She was worried. Scared. Something happened, and it shouldn’t matter to me. I need to get away.
My heart sends a painful tug. A ripple of a slow-brewing thunder rushing through it with urgency.
“It had to be her. It had to be fucking her.” My knuckles turn white on the wheel.
The parting look in her eyes held no warmth toward me and that’s for the best. She obviously doesn’t want to see me anymore than I want to see her.
Then why the hell am I making a U-turn to make sure they’re okay?
9
A promise and a threat
Aurora
MaybeifIwasn’tbarely holding it together for the past half an hour, I’d allow the anger that arrogant hockey player stirred up take over me, butI ambarely holding it together.
Ever since my dad’s nurse called that my brother showed up along with a few of his buddies. High off his ass. They were causing a ruckus outside the house, and I knew I needed to get home before things escalated. And theywouldescalate. I just hoped I’d get there in time.
My grip on the steering wheel tightens.
No, I don’t have the mental capacity to worry about what Severin Minaev thinks about me.
Lies. The words ring in the back of my mind and I promptly stuff it in its spot. Now’s not the time.
“Mom, did you see that last goal I scored? Mr. Brick didn’t even see it coming.” Emett jumps up in his car seat, giggling happily, and one small notch of tension releases its hold on me.
My son had a great day. He got to experience his small dream coming true, and no matter what awaits me at home right now or the silent judgment I saw in Severin’s eyes earlier, it was worthit. And if I have to do it again and again, I will. Because I’ll never take those dreams away from my son.
It’s bad enough mine never resembled anything close to normal.
Most kids have dreamed of fairy tale love, Tom Sawyer kind of adventures, or going to a fancy college. Me? I wanted an average-paying job because those were the safe kind. I wanted a small apartment in my small town because it’d be easier to pay for in case I lost my average-paying job. I hadn’t dared dream of love because it was utterly unfair, and therefore, not safe. And, well, I generally didn’t do dreams at all, or if I did, they were so outrageous, so insane, there was no way of them ever becoming a reality. They lived inside my head and there was safety in that. It was comforting to sneak in there, live in my made-up world and come back to my rusty reality.
“I saw, baby. You were an absolute star!” I smile in the rearview mirror and see his toothy grin in return.
A grin that turns a little sheepish as he whispers, “I think he let me win.”
“I don’t know…you might’ve been too good for him.”
Emett giggles.
“Nope, he totally let me win. You know how good he is? He’s the bestest, Mommy!” My son heaves out a sigh that’ll put grown adults to shame. “I so wish he could be your boyfriend! I could play with him every day.”
My son…the local matchmaker.
“Okay, buddy, that’s enough with that. I don’t need a boyfriend, and you need to stop asking random people to be that.”
“I’ll try,” he drawls. “But no promises. Someone needs to take care of you.”
I roll my lips to trap my laugh. This kid…
“Why did we have to leave so early? Is everything okay with Grandpa? Is he in pain again?” Emett’s tone loses its lightheartedness.
And this, this right here, is why I’ll never take his dreams away. Because he already lives in this fucked-up reality where he knows what kind of pain exists in life. He knows what it means to not have enough money for the most basic things. He knows to hide his hockey gear from his junkie uncle. And there’ll be more. So much more.
“It’s actually Uncle Aaron. He showed up again.” I tell Emett the truth no matter how much I wish I didn’t have to, but he already knows the drill. He knows he’ll need to stay locked in the car until I come get him.
“Oh.” His little face falls. “Is he stealing something else from us?”
