Page 13 of Inside the Penalty Box

“Oh, my god. I’m so sorry,” I said as the realization of what happened hit me.

My mother ran into the kitchen to get the broom, while Joe assured me that accidents happen. Walker and he bent down to pick up the large pieces of glass, while I stood there, my eyes locked with Dylan’s.

I’d barely heard a word any of them said because I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the guy standing in front of me. How on earth was it even possible that the man I’d had a one-night stand with would end up being my stepbrother? This seemed like a cruel joke the universe had played on my one and only spontaneous moment. Dylan didn’t miss a beat though and acted like we’d never seen one another before.

“Aurora,” he said, bringing his hand out for me to shake.

I could see nothing but laughter in his eyes as I slowly brought my hand to his and swallowed hard. The second our hands touched, my body heated, and the room spun.

“Aurora, you don’t look very good,” I heard my mother say as she reached out and grabbed my shoulders. “Are you feeling alright?”

“I, uh, I don’t feel so good,” I mumbled. My mouth had gone dry, and I could barely swallow.

“Come inside with me,” she immediately said, pulling me away from the situation. Once inside the kitchen, she had me sit down. She grabbed a cloth and wet it, placing it on the back of my neck. Then she poured me a glass of juice, placed it in front of me, then leaned on the counter in front of me, looking me directly in the eyes.

“What is going on?” she questioned, studying my face. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. I know he is famous and all, but please.”

“It’s not that,” I mumbled, taking a drink of my juice.

“Well then, what on earth is it? You don’t act like this when you meet someone new. So spill it.”

I drank the rest of my juice and looked at my mother. I wondered if this whole new situation she found herself in would make her act more like a mother. I needed to tell someone what had happened. I let out the breath I was holding.

“Could we go somewhere a little more private?”

My mother shook her head, let out a breath, and smiled. “Of course.”

She led me down the same hall I’d gone down to the washroom, and we stepped into a large office. She shut the door and turned, crossing her arms over her chest.

“What is it?” she questioned.

“Mexico.”

“What about Mexico?”

I paced back and forth, my stomach actually spinning as I tried to form the words that I wanted to say.

“Alright, don’t get angry.”

“Aurora, please just tell me what is going on.”

“I had a one-night stand in Mexico with a guy. I never got his name.”

“Okay, I don’t understand what that has to do with tonight, though. Is it something you just felt you needed to tell me, because you could have told me when you got back. You didn’t need to wait until tonight, nine months later” she said as she went to pull open the door.

I closed my eyes. I could feel my heart beating hard in my chest, and I was getting dizzy again. My stomach turned as I tried to muster up the words. Penelope stepped out into the hall, and I knew I had to stop her from going back out there. “It was Dylan,” I said loud enough she could hear.

I could feel the tears building, and I knew my face was probably as red as a tomato, but I mustered up the courage to look my mother in the eyes. She was quiet for a moment, studying me, and just when I thought she was going to come and comfort me, she burst into laughter.

Horrified, I wiped my eyes and glared at my mother.

“What is so funny?”

“Oh god, this is too much,” she said, still laughing.

“Mom, it’s not funny,” I said, horrified.

She wiped at the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. “Oh, Aurora, lighten up. It’s not that big of a deal. So what? So, you two bumped uglies. Do you realize I’d actually slept with my divorce lawyer before my last divorce? We’d met one night at a bar, and he’d taken me back to his place. Eighteen months later, I walked into his office to hire him to get me out of the mess I was in.”

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