Page 98 of Actions and Reactions
“What are your plans now you’ve moved here, Annie?” Gab asks as she steps back. We all move in unison to the lounge area she has set up in her office.
“I’m not a hundred percent sure,” Annie says in a quieter voice, the admiration in her eyes still there.
“Sit down, sweetie, and tell me what I can say that will make me seem human to you.” The teasing smile she offers Annie is a lot softer than any she’s ever pointed at me before. Even when I was in the freaking hospital.
“I don’t think those words exist,” Annie tells her and finally sits down.
“Well, I can tell you I just had a conversation with Knox, who has a nickname I refuse to repeat out loud.”
I snicker at that, and though I think I know where this is going, I can’t wait to hear Gab say it.
“You see, Annie, I have two beautiful, perfect daughters who have broken my heart at least a million times—that’s the parent gig, so it’s fine—but I finally get them to come spend Christmas at home after years of them being gone and me having to go hunt them down to have a nice family holiday, and now I find out one of my players, one of the men I pay millions to to skate around and play with a puck and a stick, wants to date one of my precious babies.
“Added to that, he wants to win her over while she’s here on holiday for the limited time I thought I would have her to myself. Then I call my daughters, and with my sneaky ways, I find out my Lucy also happens to have a bit of a crush on Knox. And the worst thing of all, Annie, is that that little shit is actually a very good boy. He’s damn good at his job, responsible, kind, funny, and also adorable. Or as adorable as a six-foot-two muscled sports dude can be, I suppose.”
Gab pauses to sigh, and I see Annie is as mesmerized as me.
“So why did he come talk to you?” I demand, then scoff. “To ask for permission or some shit like that?”
“No.” Gab shakes her head and lies sideways on the couch like her world has just ended. “I would’ve hit him over the head if he had. But the asshole came up here, informed me—informed me—about his intentions, and scurried away like a little cockroach.”
I burst out laughing then.
She’s such a drama queen.
“I don’t think that story helped you seem more normal,” Annie murmurs, but she sounds more like herself, so I think it did work. “Actually, you seem more like a unicorn than before.”
“I do like unicorns,” Gab mumbles, still lying sideways on the couch.
“Who doesn’t?” I wonder.
“Psychopaths,” Annie says decisively. “But I can tell you’re a good mom.”
“Thanks, sweetie.”
“My mom is awful.” The way she says it, like a fact—which I know it is—breaks my heart. Enough that I reach over slowly and pat her shoulder.
She tracks my hand as it inches closer but doesn’t shy away, flinch, or frown. Instead she smiles gratefully at me, and that feels like I just won a million bucks.
When I turn back to look at her, I realize Gab didn’t miss a thing.
“You don’t like your momma?” She doesn’t sound judgemental as she asks, just sad. “I can be your surrogate mom, sweetie. My babies are all grown up and have left me.” The whine is a bit pathetic, though.
Annie looks struck, and then her eyes start to fill up. I feel like I should intervene, but at the same time, I know she can handle this by herself. She’s a lot tougher than anyone gives her credit for, herself included.
“Thanks,” her whisper is barely audible, but then I can see her pull herself together. “What I went through...” She trails off, then turns to me. I can see she’s hesitant on what to say, and I have no clue what to do, but I tell her the truth.
“You can say as little or as much as you want. Gab won’t tell anyone and she won’t judge you at all.”
Annie nods and takes a deep breath.
“My parents think I overreacted, that I should’ve kept my head down and not said anything, but I almost killed the guy who raped me, and they basically want nothing to do with me. I had a scholarship, so the school paid for my treatment, but I didn’t want to go back after... after everything, and I definitely didn’t want to move back home.”
I see something new come into Gab’s eyes as she slowly sits up, a hardness that seems almost otherworldly.
“You give me his name and I’ll destroy his life,” she mutters darkly.
Surprisingly, Annie chuckles. “I took care of that, as much as I could.” Then she sighs and relaxes a bit in her seat. “I just want to put it all behind me.”
