“They’re great,” I agreed. “But I still worry about how all this shit with their dad is affecting them.”
Donovan stopped what he was doing and turned me into his arms, pulling me close. “They’re resilient, baby. You taught them that.”
My heart hurt, and suddenly I was tired of fighting. It was all I’d ever done, and it was exhausting. I’d gone from getting pregnant by accident when I had no clue what I was doing to marrying young, and then divorcing and becoming a single mom, and having to battle to keep things on an even keel with Evan for years. Then my mom got sick, and the latest fight with my ex-husband. The worry was eating at me. It was too much.
“How can I get everything the right way up again?” I whispered, my eyes filling with tears. “Just for once, I want my life to be easy. All I seem to do is fight. I need peace.”
Donovan’s thumbs brushed away my tears, and he leaned down and rested his forehead on mine. “Remember what you said to me, baby? You just roll with it and try to hold on to what’s real. That way, when the world tilts back to its rightful place, you tilt with it, no worse for wear.”
I stared into his beautiful blue eyes and thanked God that at least I had this; at least I had him.
Donovan brushed my hair back from my face. “I’m here, Posy. Hold on tight.” His arms wrapped around me, and he pulled me close for a hug.
For the first time in years, I let myself lean into someone else’s arms and not brace for the worse. I closed my eyes and breathed in Donovan’s spicy cologne, mixed with the hint of herbs and garlic he’d been chopping.
Just for a few seconds, I let myself believe that everything would be okay.
—————
Two hours later,I headed into the gym with Imogen on my hip and a fake smile plastered across my face. I didn’t have the luxury of letting myself fall apart. I had a business, kids, a boyfriend, and a looming court date to deal with.
I just felt so tearful and mentally exhausted from the constant nagging worry that I wasn’t doing enough.
Maybe I needed to be more in control of what was happening behind the scenes of the court case, because being kept in the dark wasn’t helping my state of mind.
Atlas, Donovan, Ned, and even Colt would never let me down, but I needed to put my mind at rest because my head felt like it was about to explode with all the negative shit crowding it.
Although it wasn’t yet seven, a crowd of teenage boys already hung around the entrance to the gym, wearing shorts, tees, and sneakers. As I approached the door with Imogen on my hip, one of them sprang forward and reached out to open it for me.
I beamed a smile of thanks, then faltered as I recognized the kid from the photo Gabby passed around earlier. “Hey, you’re Maverick, right?” I asked.
He flashed a white grin, his electric blue eyes sparkling in the twilight. “Yeah. Nice to meet you,” he said in a surprisingly deep voice. “And you’re DJ and Gabby’s mom?”
“Rosie Woods,” I told him. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too, Mizz Woods,” he responded casually. “I don’t know Gabby too well, but DJ’s cool and he’s always saying how rad you are.”
I smiled at him again and jerked my chin inside the gym. “You’re here to join the boxing league?”
“Yeah.” He gestured toward the kids he’d been standing with. “We all are. This is the most exciting thing to happen in Hambleton since my dad moved me here. All the dudes from school are stoked.”
“Where did you move from?” I inquired.
“Nebraska. My dad ran the family ranch there, but now he’s here to oversee the running of the new equestrian center and stud farm my grandpa’s opening.”
“The girls in town will love it,” I said pointedly. “Sunshine Stone especially loves horses. I bet she’ll be all over that.”
A spot of red stained his cheeks, and he gave me a huge grin. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Mizz Woods.”
Mav’s eyes danced, and it struck me how good-looking he was. He was already hitting six feet and was broad in a sinewy teenage boy way with striking light blue eyes, tan skin, and perfectly messed-up curly dark blond hair. His smile was confident, his teeth flashing white against his tan. It was no wonder that Gabby was so excited for Sunny because I had no doubt the girls went crazy for him.
Mav pulled the door wider for me to enter the gym, so I hitched Imogen higher on my hip and sailed through, immediately spotting Donovan already in the ring with his boxing gloves on. His arms were leaning across the ropes while he discussed something with DJ, Kai, Bowie, and Atlas, who were listening intently.
His stare found mine immediately, and he grinned over. “We’re just going over safety protocol before we let the kids in.”
Atlas turned and greeted, “Yo, Sis.”
Bowie gave me a chin lift.
