“Please, do not apologize. I understand why you made the choices you did. I’m not trying to make you feel guilty, not when I know your father and I are the only ones to blame for our relationship being this way.” She glances down, then back up again. “And for what it’s worth, the Hazelwoods are pompous, self-righteous snobs. I’ve never liked them, and I’m glad you’re not marrying into that family. When Cordelia called to tell me she saw my ‘harlot daughter’ parading around town, I told her exactly what I thought of her and her opinions.”
A broken part of my heart heals in that moment, hearing my mother defend me.
“I thought you were friends?” I blurt out.
Mom lets out a small sigh. “Much like you and Baron ended up together because of our families’ connection, I found myself spending time with Cordelia simply because of your father’s partnership. I didn’t feel I had much of a choice except to spend time with her, no matter how boring I found her topics of conversation, or how grating her voice would be at times.”
I choke back a laugh. Have I ever heard my mother speak so candidly? I don’t think I’ll ever truly move on from how toxic our relationship was my entire life until now, but this conversation is going a long way toward me being able to forgive her and hopefully, start anew.
Apparently, my mother feels the same way.
“I know I haven’t been a very good mother to you. Truthfully, I was unprepared for having a child. I didn’t know how to handle the emotions and responsibility that came along with itall, and I fear I chose avoidance and denial instead of embracing it.” She shakes her head, and I can see her eyes glistening. “You’ll never know just how much I regret that.”
I watch her brush away a tear, and when she reaches for me, I let Mom take my hand again and squeeze it gently. She gives me a cautious smile. “Do you think we could…I could…have a chance to do better? Could we try to have a relationship? I’d like to get to know your new gentleman and possibly be a part of your baby’s life.” Another tear tracks down her cheek.
I’m already nodding, feeling matching tears build in my eyes. I don’t know what the future looks like for my mother and me, but I’m willing to find out.
“I’d like that.”
Chapter forty-three
Monty
“Should we change your nickname? Papa Bear instead of Monty? Oooh, or we could just call you Daddy.” Yami smirks at me as he struts past, a towel wrapped around his waist. We’ve just won our game against the Boston Revs, and we’re all feeling pretty fucking good about how the season is going. And because today’s was an early afternoon game, I’m looking forward to a quiet evening with my girl.
I pretend to consider his suggestions. “If only I was older, I would make a hot Zaddy.”
“Too young for that,” Orson calls out. It’s good to hear him joking around again. He went through a shitty time last fall when his wife abruptly filed for divorce.
I shrug and give them all a grin. “Call me what you want. But you best believe I’m gonna be killing it with the dad jokes.”
“Boys, cover up. Ladies coming in.” Willow’s loud voice carries from outside the locker room.
Everyone scrambles to make sure their bits are covered as Sin glowers at anyone who’s taking too long. Willow struts in, followed by a couple of other women from the marketingdepartment. Clapping her hands, she fixes us with a sharp stare.
“Alright. None of you here right now are rookies, so I expect you all to know the drill. We’ve had a good start to the season and no one has made any messes I needed to clean up. Let’s keep it that way, okay? Don’t do any stupid shit that I’m gonna have to deal with. If you find yourself tempted by stupid shit, stop and think WWWD.”
“What would Willow do?” Yami says, scratching his head. “But Wills. You’ll do just about anything!”
Sin slaps him upside the head, but it’s Willow he should be scared of. Her eyes are glinting. “That’s right, Yami. I will. Don’t mess with me this season.”
You can sense everyone’s balls shriveling. Willow Lawson is a powerful woman, and now, as head of the media relations team, she’s even more intense. I respect the hell out of her and we get along great. Probably helps that I’ve never done anything to cause an issue with the press.
“Moving on.” She raises her voice. “Sheena and Gurdeep are here to shoot some B-roll for socials and some short-form content. We’re stepping up our game in connecting with the fans, which means you all need to put on your best smiles and get ready to charm the camera.”
There are nods and sounds of acknowledgment as she looks around the room. Once satisfied, Willow saunters over to Sin and presses a kiss to his cheek before leaving the locker room. Her two colleagues stay behind and make their way over to certain players to get to work while the rest of us try to get dressed without flashing them.
When it looks like I’m getting out of here without havingto do any media shit, I make a hasty exit and head through the building to find Lark.
She moved into my place this past weekend. Despite our having a game that evening, most of the team showed up to help, and we were done in record time. Having her officially living with me is fucking awesome. Seeing her toothbrush next to mine, our laundry mixed together in the hamper, hell, even her long blond hairs clogging the shower drain makes me smile.
I find her attempting to reach something on a high shelf in her treatment room, her adorable grumble of frustration causing a grin to spread across my face.
“Need some help, Birdie?” I ask, walking over and nuzzling her neck.
“Yes, I do,” she gripes. “Your darn baby is getting in my way.”
I wrap my arms around her, cradling the growing bump. I still marvel at the miracle every time I see her. “My baby, huh? It’s half yours, you know. You have to take some accountability for this.”
