Page 114 of War

As for me? I’d go so far as to marry a man I hate to give Josie the family she deserves. Fortunately for all of us, he’s become the man I love. I can’t wait to finally tell him that too.

I’m no longer nervous about our relationship, though I am still anxious about what the future holds for our family, and until the court signs off on the adoption, I won’t feel completely at ease.

And, of course, now I’m going to be late for Bray’s game.

“I see Tyler.” Josie barrels for the ice, where Tyler is standing beside Brayden’s coach.

He comes to as many games as he can, and when he’s here, all the kids on the team go nuts.

As if he needs the ego boost.

Maria stayed home with Scarlett. Shockingly, the two-year-old isn’t a huge fan of hockey, and the shots have made her fussy.

I follow Josie so that after she greets Tyler, we can sit in the stands and let Bray have time with him. Halfway there, I spot a woman watching me from the other side of the rink. I look over one shoulder, then the other, certain she must be looking at someone else, but the rest of the crowd is already seated, since the game is set to begin. When I look back, she’s still watching me, and I’m hit with a sense of déjà vu.

Josie is seated close to the players’ bench near Tyler now, chatting with a girl her age. Content that she’s okay, I change directions and stride toward the woman who has yet to take her eyes off me. She’s in a corner all the way in the back, and she’s all alone. I’m only a few feet away when I realize why she looks familiar.

“Are you following my husband?” I ask. There’s no pointin mincing words.

She scoffs, her brow furrowed. “Excuse me?”

Hovering in front of her, I cross my arms over my chest. “I know you. You probably don’t remember?—”

“Oh, I remember you.” She stands, her head ducked a fraction. “I just hoped you didn’t remember me.”

“And who are you?”

She smiles. Rather than a nasty one like she wore that night two years ago when I met her outside Tyler’s apartment—the night he was supposed to be on a date with me—this smile is contrite. Sober. “I’m Brayden’s mother, Trisha.”

A mix of emotions pummels me. Relief and confusion and even a little shame. With my eyes closed, I inhale deeply. “You were at Tyler’s that night for Brayden.”

She slips her hands into the pockets of her puffy black jacket and shrugs. “I was drunk and high. I was most certainlynotthere for my son, despite what I may have thought at the time.”

I wince, at a loss for how to respond as images I’d rather not picture pop into my head.

She pulls one hand out of her jacket and holds it out. “I wasn’t there for Tyler. Or more like he wasn’t interested in having me there.” She sighs. “Tyler is a good guy. He took care of Brayden when I couldn’t even take care of myself.”

I nod. That much I know to be true. “So you and Tyler never…?” I can’t even finish the sentence.

“No,” she says with a kind laugh. “He was only ever interested in helping my boy.”

I nod once, studying her. She seems sober. Healthy. Tyler told me Brayden’s mom had been in treatment, and from the look of things, she’s gotten it. Thatshouldmake me happy. Obviously, that’s the ideal outcome. But just like I was crushed when Josie’s mom came back into the picture last summer, my heart cracks all over again. I can’t imagine Brayden moving out, and I can’t imagine him not being a part of our family.

She puts her hand back into her pocket and rocks on her heels, as if she’s nervous. For a moment, she looks out to the ice, where the kidsare warming up, then she zeroes in on me again. “Tyler says you’ve been good to my boy.”

My chest warms at the thought of him. “He’s a great kid. Wonderful with Josie and Scarlett. Always respectful. And one hell of a hockey player.”

Lips pressed together, I focus on the ice. She does too. Tyler is watching us from the boards. God, I can’t imagine what he must be thinking. Did he know she was here? Did she tell him she was coming to get Brayden? I feel so out of sorts.

“He says the two of you are trying to adopt Josie.”

I turn my focus back to her, surprised she knows all of this and worried she’ll question what seems like a relationship that cropped up out of nowhere. “Yes, I’ve known Josie for a few years?—”

“You don’t have to explain yourself.” She laughs. “If anyone should be explaining, it’s me. I’m sure you’re wondering what kind of mother leaves her son alone at home while she’s out getting drunk and high.”

Pressing my lips together, I shake my head. “I don’t know anything about you.”

She nods. “I know. But I know a lot about you. It was important for me, since you’re the woman who will be raising my son.”

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