Page 57 of Breakaway

“It’s your fault. I’m still recovering from your teenage years, so messages like that one give me an instant headache.” Mom laughs heartily. “What’s going on?”

“Remember how I went to Vegas?” She nods, tucking her curly blonde hair behind her ears. I take a deep breath and confess on an exhale. “I got married there.”

Mom is staring at me, unblinking. Pressing her palm to her forehead, she twists her lips in a scowl. A trickle of sweat slides down my spine, and I shiver uncomfortably. I prefer the yelling version of her over this one; her silence makes things a thousand times worse.

“Mom?”

“Roma…” She sighs, shaking her head. “Ty chto s uma soshel?3?”

“Definitely not. I’m just…I went to Vegas to distract myself, to get a break from my nightmares. When I asked Nevaeh to join me, it was just to keep me company. And everything was fine until we got drunk and got married. I still don’t know why we did it. Like, I have a few ideas, all of them are based on her ex, but they’re just a guess. Neither of us can remember shit from that night.”

“And you’re still married?” Mom asks, and I nod curtly. “From all the Hollywood movies I watched, I know it’s possible to get an annulment. Why didn’t you do that?”

I put the phone in its stand and rub my face with my palms, mulling over my answer. Lowering my hands to the steeringwheel, I peer at Mom and explain to her my reasons. Slowly, without any rush. I need her to understand.

“Hockey. It’s always about the damn game,” Mom states once I stop talking. “Have you even thought about this girl? What is her name again?”

“Nevaeh.”

“Have you even thought about Nevaeh? Or are you just thinking about hockey and your career?”

“Mom, she agreed. I didn’t?—”

“Trust me, Roma, if I would’ve been told that someone’s future depends on me agreeing to stay married to them for a year, I would’ve agreed too. That’s what good people do.” Mom purses her lips, glaring at me from under furrowed brows. “Does she like you?”

“Yeah, but?—”

“Do you like her? And I swear, Roma, I’ll know if you lie. Do you like your wife?”

My wife…The words light up my skin like a burning match; a sizzling heat spreads from my cheeks down my neck. I wrap my hands tightly around the steering wheel, clenching my teeth.

“I do. I like her a lot.”

Mom watches me, puffing her cheeks out in anger. I wait. Every second of her silence makes me more and more nervous.

With a loud sigh, she tilts her head, her eyes softening. “Then don’t fuck it up. Please.” She smiles gently. “Sometimes we get something we desperately need when we least expect it. Maybe Nevaeh is that for you.”

I swallow down the words that are threatening to spill out. About me being a fucking disaster, how I can’t be anything more than Nevaeh’s worst nightmare. That I’m like King Midas, but instead of turning things into gold, I poison every good thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life. I’m something no one can cure…not even the girl with the most beautiful smile.

“I know that look,” Mom says. “You deserve the world, and it’s time you realize it. Live. For you and for him, Roma.”

“Did you miss me?” My head swivels right, and I gawk at Nevaeh, who’s climbing into my car. “Sorry it took me so long, I…” She falls silent, glancing between me and my phone.

“Is that Nevaeh?” my mom asks, switching to English and bringing my attention back to her.

I reach over to my phone and adjust it so Mom can see Nevaeh.

“Yeah,” I confirm. Nevaeh’s eyes round, her cheeks sporting an adorable pink shade. “Nevaeh, this is my mom.”

“Hi,” she whispers, waving her hand awkwardly. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

“You too. I’m Iryna. Sorry, it looks like my son forgot how to introduce people,” Mom says, and Nevaeh giggles, her features relaxing. “I’m really sorry Roma dragged you into his mess, but I’m also grateful. Thank you so much for being there for him. The past few weeks haven’t been easy for him.”

Nevaeh sneaks a glance at me. “I’m happy to be there for Roman.” Then she peers at my phone, smiling affectionately at my mom. “And he didn’t drag me into anything. It was my decision, and I don’t regret it.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” Mom says with a broad smile on her lips. “What are you two up to, anyway? Isn’t it your last day before training camp starts?”

We talk some more until Mom says that it’s time for her to take Adele for a walk. After I hang up, my whole body feels light. It’s easier to breathe, and my mood is good. I don’t think there’s anything in the world that can spoil it. I not only told my mom about my marriage, but I also introduced her to Nevaeh…and it went a thousand times better than I could’ve imagined. They seemed to like each other.

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