Page 118 of Your Pucking Mom

I shook my head slowly. “Grandma said those exact words to me when I was seventeen, just like she did the other day,” I confessed, my voice heavy with sorrow.

“I’m older than you were then, and I have all the resources in the world, a supportive family…but I’d still be so scared if I was going to have a baby, Mom,” Austin admitted, the weight of his words settling like a stone in my chest.

“Yeah,” I agreed softly. “I was absolutely terrified.”

“Was Grandma always so negative?” Austin asked, searching my eyes for answers. I nodded, my heart heavy with the memories of my mother’s constant pessimism.

I recounted how my mother’s help often came at a steep cost, how her well-intentioned efforts sometimes caused more harm than good, leaving my mental health in tatters.

“I love being your mom,” I whispered, the tears spilling onto my cheeks. “And I would never do anything to jeopardize that. But when I met Ledger, I had no idea who he was. He was unlike anyone else in my life.”

“It’s okay, Mom. I talked to Ledger. We had a fight?—”

“What?” I balked, sitting straighter on the couch and putting the coffee down on the table next to me.

“No, no.” Austin reached out for my hand. “It’s nothing like that. It was just…we had to get it off our chests, but we’re fine.” There was a long pause. “He loves you, Mom.”

I nodded, more tears clouding my eyes, making my cheeks soaked. “I know, but I can’t make that selfish choice anymore, Austin. I’m here in Chicago to support you. I’m not here to get involved with your captain, so I promise I’ll never pursue him.”

Austin squeezed my hand. “That’s not what I’m saying. I think you deserve to be loved, Mom. You deserve someone who wants to be with you. I’m only upset because I didn’t want Ledger to dump you after all of it, but you deserve the best, Mom. Ledger is the one for you.”

Gratitude and hope filled me as I realized that maybe it was okay to let myself be loved and to pursue my own happiness, even if it meant facing the unknown. Leaning into Austin’s embrace, I knew that whatever the future held, we would face it together, stronger than ever.

“I want you to be with him, Mom.”

The words were something that I had longed to hear for weeks, but the tinge of sadness pulled at the strings of my heart. “I don’t know if he feels the same toward me.”

Austin gave me a wry smile. “Maybe you should ask him yourself?”

He tilted his chin, signaling for me to look where he was pointing. I glanced up and heard heavy footsteps approaching from down the hallway.

“What did you do?” I asked, quickly standing and straightening my shirt.

I was in gray joggers and a black V-neck, not something I’d usually care about, but I felt underdressed when Ledger came down in slacks and a black button-down, his chest slightly exposed.

“You shaved,” I said, noticing the stubble that highlighted his dimple. He looked less rugged, but the charm I loved was still there. He cracked a smile as he made his way over to Austin’s living room. “Did you hear?”

“No. I stayed up there until Austin gave me the signal.”

I looked over at my son, standing in the middle of his living room with my jaw dropped. My words were failing me. “I spent the past couple of weeks thinking you two hated each other and instead you were working together?”

They gave each other a look before Austin spoke. “To be fair, it took us a minute to find our place in each other’s lives. It’s a little more complicated, but Cap—Ledger—showed me that he loves you, Mom.”

I looked over at Ledger, who’d shoved his hands in his pocket. He was looking down at the floor and shuffling his black dress shoes about.

“Wait, I never had sushi with you.” I pointed over at the coffee on the table, then Austin let out a chuckle.

“Part of the plan, Mom.” My eyes went to his as if I was searching for answers to so many of the questions I had.

“I’m okay,” Austin whispered. “I promise.”

“I can’t do this, Austin. I can’t be the reason your career falls apart.” My eyes shifted to meet Ledger’s. “What if you hurt me, and it leads to a fight between you two?”

“Not going to happen,” Ledger said quickly. “I promise.”

“I don’t think it’s going to be perfect all the time, but I think Ledger is a good guy. Of all the guys on the team, he was the only one who stayed and helped me out. I know that Coach made him, but he went above and beyond making sure I knew the ins and outs with the team. He showed me that hockey isn’t about girls and just getting the best shot and sponsorships.”

Ledger looked up from the ground to look at Austin. The corner of his lip twisted into a satisfied smirk.

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