She smoothed his shirt over his shoulders and sniffled. “Remember, top grades. Don’t fall for the peer pressure of drinking and partying. You’re here to represent your school and community. I have a meeting set up for you next week with a national company that does a lot of business here. They want to do some commercials with you.”
“I remember.”
“You don’t take money from anyone unless you run it by me first, got it?” she said as she looked at him. I had to give her credit; when I’d explained the Name, Image, and Likeness situation to her, she’d taken it upon herself to protect Cutter. There was still a policy to follow, and he couldn’t take money from just anyone.
Antonia had put her knowledge to work and represented Malik and Jayden as well. Malik was now the proud father of a little girl and attending the University of Richmond on a full basketball scholarship. He and Janelle were coparenting, and she’d been extremely supportive of him moving to Virginia. He was paying child support and had already started a trust fund for his daughter with the help from Antonia. She refused to take a fee from the boys, stating they needed someone in their corner who cared about them and not their bank accounts.
“Don’t forget, you’re throwing tomorrow,” I reminded him. He had a strict schedule to adhere to, and it was important he do so.
“Coach already texted me. I’m going to go see him after you two stop hovering.” He winked at Antonia. Their relationship could be a lot different from what it was, and at times I’d feared Cutter would lose who he was after his mom died, but he hadn’t.
“Okay, we’ll leave you. We’re heading to the beach, but it’s just a couple hours away. If you need us, call.” Antonia gave him a quick hug and then stepped back.
“I’ll be fine.”
Cutter and I hugged, and then something told me I needed to encourage Antonia to say what she needed to say. I placed my hand on her hip and leaned in. “Tell him what’s on your mind.” She nodded against my scruff.
Antonia cleared her throat, not that it did anything for her. She tried again. “Cutter, I—”
“I love you, Mom,” he said before she could get the words out. He crashed into her open arms and held her tightly. My eyes watered, watching the two of them.
“I love you too. Do good, okay? Don’t squander this opportunity. Your mom would’ve wanted this for you.”
“I know, and I won’t. Tell Nova I’ll call her every Sunday.”
Antonia nodded and released him, wiping her tears. Cutter and I hugged again, and then he jogged off.
A lot had changed in the last year and a half, except for how I felt about Antonia. I reached for her hand and held it tightly. “It’s going to be okay. He’ll come home at Thanksgiving and eat us out of house and home.”
“I’d like to come for Parents’ Weekend,” she said as if it weren’t already on our family calendar. “It’s important he knows he has a support group.”
“He knows, but yes, I’ll take the time off, and we’ll fly down.”
In the car, she didn’t say much as I drove to our hotel. We’d decided to spend a couple of days at the beach as a mini vacation before driving back to New Hampshire. The southern weather in August was still warm and relaxing.
We checked in, set our stuff down, and set out to explore the quaint town. We shopped, taste-tested samples of fudge, and roamed the streets until it was time to head back to the hotel and change for dinner.
“We could order in,” she said as she pulled her belt tight around her waist.
“We could, but we have a reservation, and while our once-a-month weekend in Boston is nice, I’d like to take my girlfriend out.”
She rose onto her toes and kissed me. “You know the house is going to be quiet.”
“Not by much,” I told her. “Nova’s social calendar is filling up, and she told me she wants to play soccer.”
“She mentioned it. I don’t know anything about it.”
“Shocker,” I said teasingly. “Everyone is learning at her age; she’ll be fine. I’ll take her and get her signed up next week.”
“You’re the best.”
My eyes fluttered. “I try.”
The restaurant where I’d made our reservation abutted the beach. I’d asked for a coastal view and wasn’t disappointed with where they sat us. We were so close, there was sand under our feet.
We ordered a bottle of wine and perused the menu. When she told me she planned to order a salad, I knew we should’ve come here tomorrow night. Sometimes she made herself sick with worry, and having dropped Cutter off, she most likely wasn’t feeling well.
“Do you want to go back to the room?”
