Page 241 of Branded
“Awesome,” Mario added, practically bouncing from foot to foot.
I held out my fist, bumped both of the boys’.
Then I stood, leaned close to my mother. “Devon Scott at Prestige Media Group is my agent. I’ll tell him to expect a call from you.”
Tears in her blue eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
The apology meant nothing because I…felt nothing—except no, it wasn’t nothing. It was…neutral indifference.
“You’ll make a great father,” she went on, gaze going from Beth’s stomach back to me.
“Thanks,” I muttered, turning away from her, taking Beth’s hand.
And then I started walking.
Away from my past.
Toward my future.
Thirty-Six
Beth
Cas gave me wide eyes before he turned and took the steps leading onto the plane.
I understood the unspoken message.
But I didn’t think addressing Raph’s mother showing up out of the blue, latching onto me, and crossing all kinds of boundaries was appropriate for a middle-of-the-night flight, after a road trip and a series of tough games, right before the playoffs.
“Up you go, sugarpie,” Raph said, hands drifting to my waist and nudging me forward. “Get that hot ass of yours into a seat.”
I didn’t argue, just headed up, sat down, buckled in, and worried…
Fingers on my cheek.
“I’m fine.”
“Raph, love, your mother just showed up after years of no contact with your two half-brothers in tow and they say you’re their favorite player and?—”
“Is there shit for me to unpack?” he asked softly. “Fuck yeah. But is it tearing me up inside? No, sugarpie, it’s not.” He sighed, ran a hand through his hair, voice low. “Instead, I looked at that woman and knew she was no more my mother than Smitty is. Not anymore. The memories from my childhood—the pictures, the recipes I still use, those were my mother. That woman back at the rink…she was a stranger.”
I nibbled on my bottom lip. All of that sounded well-adjusted.
But…it had still been a lot.
His thumb gently freed my lip, smoothed over it. “I’m okay, I swear. And when I’m not, I know who’ll have my back.”
His eyes told me that he meant I would have his back and his teammates and Pru and Hazel and?—
“I’m okay,” he whispered. “And there comes a point that I’m not, I know you’ll help me get there.”
My heart squeezed and affection for my man filled every single one of my cells. Christ I loved him.
His mouth brushed mine.
And I was stepping into warm ocean water, feeling that humid breeze on my face.
