Page 77 of Homecoming for Beginners

“I guess I can do that, since breakfast is such a swanky affair in this joint.” He turned to go, giving Ty a perfect view of the way his damp shorts clung to his ass.

Ty took a steadying breath and made himself focus on Theo. “So, what do you think—maple syrup, or jam?”

Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to get started on that after-breakfast fantasy, real life intruded. Ty barely had the dishes stacked next to the dishwasher when Ollie’s phone rang, and he grimaced.

“Mom?” Ty guessed.

“Yeah.” Ollie’s face went stony.

Great. “You good?” Ty asked.

“Guess we’ll see.”

OLLIE TOOKthe call in the games room while Ty cajoled Theo into doing the cleanup with him. He’d been tempted not to answer, but he knew the longer he put it off, the worse it would be.

He didn’t know what to expect, so it surprised him when his mother said, “Your father is sleeping on the couch.”

He blinked and settled onto the sofa. Then, remembering the day before, he sprung back up again and sat at the poker table. “I guess he told you what he said.”

“After a lot of beating around the bush,” she said bitterly. “Ollie, I’m sorry.”

He rubbed the skin under his eyes. “Me too. I didn’t mean to cause problems for you and Dad.”

“No, honey. He did that all by himself.”

That didn’t stop Ollie from feeling guilty about it. He cleared his throat. “Are you going to be okay? I mean, not just you, but you and Dad?”

“That depends on your father too.”

God. “Mom—”

“Ollie,” his mom cut in. “I’m a grown woman. Your father is a grown man.” She paused. “And so are you. I’m sorry we’ve—I’ve—overstepped. You’re doing a great job with Theo. He obviously adores you, and he’s thriving even though he must miss his mother.”

“We both do.” He took a deep breath and released it slowly, noting with relief that the tension he’d been carrying finally seemed to be ebbing. That made sense, probably. Allison had wanted Theo to have a safety net in place if something happened to her. Ollie had felt like fighting with his parents was letting her down. “Listen, if you need some space or some company, I’m sure Ty wouldn’t mind having a guest.”

Despite the situation, that made his mother laugh outright. “Sweetheart, I’m not about to butt into your nesting situation right now. Maybe when you’re a little more… established.” Ollie’s ears burned at the implication. “If your father is uncomfortable, he can leave. I’m quite capable of ignoring him.”

Well, she would be. She’d certainly perfected the cold shoulder. “All right.”

“But I wouldn’t say no to tea, maybe?” she added hopefully. “And perhaps you can introduce me to your Ty properly this time.”

Ollie’s heart stuttered. “You would want that?”

His mother made a noncommittal noise. “What I want is to be a part of my son’s life. My grandson’s life. If that means playing nice with your young man—Ollie, I’ve hardly seen you in more than ten years. I’m sorry that I’ve gotten things wrong. I’m probably still going to get things wrong. But I want to try.”

“Okay.” Jeez, did this room not get any air-conditioning? He could barely breathe. “Okay, we can try.” Then he added, “Uh, but we haven’t told Theo about us yet, so maybe give me a couple days?”

She tutted teasingly. “Oh?” But the pause she left afterward felt reproving. “Why not?”

Well, here was the test—could she really learn to respect Ollie’s authority about his kid, or was he about to get an earful on a topic he’dnever expected? “I want to do it the right way—talk to his therapist, get some resources. He just lost his mom. Even though we weren’t together, I don’t want him to feel like I’m replacing her, or worry that I’m not going to be around as much, or… whatever kids who’ve lost a parent worry about when the remaining parent starts dating.”

For a few seconds she was so quiet he thought they might have been disconnected. “Mom?”

She inhaled audibly. “I’m just—thinking. I know your father and I made mistakes with you and your sisters. But you turned out well. I’m proud of you.”

He leaned heavily on his elbows. “Thanks, Mom.”

Several minutes passed before he got up to return to the kitchen.

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