“No you don’t have?—”
“I’ll talk to him.” His words were firm, brooking no room for argument.
“You hear from Addie since the game?” West asked Lane, abruptly changing the subject.
The energy shifted in an instant.
“I haven’t,” Lane replied. “Why would I?”
I watched as Lane’s brothers each exchanged loaded looks, wordlessly communicating something that eluded me.
“Just wondering if she finally got the hint and pissed off,” Crew said.
“Crew,” Birdie sighed.
“That bitchiscrazy,” Aspen whispered too low for Birdie to hear.
Or maybe not, because Birdie said, “Be nice, Aspen. She’s just…misguided.”
Her husband muffled a snort in his arm, and Lane glared daggers at the pair of them, sparing a few for West as well.
It seemed everyone was aware that Addie was bad news and not someone they wanted around—even Birdie.
The rest of the meal was tense, and when we finished and had helped Birdie clear the table, Aspen and Reagan pulled me into the den, Birdie trailing behind us, carrying a bottle of wine and four glasses. The guys remained in the dining room,
“Sutton, I’m just going to come right out and ask,” Birdie said when we settled in our spots on the couch and chairs. “What is going on with you and my son?”
I choked on a sip of wine. When I collected myself, I said, “Nothing? He’s just helping me out while my place gets fixed up.”
In a creepy display of synchronicity, Aspen and Reagan both canted their heads to the side and pursed their lips, wearing identical expressions that said,get real.
“I think weallknow it’s more than that,” Reagan pressed.
“No it’s not.”
“I think there’s something you should know, Sutton,” Birdie said, and three sets of eyes snapped to her. She’d been quiet while Aspen and Reagan drilled me, watching curiously but offering no commentary.
“First,” she continued, “I need to apologize. I wouldn’t have invited Addie around if I’d known what a crazy person she was.”
“No, Birdie,” I said, placing my hand on her arm. “It’s not your fault. Honestly, none of us knew. In fact, I still don’t think we understand exactly howdeepthis crazy of hers goes.”
Birdie placed her hand atop mine, her warmth a comfort I sorely needed. Some days, I missed my mom so much I could scream. But not because of the relationship we had since my rape. While she’d tried to be there, she’d come from the generation where women picked themselves up by their bootstraps and kept powering forward in the wake of trauma, acting like they weren’t affected by it.
She’d tried to be as emotionally available as she could, but it hadn’t been enough. The final straw for her and my dad had been when I dropped out of college. They loved me, sure, but it wasn’t like the love that filled the Lawless home.
Sean was spared the scorn I often felt when my parents looked at me. But he was a man who had done what was expected of him: get a degree in a practical field, get a job, meet a nice girl, settle down, and have a family.
“I feel silly,” Birdie said, shaking her head, bringing me back to the conversation. “But you know me. I want to be welcoming to everyone.”
Her daughter-in-law reached for her other hand. “One of the many things we love about you,” Aspen said.
Birdie gave her a soft smile. This woman had so much love to give, and she seemed to have a habit of collecting the broken women her boys brought home, loving us in ways our own parents should have.
Wait,us? No, I couldn’t get ahead of myself.
“What I’m trying to tell you, Sutton, is that when Lane woke up from his coma? His first words had nothing to do with his health or where he was or what had happened to him. In fact, he’d only spoken two words when he first opened his eyes. A question.”
I shared confused glances with Aspen and Reagan, both of them almost shrugging, having no idea where Birdie was going with this.
