Alex's entire body goes taut. I shouldn't have brought him in the car with me. It was selfish to want him close. Of course my mother would ask prying questions. She's a mother and I should have considered what this car ride would entail. She has a captive audience. Alex and I don't have a relationship beyond the physical. I know nothing about his family other than what he's told me about Madison and Moon, which is very little.
I place my hand on his and offer a silent apology. His fingers squeeze back and then he tells my mother about his parents. "They're dead. My father died about eight years ago and my mother when I was a young boy."
My mother leans over me and takes his free hand. "You poor dear. To lose them both is awful, but to lose your mother when you were young is beyond painful. Do you have any siblings?"
I fight a groan and have no idea how to shut my mother up.