Obsessing about it wasn't going to make me feel better.
I took a deep breath and wiped my face. I couldn't change this. It was on Brody.
I could only do what I thought was best. And as much as it hurt, it was best for me to let this go. Or at least work on it. It wouldn't happen overnight, but I would do my best.
This time, when I closed my eyes, I was more at peace. Sleep didn't come quickly, but eventually I was able to rest.
* * *
Gettingup to go to work the next morning was one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do. I just wanted to hide my head under the blankets and stay in bed all day.
But I had a mortgage and a car payment. Oh, and food was a necessity.
I was just making myself breakfast when the doorbell rang. I tried to ignore the way my heart leaped. I hadn't heard anything from Brody since yesterday, so it was unlikely he was standing on my doorstep.
My mother's face greeted me when I peeked out the peephole. And she didn't look pleased.
When I opened the door, I didn't get the lecture I expected. Instead, I got a tight hug and a kiss on my cheek.
"Hey, honey. How are you holding up?"
I blinked at her for a second. "Um, okay."
She came inside and shut the door behind her. "Cameron, you don't have to lie to me. I know you have to be upset." She paused, studying my face for a moment. "Though I am a little sad that you didn't call me yourself."
"About?"
My mother frowned at me. "About you and Brody breaking up."
Now, I was frowning. "Who told you?"
"Your brother. He said that Brody was grim when he came back from talking to you last night." My mother hugged me again. "I'm so sorry, honey. I thought for sure that you two would—"
"Brody was grim?" I asked, anger stirring within me. "Wow, I'm flattered he was so disturbed by the fact that he broke up with me."
She left one arm around my shoulders and walked me toward the kitchen. "Let's have a cup of coffee and talk about it, okay?"
I really didn't want to conduct a postmortem, again, but I knew my mother only wanted to help.
A few minutes later I was seated at the bar in the kitchen with a cup of coffee in my hand while my mother made me breakfast.
"Not that I don't appreciate it, but why are you here cooking for me instead of at the office with Dad?" I asked her as I sipped coffee.
Mom dropped bread into my toaster and pushed the lever down. "I hired someone to help out around the office so I can have time off once in a while. When I saw how much it helped you when you hired Lee, I decided it was a good idea."
I smiled. "Good. You deserve some time to yourself."
"And then when I have grandchildren, I'll be able to spend time with them."
I choked on the coffee. "You do realize that neither J.J. or I are married, right? Or even in a relationship."
Mom cracked eggs into a bowl and started whipping them with a fork. "You don't have to be in a relationship to have a baby, Cam. There's always in vitro fertilization."
I gaped at her.
Then, she started laughing. "You should see the look on your face."
"Not cool, Mom," I grumbled. "I'm emotionally compromised right now, you really should be nice to me."
