He was as involved in her life as he could be a couple of thousand miles away.She was one of the most important women in his life.Her and El, at any rate.
For all that he’d been born poor, he wasn’t any more, and as a result, neither was his mamma.She wouldn’t move to be closer to him, and though he would have preferred her not to be in Louisiana, fucking miles away and too far apart for him to be of any use to her in an emergency, he’d put protocols in place to protect her.Though Cindy acted like nothing was wrong, like she was the same pale and hearty woman she’d been during Shawn’s youth, it was all lies.
She had a heart condition, severe osteoporosis, and a tendency towards panic attacks.
He spent a god damn fortune on trying to solve the latter, but though a therapist came twice a week to her house, Cindy was still prone to the debilitating bursts of anxiety that would see her lose her breath for handfuls of seconds at a time.More than the heart condition and how often she broke her bones, it was the panic attacks that terrified him the most.
In point of fact, he’d long been contemplating hiring a live-in nurse.Only the fact that she would bitch and complain about it had stopped him in the past.Which was why he was dreading today’s conversation with her.
Amid the chaos of the last few weeks, as well as the preparations for tonight’s burial rite which had turned the security nightmare that was the Pride compound into a disaster zone, this morning’s call from his auntie had been the cherry on top of a particularly shitty cake.Cindy had had her third panic attack this week and had barely managed to call his Aunt Joni in time before she passed out—Joni had found her slumped in the damn kitchen, the phone in her hand.
He groaned at the eighty-seventh bicep curl when the too-heavy weights began to hurt in a way that was distinctly bad.Over the years, he’d learned that there were good and bad pains.This was definitely of the latter variety.Which meant, sadly for him, the time was nigh.
He was about to have an argument with the woman who had given birth to him.
In four decades of living, he’d yet to win, so the odds weren’t in his favor.But never had the outcome been more important.
With a sigh, he placed the dumbbells onto the ground, and moved around them with the intention of storing them away later so he could get this call over and done with.His desk was five steps away, and on the innocuous surface lay his cell phone.
It was ridiculous to feel dread, he knew, but Cindy wasn’t the kind of woman to take a battle lying down.She really should have been a soldier, but instead, she’d reared one.It was through her, he believed, he’d received his resilience and calm in the face of enemy fire.Years of watching her struggle to raise him on a pittance and do a damn good job of it at the same time had forged him into a man who’d found a place for himself in the world thanks to her teachings.
The thought actually buoyed him because if any mother deserved everything a son had to give, it was Cindy.
Asking Siri to connect the call, he waited a few beats before cutting it.Then, he called her twice more, knowing how she wouldn’t answer until the third time.Supposing he ought to be grateful that she didn’t like to do things in multiples of five, he bided his time until the third ring on the third call when she finally answered.
Her OCD was getting worse, he realized on a deep sigh.
“I don’t want no nurse,” she greeted.
Shawn sighed.God damn his Aunt Joni.Now Cindy was forewarned, she was forearmed as well – that was all he needed.“Mamma, I don’t want to argue with you.”
“Then don’t,” she interrupted, her tone surprisingly pleasant.
Suspicious of that tone, he pinched the bridge of his nose and murmured, “Auntie Joni told me they are getting worse.You and I both know she wouldn’t say shit to me if she wasn’t worried.”Joni was the official peacemaker of the family.“And if she’s worried, then I know I need to be.I can’t come down.Not yet.El is arranging a wedding and we’ve just fielded a kidnapping attempt…”
“Again?”Cindy harrumphed.“That girl has more targets on her back than a dartboard.Never known anybody as unlucky as she is.Anyone should be having the panic attacks, it’s her.”
He blew out a breath, amazed as always by his mother’s generosity.But then, she liked El.Always had.And El liked her too.
Before he could say a word though, she babbled on, “What’s this about marriage?You ain’t told me about no boyfriend.Neither’s she.”
The complaint came loud and clear down the line.“She’s been dating a good guy for a while now.”
“Never told me about him.”
The grumble had his lips twitching.“They haven’t been dating that long.”
“She in the family way?”came the next embarrassing question.
“No!Of course not.This isn’t the fifties, Mom.Plus, are you remembering who we’re talking about?This is El Forsythe-Drew.It’s not like she needs the help.”
She huffed.“Woman always needs a man’s help when it comes to babies.”
He rolled his eyes, then wished she’d been able to see that, which she would have if she’d upgrade from a goddamn landline to a cell phone.
Jesus, this woman.
She about made him blow a gasket on the regular.
