“Wow. You are not making any sense.” No wonder Mitch had stormed out. Simon’s mom was wacked. “Mom, Mitch did a nice thing. I don’t think he’s trying to own you or pay for sex or anything.” He flushed. “God. Forget I said that. I just… He was trying to help.”
“But it’s not right. He’s got more money. He’s got more options. I don’t need his pity.” She started crying again. “I don’t know why he’s with us. With me.”
Man, she had it bad. “Mom, can I offer you some advice?”
She snorted and wiped her nose on her sleeve, reminding him of himself. “Sure. Why not?”
“I think Mitch loves you. The way Dad loved you.”
She froze, her eyes huge as she stared at him.
“If Dad had bought the shop, you’d have been happy, right?”
“That’s different.”
“Why?”
“Because your dad and I were married, a couple. We were a unit.”
“Why can’t you and Mitch be a unit? If you were rich and he needed help with something, you’d help him, right?”
“Well, maybe.” He just looked at her. “Yes, I would. But I’d tell him first.”
“So he did it backwards. He’s a guy, and guys make mistakes a lot. That’s what Jenna tells me.”
His mom laughed through tears.
“I like him, Mom. He’s real. Did you know he’s doing all this charity stuff for homeless teens and the animal shelter? He’s a really good guy under all the football crap. You know you like him.”
“I do.” She gripped counter behind her. “I just…”
“He told me he loves you. And he warned me not to bug you about him, because he doesn’t want to rush you or anything. If he were a tool, he’d use me to get to you. He’d dump you after getting what a guy wants from a girl. He’d tell everyone he got some…” A guy never referred to his mom as a piece of tail, not even when making a point. “Well, I think he’d brag about stuff. But he doesn’t.”
She sniffed and wiped her eyes. “I don’t know.”
“When I’m wrong, you make me apologize. And I have to mean I’m sorry. I can’t just say it.”
She frowned.
“It’s true. I think you were mean to Mitch, not because you meant to be, but maybe you’re scared.”
“Of course I’m scared.” She paced around the kitchen. “He’s a millionaire, ex-NFL star. I’m a single mom who runs a bakery. What the heck do we have in common?”
“Well, seems to me you both love each other. And you always tell me that with a strong foundation, you can build anything. But love comes first.”
She sighed. “Why do you listen to me when I don’t want you to?”
“Because I have a Y chromosome, and it makes me do the opposite of what you want.”
She gave a watery laugh.
“I think Mitch was really mad, Mom. Hurt too.”
She sighed.
“Jenna and me, we had a plan to make you jealous. Mitch didn’t know about it,” he hurried to say, in case she got the wrong idea. “When Jenna wanted to see if I liked her, she made up a story about being into some other guy. It made me see how much I didn’t like that idea, and that I wanted her to be with me. If you saw another woman, like maybe Jenna’s pretty, single aunt, laughing and having fun with Mitch, how would you feel?”
His mom stared and said nothing for a moment. “I’d slap her silly, then drag Mitch away by his hair.”
