Page 90 of Broken Player

Shrugging, I moved my hands down to pick up one of her feet so I could massage it. She groaned as my thumbs pressed into the arch. “I don’t know how to feel. I guess I’m looking forward to hearing why the fuck she abandoned me. And I’m a little bit curious about my brother,” I added.

“Is he coming with her?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t think to ask.”

She sat up, pulling her foot from my grasp and running her fingers up the side of my face. “Do you want me to be here with you when she comes?”

Warmth bloomed in my body, starting in my chest and pushing its way out to my limbs, filling me up with comfort and love. For the first time in my life, I didn’t have to go through something alone. Ryan would be here with me. I could lean on her strength if I needed to and fuck if that wasn’t a weight off my shoulders. I nodded, and she grinned before tucking herself up against me, resting her head on my shoulder as we both sat in the quiet, lost in our own thoughts.

My heart hammered furiouslyin my chest as I listened to the knocking sound on the front door. I knew it was coming. I watched almost every minute tick down on the clock. I’d also seen the car pull up the short driveway and park. And I’d seen the two figures stepping out and moving toward my porch.

Not only had my mom come, but she brought my brother.

Ryan squeezed my hand, trying to reassure me. “I’ve got this,” she volunteered, moving to the front door and, with one last soft smile aimed in my direction, she swung it open. Ryan had been too young to really remember my mom when she left, but she was the only person in the world who knew everything about how I felt about it.

Once, when we were kids, I broke down one night after a particularly bad beating from my dad and told her everything. Every bit of sadness, anguish, and despair I’d felt when she’d left. The hope I held onto for years that she’d come back for me, and how every day it didn’t happen hardened my heart more and more.

Now, she was coming face-to-face with the source of my pain, and I didn’t know if I hoped she’d be welcoming or lash out. I had my answer a few seconds later. “Welcome, come in,” Ryan greeted my mom and brother, whose gaze lingered on my girlfriend a few seconds too long. “I’m Griffin,” he introduced, holding his palm out for Ryan. A cocky smirk not unlike my own crossed his face, and I stepped closer to her, pulling her into my side as they passed by.

“Ryan and this is Maddox.” She shook his hand quickly as I nodded my head at my brother. Fuck, this was like an alternatereality. I couldn’t believe I was standing face-to-face with mybrother.

Once Ryan shut the door, we all stood staring awkwardly at each other; no one really sure where to start. My mom looked the same but different. She looked older, of course, but better. Healthier. Her light brown hair was pulled back in a bun, and she was dressed casually. She looked like she’d been crying, though. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and her face was pale.

Finally, my mom hurried forward and wrapped her arms around me. She was a lot shorter than I was, so her head only came up to my chest, but I hugged her back hesitantly as she cried softly. “I’m sorry, Maddox. So, so sorry.”

I was lost. How the hell was I supposed to react right now? She stepped back, and Ryan suggested we move to the living room, so we all followed her, taking spots around the sectional. “What are you sorry for exactly?” I asked, holding back the tsunami of questions wanting to pour out of my mouth.

“I’m not sorry for leaving. I’ll never apologize for that. Your father would have killed me if I stayed,” she began.

“What did you think he would do to me?” I countered, anger simmering underneath my words.

“I never planned to leave you here with him. I planned to leave, to get my life settled, and then to come back for you. It took me a lot longer than I thought. I didn’t have anywhere for you to stay because I lived on friend’s couches or in my car. At least here you had a roof over your head. You had food. You could go to school.”

“I didn’t have food, and I missed school all the time because I couldn’t hide the bruises.”.

A scowl crossed Griffin’s face, and he gripped our mother’s hand tightly. “I should have come back for you, but honestly, I was scared. I was scared of your father, and I was scared that you hated me.”

I softened a little toward the soul-deep sadness I saw in her eyes. It was finally sinking in that she didn’t hate me or regret having me. Russell had always told me that my mom never wanted me and that she wished I’d never been born. But looking into her morose gaze, I saw the truth, and something inside of me was set free.

“I never hated you,” I whispered softly, staring down at my hand held tightly in Ryan’s. “I only wanted you to want me.” The admission surprised me as it left my lips, but it felt right.

Her sniffles caught my attention, and I lifted my head to watch her as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Not one single second has gone by since I left that I didn’t think about you, that I didn’t feel an ache in my chest at the thought you could be out in the world needing me or hating me for what I did. I can never make up for the time we lost, and for that, I’ll never forgive myself. I know I don’t deserve it, but I’d like the chance to get to know you.”

I glanced at Ryan, who was studying my mom intently. “If he lets you back in, you can’t just walk out again. Either of you.” She stared my mom down first and then turned her narrowed eyes on my brother.

“I just found out I have a brother. And not only a brother but also a fucking rock star, the bassist for my favorite band of all time. I feel like I’m in a damn dream,” Griffin gushed, and my lips twitched in an almost smile. “So yeah, if you want to let me hang out and get to know you, you might never get rid of me.”

“I… think I’d like that,” I admitted. “And you, too, mom.”

She smiled at me brighter than I think I’d ever seen, and something inside me clicked into place. I never thought I’d get this chance, and I didn’t want to let it go. And it was made all the better with Ryan by my side. With her, anything was possible.

My mind was actively being blown. I could only imagine how Maddox felt right now. Seeing him tentatively make amends with his mom was better than I even dared to hope when he told me she was coming over.

I looked up at where he sat beside me, a boyish smile on his face as he caught up with the family he never thought he’d have. He looked younger and lighter than I’d ever seen him. He had a carefree energy around him that seriously made my heart sing. His mom looked lighter, too. They both needed this, and I couldn’t believe it took Yates trying to hurt him to bring him the kind of freedom he always wished for.

And Griffin? He could almost be Maddox’s twin, except he was covered in tattoos. While Maddox had a rebellious reputation, I had a feeling his little brother could give him a run for his money. He wasbad boypersonified with his dark eyes, tattoos, and cocky smirk. He even walked with a swagger meant to make all the panties in a three-block radius spontaneously combust.

He kept shooting me flirty glances that I hoped his brother didn’t pick up on because Maddox was possessive as hell, and I wanted them to have a good relationship. So, I glared at him in return, not wanting to give him any signals at all that could be interpreted as anything other thannot interested.

---