Page 6 of College Hockey Bully

I pull her back into me, sorrow canceling my anger. I pity her, knowing she’s only getting her hopes up for Dad to send them crashing down. Pointing that out won’t change her determination to make things work between them. I inherited her stubbornness, after all.

Again, she pulls back, staring into my face earnestly. “I’ve been thinking of a plan. Hear me out.”

‘Hear me out’ means I won’t like it one bit. “What is it?” I ask warily.

“It involves Casey,” she begins, and I ease off the bed at once.

“No.” Just the mention of my ex’s name resurrects my boiling anger.

“Aiden, just hear me out, please.”

I stare at the ceiling for a moment, then with a conceding sigh, I turn back to face her. “Go ahead.”

“You loved her once. I was thinking—hoping—you’d fall in love with her again,” she begins.

“Why the hell would I want to do that, Mom? In case you’ve forgotten, Casey cheated on me with a threesome,” I say curtly.

“For heaven’s sake, Aiden. She was drunk.”

“Not too drunk to drive home and call me crying about it,” I throw back, trying—but failing to smother the bitterness. “Not too drunk to remember every detail.”

Mom shimmies out of bed. “You’re my son and I love you, but you went too hard on that girl. Breaking up for a one-time mistake was so uncalled for.”

“Was it?” My eyes narrow at her. “I give her a pass one time, then guess what? She’d do it again and again. Sound familiar?”

Her entire face goes red. “Don’t be a jerk.”

“I’m being realistic, Mom. Forgiveness, second chances… they are a load of crap.”

She sighs, then rests her hand on my cheek. “I keep forgetting I’m not the only one affected by what your father hasbeen doing. Honey, please don’t let his actions shape your life. You’re going to lose a good woman if you do.”

It’s ironic that this is the same woman who was pissed when she learned what my ex had done. “Casey’s not a good person. She’s a liar.” What should’ve been a study session at her best friend Daphne’s, turned into a threesome at Daphne’s boyfriend’s house.

“Oh come on, Aiden. You’re not exactly a saint now, are you? I’ve gotten glimpses of the handful of women you’ve taken upstairs.”

“AfterCasey and I broke up,” I clarify. “Besides, I’m not dating anyone exclusively.”

“Aren’t you?” She tilts her head, a slight smirk making her green eyes sparkle. “That crazy chick who broke your car glass last year; wasn’t it because she thought you were cheating on her?”

“Keyword: crazy,” I point out. She was just a one-night stand I’d met at the club. I didn’t even remember her name. Not my finest moment, but hey; hurt people hurt people.

“The fact remains—”

“What is your plan, Mom?” I came upstairs to comfort her, but it’s an obvious waste of time.

Her eyes scan my face, a tentative look embedded in those sea-green orbs. “You already know of your father’s plans to expand Hunter Energy,” she begins, and I nod. I also know of his plans to have me take over one day, but he’s in for a rude awakening.

“Well, he’s been having some issues getting past the red tape. There are some rumors that a competitor with connections might be responsible for this. I’m not sure, but what I know isthat Casey’s dad runs that office. If you’re dating Casey, we could invite her family for dinner, thus getting close to her father…” Her voice trails as I scrub my face with exasperation. “You see where I’m going with this, right?”

“You’re literally pimping me out.” It’s not a question, but she shakes her head vigorously, reaching for me as I back away.

“Sweetie, no. I’m merely fighting to save my marriage—”

“No, what you’re doing is making Dad more powerful, more attractive to other women. He will never—” I pause abruptly as she bursts into tears again, pressing her face into my shirt. My arms wrap around her slender form and I take a deep breath, smothering the remaining words, the ones she cannot handle.

He will never love you, Mom. Not when he only loves himself.

Mom soon pulls back, wiping the tears. “Adrian promised this expansion to the shareholders, and he can’t go back on his word without losing value on his stock price. Imagine if I—we—could come through for him. He’ll see my value again, Aiden.”

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