Page 9 of No Place Like Home
“One for everyone?” she asked me.
“I don’t give a shit about any of them. Just get me a couple and keep them coming.” I grabbed Rowan’s beer to wet my dried throat while I waited. “And another beer for him.” I held up the bottle.
“You got it, sugar,” Barb said as she walked away.
“A few more shots and you’ll be nice and relaxed Summer,” Bryson said.
I held up my middle finger, and he howled with laughter.
“God, you’re a dick, Bryson,” I said, and nudged him away from me. Why was I friends with these people, again?
Chapter 5
Rowan
“Umm, Rowan,” Jamison said as he glanced at his phone. “Did you ever tell Mom you were in town?”
I placed my beer on the table. “I never got around to it. It’s been one big whirlwind of surprises and activity since I got in. Right, Summertime?” I nudged Summer with my elbow and lifted my brow.
“Oh, yeah,” she said. “A hurricane-whirlwind of surprises, if that’s even a thing.”
I laughed and winked. I could be mistaken, but it looked like her face gained a little color. A blush maybe?
“Yeah, well,” Jamison said glancing between the two of us, “you’ll be getting around to talking to Mom pretty soon. She and Diane are on their way.”
I blew out a heavy breath. I loved my mom, but did she have to come here?Now?“How did she hear I was home?”
“Bro, it’s Orlinda Valley, not a huge metropolis,” Bryson said.
“Yeah, and youarethe town hero,” Trevor said. “Football god, war hero.”
“Trev, football god? War hero? Seriously? It’s been ages since high school, and I wasn’t in war. Just deployed. Not all that exciting.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Kora chimed in. “You came home, showed up at the pub, and your mother found out you were here from someone else—not you. She’s not going to be happy.”
“Right?” Summer added. “I told you to go see her before we came here. Now she’s going to bring her loud mouth to our night.”
I wasn’t sure, but it sounded like she cursed under her breath.
“What loud mouth are you talking about, Summer, dear?” My mother was here. “And look who came into town. Didn’t let me know he was showing up for the wedding early and totally ignored me.”
I stood up, grinned, and held my arms wide. “Momma.”
“Don’t you dareMommame, Rowan Charles.” The scowl she shot me might have gone straight through my heart if she had magical powers. Lucky for me, she didn’t—that I knew of.
I wrapped my arms around her, anyway, and rested my head on top of hers. “Momma, please forgive me. I wanted to surprise you, but Summer and Kora insisted I come here with them first. They wouldn’t let me say hi to you.”
“Bullshit,” Summer exclaimed. “Don’t listen to him Tonya.”
“Figures you’d throw us under the bus,” Kora said with a laugh. “Just like old times.”
I backed away from my mom and raised my brows as I looked down at her. Her blue eyes were still as gentle as I remembered, yet they held a small glint of hell-raising in them. Yep. She was my momma. All heat and gossip—but I was her baby and got away with everything.
She slapped my arms off of her.
Okay, maybe I wasn’t getting away with this.
I held up my hands in surrender. “Sorry, Mom. I screwed up. But I wanted this to be a surprise. The only one who knew I was coming home was Trevor.”
