers. It felt right today.

Sage, on the other hand, was in her element, doing both of their makeup. She leaned in close, eyes narrowed as she applied eyeliner to Harlow's lids.

"Stay still, or I'll stab you."

"Romantic."

Sage smirked. "You love it."

The drive to Harlow's house was quiet, save for the low hum of the radio playing some old classic rock song neither of them really paid attention to. Harlow stared out the window, her knee bouncing restlessly. Sage glanced at her from the driver's seat, reaching over to squeeze Harlow's hand.

"You okay?"

Harlow exhaled slowly. "Yeah. Just… I don't know. It's been a while since I saw my mom."

Sage rubbed soothing circles over the back of her hand. "She's gonna be happy to see you, you know that."

Harlow nodded, but the anxiety in her chest didn't ease. She loved her mom—of course she did—but things had been weird since she left home. They still talked, but not as often as they used to, and she knew it wasn't intentional on either of their parts. Life had just… gotten in the way.

But today, she wanted to make things right.

When they pulled into the driveway, Harlow hesitated before opening the door. Sage noticed.

"Hey." She leaned over, tucking a piece of hair behind Harlow's ear. "I'm right here with you."

Harlow swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. "Okay. Let's go."

The moment Harlow knocked, the door swung open almost instantly, like her mom had been waiting on the other side.

"Harlow."

The way her mom said her name—soft, full of something raw and aching—was enough to nearly break her.

"Mom."

Before Harlow could say anything else, she was pulled into a tight hug.

Theresa clung to her like she was afraid she might disappear again, her arms wrapped around Harlow's shoulders, fingers gripping the back of her hoodie.

Harlow let out a shaky breath and hugged her back just as tightly.

"I missed you," her mom murmured, her voice thick. "I missed you so much, baby."

Harlow squeezed her eyes shut. "I missed you too, Mom."

Theresa pulled back just enough to cup Harlow's face, eyes scanning her as if checking to make sure she was really there. "You've been okay?"

Harlow nodded. "Yeah. I mean… things have been things, especially last night,but I'm okay."

Her mom exhaled like she'd been holding her breath for months. "Good."

Her eyes shifted behind Harlow to where Sage stood awkwardly on the porch, holding a bag of food. Theresa's face lit up.

"And you must be the famous Sage."

Sage smirked. "That depends. Famous in a good way?"

Theresa snorted, finally letting go of Harlow and stepping back to let them in. "Oh, definitely in a good way. I've been dying to meet the girl my daughter won't shut up about."

Harlow blinked and huffed. "Mom. You met her a few weeks ago, remember? When we had our first date?"

Theresa frowned, thinking for a second before snapping her fingers. "Oh! Right!" She laughed at herself. "Damn, my memory is shit. But in my defense, you two were all over each other that day, so I didn't exactly get the chance to really meet her."

Sage grinned, wiggling her eyebrows at Harlow. "All over me, huh?"

Harlow smacked her arm. "Don't start."

Theresa chuckled. "Come in, come in. And tell me what you two are doing here so early."

Harlow held up the takeout bag. "We brought you breakfast."

Theresa placed a hand over her heart. "You do love me."

Sage chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Now eat before it gets cold."

They moved to the kitchen, sitting around the small table that still had a half-burnt candle in the middle. Harlow's mom took one bite of her food before sighing dramatically.

"You know how to win my heart."

Harlow laughed softly. "I figured you'd like the surprise."

Theresa smiled, softer this time. "I really do. It's been too long, kid."

Harlow looked down at her coffee, suddenly feeling emotional again. "I know. I'm sorry."

Her mom shook her head. "No, don't do that. I know life's been… complicated. But I'm proud of you, Harlow. For everything. I know you've been through hell, but you're still here. And I love you so much."

Harlow's throat tightened. "I love you too, Mom."

Sage reached under the table and squeezed Harlow's hand, a silent reassurance.

After a beat, Theresa turned to Sage. "And you. I don't know everything about what happened with your family, but I do know you deserve better."

Sage's usual confidence faltered for just a second. "Yeah. Well." She cleared her throat. "Harlow makes things easier."

Theresa nodded. "Good. That's what love is supposed to do."

A comfortable silence settled between them as they ate, the weight of old wounds and healing filling the space between bites of breakfast.