Page 102 of Pucking Strong

“I’m stirring nothing,” their mother replies. “I’m just looking out for Teddy’s best interests. Someone has to. Don’t they, Mr. Karlsson? It surely won’t be you.”

My hackles rise as I try to breathe around the rock now sitting in my chest. “And what do you mean by that?”

She squares off against me, all 5’4” of her glaring up at me. “By your own admission, your hands are already full. Your niece is your only concern, right? Well, perhaps that’s as it should be. But you don’t get to keep my Teddy underfoot, fetching and carrying for you—”

“He doesn’t fetch and carry—”

“If you needed help keeping your house in order, you should have hired a maid or a laundry service,” she says over me. “You don’t marry my son, then refuse him all the rights of being your husband.”

“Mama, stop,” Teddy begs, clutching her arm.

I glare at her. “My house is his—he knows that. My cars, my clothes, my credit cards. Teddy wants for nothing, Ms. Wilson. I take care of him. I take care of everything.”

She just scoffs. “Things, things, wonderful things. And in the end? Allworthless.”

I blink, leaning away.

“You know, Mr. Karlsson,thisis why you’re such a bad match for my Teddy. And if he’d told me what he was gonna do before he did it, I could have warned him off you.”

“Go on then,” I say. “Tell me how I’ve already failed him.”

She holds my gaze, her dark eyes almost obsidian. “Teddy doesn’t want a thing from you, Mr. Karlsson. And if you knew him at all, you’d know that. He just wantsyou.” She looks me up and down. “But that’s the one thing you’ll never offer. You can play whatever games you want with the press, but I see you now. I see behind that handsome face with all those practiced smiles. You’re an empty glass with no bottom. Teddy’s gonna keep pouring into you, and all his light is gonna rush right out. Because you don’t know how to hold on to the things that really matter.”

Her words pierce me with the power of prophecy. I want to hate her. I want her to take back every syllable uttered. I want to rage and storm away. Instead, I stand here, breathless, hands empty, heart hollow.

“My Teddy is gonna see you’re no good,” she says, hammering her prophecy home. “I don’t need to take him with me now. He’ll leave on his own. And I’ll be there to comfort him when he does. I always am.”

“Come on, Mama.” Jayla pulls at her arm.

With one last look at me, Mama lets herself be led away.

Shae stays at Teddy’s side, tears in her eyes, as she looks at herlittle brother. “Don’t be mad at Mama. She just wants more for you. You deserve better than this.”

Better than me. That’s what they all mean. Because I’m a drain. I’ll drag him down with me, drown him in my depths. It’s not something I haven’t thought before. I can’t be his husband, but I knew that going in. Now, it turns out, I can’t even be his friend.

His sister holds out a hand. “Come on, Ted.”

“Shae, Ted, let’s go,” calls Rafael from the door.

Teddy stares down at his sister’s hand, chest rising and falling with each deep breath. “Y’all are unbelievable, you know that?”

Natalie and Darius stop at the door, Mrs. Wilson between them.

Shae drops her hand. “Teddy, we’re only trying to help.”

He glares at them all. “You’re supposed to be on my side here, remember?”

His other sisters dare to look a little guilty. But his mother just stands defiantly.

“I’ve never asked any of you to understand my choices, but youdohave to respect them,” he goes on. “Because if you’re right, if this marriage turns out to be a huge mistake, then I’m gonna need you.Allof you. So don’t ruin things now by crowing over me before this even has a chance to turn bad.”

Stepping forward, he puts himself between me and his family. “And Mama, you know I love you. I respect you. And I’m truly sorry for all the hurt I caused.” Hands on his hips, he stares her down. “But if youevertalk to my husband like that again, it’ll be the last time you ever talk to me.”

Shae gasps, stepping back, as the other sisters look stricken. His mother just stares daggers at me, as if this is all my fault. I’m the reason her son dares to challenge her in this way. I’ve ruined him. I’ve made him like me.

Speech over, Teddy turns to me. Heat blazes in his eyes as he takes my hand, weaving our fingers together. “Well? I said you had to meet my family. You’ve met them. Now take me home.”

Henrik makes no attempt to drop my hand as he leads the way past my startled family, out of the WAG room, down the empty corridor, up a flight of stairs, and through an emergency door out onto the sidewalk. I cling to my WAG jacket with my free hand, following him.

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