Page 67 of Somebody To Love

“I’m here to talk about Bravo.”

Her fingers drummed a rapid tempo on her upper thigh. “How is he?”

“Miserable, as he well should be.”

“Oh no, I don’t want him to—”

One slightly wrinkled hand rose, stopping her mid-speech. “Yes, he should. I had a talk with him last night. He told me everything.”

Heat rose on her cheeks. “Everything?”

“As much as a son will tell a mother, I imagine, but he told me the important parts. About you and him and trying for a baby.”

Oh geez, this conversation had just gone from unwanted to uncomfortable.

“He also told me you said you loved him.”

Silence filled the air as the woman she’d always considered a second mother stood there, waiting for her response.

“Yes,” she rubbed at the ache in her chest. “I love him very much and I never meant to hurt him or make him feel…I only wanted to let him know in case…”

“In case he loves you, too?”

She nodded, a warm, wet tear sneaking out from the corner of her eye to trail down her face. “But he doesn’t.”

Dorothy laughed. “We both know that’s not true.”

A part of her wanted to believe that, but until he said the words, doubt would always invade her mind. Like a tiny mole, digging away until there was nothing but a giant chasm of uncertainty.

“Maybe, but he’s too scared to admit it.”

“And I’m afraid that’s my fault.” Thick hair, hair the same length as BJ’s, bounced as her head shook. “I did a disservice to my children when my husband died. I…I lost myself for a bit and it impacted them. More than I ever realized, it seems. You have to understand, dear, Bravo is such a sweet boy, so sensitive. He’s just scared.”

“We’re all scared,” she replied, wiping at the tears she couldn’t seem to stop. “But I can’t be brave for him, just like he can’t protect those he loves from the harshness of life. BJ’s been trying to protect me since the day I met him, but I don’t need him to protect me. I need him to love me.”

“And he does.”

“Maybe, but he won’t allow himself to be in love. Even if he feels it.”

“Sometimes men need to be hit over the head, dear. Repeatedly.”

Did Dorothy Jackson just suggest Penny assault her son?

“Not physically, mind you, although sometimes it’s tempting. They can be massive idiots.” The older woman chuckled. “But I mean metaphorically. Men, especially men like my boys, need to be told over and over again that feelings aren’t things to run from, but to embrace.”

Yeah, the world rarely seemed keen on allowing men to express emotions. Unless it was anger. Didn’t seem fair to her.

“He needs you and you need him. True love is such a rare thing, my dear.” Her lips turned up in a sad smile. “Take it from someone who knows. Someone as special as a best friend and soulmate comes along once in a lifetime. You have to grab them when you can and fight with all your might to keep them. And if they ever get taken away, you spend the rest of your days so very grateful for the chance to experience that love in the first place. But to do all that, you can’t give up.”

She stood there, stunned into silence by the older woman’s words. Dorothy stepped forward, giving her a tight embrace, and whispered in her ear.

“No matter what happens, I love you, Penelope, and you will always have a place in my heart and my home.”

Then she walked away, closing the door behind her as she left.

Humbled and filled with awe at the sweet woman’s words, Penny sank onto her couch. The conversation played over and over in her mind. Her brain worked overtime, listing out all the pros and cons, all the possibilities, but there was one problem. This wasn’t an issue for the brain. Every solution possible lay within the heart and her heart screamed loud enough to silence every doubt in her brain.

Bravo!

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