“Please, Gary,” Brooks says, “you always honor my request to remain invisible, and it’s not forgotten.”
“Gary?” the man says. “You remember my name?”
Brooks winks as the elevator doors shut.
“Always,” he says.
A minute later,we are up on the high suite levels. Eddie walks us down the hallway, snaking around the stadium. We only pass a few stadium employees as we walk. I notice that next to every suite door is a small plaque with the company name—presumably the company that owns it.
But when we stop at suite 437, I see a plaque that readsBelluto Family. Eddie unlocks it using a key on his fob then lets us inside.
“Whoa!” Cole exclaims, running through the door and taking it all in, dashing around the suite.
“Belluto family?” I ask.
“My mom’s maiden name. I got it for her. She will actually be joining us later, if that’s okay.” I smile and nod. Oh shit.Meeting his mom?
Cole is checking out the buffet that looks like it’s for twenty people instead of just the three of us, the cooler full of beer, wine, and every flavor of soda ever made, the fondue fountain, and the flat screen that sits on the back wall.
Then he walks down the steps and takes a seat in one of the theatre-style chairs that looks out over the field. Brooks smiles then walks to a panel on the wall. He presses a button, and the huge windows on the sides and front of the suite get a little darker.
“There,” he says. “Now we can watch in peace. No one can see in here now.”
I smile as we walk farther in.
I look at Cole, who is already helping himself to a bag of popcorn, a cherry soda, and a front-row seat.
Today is going to be a good day.
I follow Brooks to the back of the suite where the buffet is set up. He holds an arm out for me to go first, so I grab a plate and load it with some wings, some salad, and some delicious-looking mac and cheese. But just as I'm about to make a big, heaping plate, the suite door opens again. We turn around to see the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.
She’s tall and slim with long, caramel-colored locks. She looks to be in her fifties or so and classy as hell. She’s dressed in a cream-colored outfit, and her makeup is impeccable.
And the smile on Brooks’s face makes me melt.
“Hi, Mama,” he says, putting his plate down and walking over to take her in for a big hug. She squeezes him and kisses both his cheeks then turns to me.
“And you must be Wren,” she says with a smile that makes me feel instantly at ease. Then she looks at Brooks. “Teresa was right. She’s an absolute beauty.” I feel my cheeks flush.
“Hi,” I say, stepping forward and offering her my hands. “It’s so nice to meet you. Thank you so much for letting us come.”
She looks down at my hand but instead wraps her arms around me and pulls me in for a big, tight hug.
“I’m so glad you could come. Brooks has told me all about you,” she says with a wink. Cole comes running in to grab a muffin but freezes when he sees her.
“And you must be Cole,” she says. “I’m Ella. I heard you were the second-biggest Empire fan in the world…next to me.”
Cole smiles and nods.
“Hi,” he says shyly, stealing the muffin and running back to his seat.
“I’m gonna go sit down,” Brooks says. “Come join us when you get something to eat,” he tells Ella and me.
I make a plate, more modest helpings than I probably would have gotten if she wasn’t here, and she falls in line behind me, doing the same. I grab a drink from the fridge then turn around.
“There’s a little table over here,” Ella says, nodding to her right. “Care to join me for a few before the game gets going?”
I smile.
