Page 2 of My Mom's Man
“To me,” he continues, voice turning gentle, “it feels as if you’re hiding from certain people.”
I try not to wince at the truth coming from his mouth but fail miserably.
“That obvious, huh?” I grumble.
“Yup. You’d think she would see it too.”
If she’s noticed, she hasn’t said anything. When I do bump into her, she’s affectionate and chipper. I’m sure a lot of that is her putting on a front for Emma, but still, there’s nothing to indicate Amara is hating where our relationship has gone as much as I do.
“I’m just in a funk,” I tell him. “Nothing to worry about.”
He spins his new wedding ring around his finger, eyebrows furled together as he studies me. “What does Cole say about the whole thing?”
“Cole’s not a fan of Amara.”
“Is anyone?” He sighs and shakes his head. “Sorry, that was mean. But she does sort of take advantage of you, Dad.”
“Amara is a good person,” I argue, though it’s a weak one. “She’s sweet.”
Brayden frowns. “She emotionally manipulates you.”
“How so?”
“She cries to get her way. You fold every time.”
He’s not wrong. I hate it when she cries. Hell, I hate it when anyone cries. It makes me uncomfortable. All I want is to fix them and make it all better. It’s amazing Brayden didn’t turn out to be a spoiled little shit. Thankfully, he rarely cried.
“What does she even bring to the relationship?” Brayden asks, continuing his deep probe into my romantic life. “As someone who loves you and watches closely, I’m having trouble defining what that is.”
How is my eighteen-year-old son wiser than my forty-four-year-old self?
“She’s nice,” I say lamely. “And looks nice.”
Brayden groans, eyes widening. “For real, Dad? That’s not a good reason to stay with someone. If you asked why I care about Casey, I would have a helluva lot more to say than, ‘she’s nice and looks nice.’ She’sgorgeous and sweet and sassy. I can’t get her out of my head. My heart physically aches when she goes to work. I love that woman with my entire soul.”
A spike of envy courses through me.
What would it mean to love someone so wholly as Brayden loves Casey?
I can’t even imagine.
I mean, I love my son deeply, but I’ve never been “in love” with a woman. Not in the way he describes it. I really am fucked up in the head. Easton’s going to need to bring out all his bibles to thump me in the head with in order to fix me.
My phone buzzes on the table. I glance over at it, chest tightening. Once I see it’s Cole texting and not Amara, I relax.
Cole: My knee is feeling better. Let’s hit it again tomorrow at 5.
I quickly reply that I’ll be there before turning my attention back to my son.
“I want that,” I tell Brayden. “What you and Casey have. But no matter how hard I try, it’s not working with me and Amara.”
“So…” He leans forward, boring his gaze into me. “Are you going to break up with her?”
I scrub my palm over my face and shake my head. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t owe her anything,” Brayden says gently. “She does nothing to make you happy. I don’t get why you can’t see that, Dad.”
But what about Emma?
