Page 183 of Dear #47, You're the Worst
“Mrs. Huxley, you’re banned from the stadium.”
“Oh, really.” She rolls her eyes. “There’s always someone willing to take a little extra cash to let me in the side door.”
Ah. I make a note to tell the head of security about it. If there’s someone on the security team who isn’t trustworthy, I think he’ll want to know.
“You should leave. Hunter has a shot at going to the finals tonight, but he has to be laser-focused. You want your son to win, right?”
She waves off my concerns. “Oh, I’m just here to support my son. Surely there’s nothing wrong with a mother watching her boy play.”
Oh, so that’s the delulu world we’re living in? Two can play at that game. I lean forward, smiling, and place a hand on her arm.
“There’s everything wrong with a mother who shows up to destabilize her son before an important game.”
Her smile falters slightly. “I raised him, you know. Everything he is, I helped create.”
“Hunter is good because he chose to be,” I say, my voice steel wrapped in silk. “His heart stayed soft even when life tried to make it hard. You don’t get to claim credit for that just because you gave birth to him.”
“Hon, you don’t understand our relationship?—”
I cut her off, unwilling to listen to more. “I understand perfectly. You’re a woman who exploited her own child. Now you’re trying to insert yourself back into his life when it’s convenient for you. That’s not motherhood. That’s manipulation.”
Darla’s composure cracks just enough for me to see the calculation underneath. “You think you know him better than his own mother?”
“I know he’s worked incredibly hard to become the man he is today. And I know that work has nothing to do with you. He’ll succeed in life despite you, Darla.”
“You’re just a trashy, no good slut,” Darla hisses. “He’ll tire of you. Then I’ll be back in his life and you’ll be gone.”
I roll my eyes. “Our relationship is none of your business.”
She grabs my arm, her fingernails suddenly digging into my skin almost hard enough to break the surface. “Maybe I should just save my son from the heartbreak and make sure you disappear.”
“Is that a threat, Darla?” I stand up, smoothing my skirt. Keeping a smirk off my face is hard. “For the record, I’m not fucking scared of you. You’re not welcome in Hunter’s life. Enjoy the game. But if you try to approach either Hunter or me afterward, security will escort you out. They’re right behind us, monitoring your every movement.”
She looks up, and the two burly guards I brought to keep tabs on her are standing three rows back, eyes on her. I walk away without looking back, my heart pounding but my step steady.
Instead of heading up to the box, I go down to the tunnel, standing and watching Hux dominate the ice. Every time I deal with his mom, I’m a little more impressed that he turned out as good inside as he is.
The game itself is electric. Hunter plays like a man possessed, but in the best way. Controlled. Focused. Deadly in all the right ways. When the other team tries to bait him into penalties, he just skates away. When they get rough, he gets smart.
They win 3-1. Hunter gets two assists.
The roar of the Dome is different tonight. Not Chainsaw chants demanding blood. Not fans waving foam saws like weapons. This is pride. This is joy.
They’re cheering because Hunter outskated the Stars. Because he set up the winning goal. Because he playedsmart.
Reporters crowd the glass, scribbling notes, murmuring about redemption. I can just imagine what they are writing.Chainsaw grows up. Huxley dominates with discipline.
On the bench, Thorne claps him on the back. Hunter barely reacts. He lifts his head, scanning the crowd until his eyes lock on mine.
I’m already standing, clapping like my heart might burst. When his gaze catches mine, I make the smallest nod.
And he smiles. Not the angry, sharp smile the fans are used to. A real one. My knees nearly give out from how much it floors me.
“That’s my man!” I scream. He flashes me a grin. In the hubbub, I feel like I can get away with claiming him as mine. No one can hear me over the roar of the crowd.
After the game, Hunter finds me in the hallway outside the locker room. He doesn’t say anything about Darla, but I can see in his eyes that he knows what happened.
“Thank you.”
