With Connor’s encouragement, two formerly peace-loving kids beat the crap out of each other then ended the session with smiles and high fives—oh, and a black eye Whitney congratulated Travis for giving him.
It shouldn’t have worked. It was the opposite of how Angelina believed conflicts should be handled. However, when she picked up Whitney at school a few days later he told her the upperclassman had sought him out and had been about to knock the books out of his hand when he’d growled, “Don’t fucking touch me.”
“It worked, Mom. Just like Connor said it would. I didn’t care if he hit me because I knew I’d get back up. I wasn’t afraid and he knew it.”
And what had Connor done when Whitney had told him? He’d suggested they celebrate with dinner at the Fetters. Loving Connor was that easy—that wonderous.
Now Dylan had spilled the beans about a surprise Connor was planning, a surprise that included a visit from his brother, and she was dying to know what it was. “Is there anything you want to tell me?” she asked Connor.
He laced his fingers with hers then kissed her knuckles. “Nope.”
Angelina turned and asked her friends. “Do you guys know what Connor is planning?”
They were both horrible at lying. “No. No idea.”
Angelina leaned forward so she could see Clay’s face when she asked, “Clay, how about you? Any idea what Connor’s secret is?”
Clay smiled. “Only that it’s going to be so incredible I hired a film crew for it.”
“A film crew?” Angelina studied Connor’s face. Normally, he couldn’t keep a secret either, but she had no clue what he was up to. “Does Whitney know about it?”
There was a twinkle in Connor’s eyes. “Everyone knows, they’re just all better at keeping their mouths shut than Dylan is.”
“Wow, sounds like a big surprise. How about a little clue? Just a hint?”
Connor’s response was a kiss so tender Angelina nearly forgot what she’d been asking him. She was melting against him, when he surged to his feet and yelled, “Go, Whitney. You’ve got this. Yes. Yes. He’s wide open.”
Angelina turned toward the field in time to see her son kick the ball to a teammate who scored the goal. She cheered beside Connor. Whitney looked up from the field with a huge smile on his face as his other teammates cheered as well.
The road to where they were had been a rocky one. There were still parts of her life that needed addressing, but the past no longer had a hold over her. Names no longer had the power to affect how she saw herself. Like punches, they’d been used to knock her down. With Connor, she’d learned that getting knocked down and getting back up felt a whole lot better than running from the pain.
She didn’t know how she’d do it, but she knew it was time to patch things up with her family back in Oklahoma. It probably wouldn’t be easy at first, but nothing worthwhile usually was.
As she settled back down beside Connor, he leaned down and said, “I love you, Angelina Kroll.”
“Of course you do,” she said. “I’m fucking amazing.”
He threw his head back and laughed, then bent to give her a warm kiss. Against her lips, he murmured, “Yes, you are.”
Connor was on his feet again, cheering Whitney on when he spotted his sister, Viviana, little Sean in her arms, standing off to the side with her husband, Grant. When he waved to her, she motioned for him to join her. “I’ll be right back,” he told Angelina.
She nodded.
When he reached his sister’s side, he hugged her, took Sean from her for a cuddle, then shook Grant’s hand. “Hey, I didn’t know you were coming today.”
Viviana’s expression was somber. “Can we talk?”
“Sure.” He scanned Grant’s face but found little there to help him determine what this was about. Still holding little Sean, Connor followed Grant and Viviana several feet away from the bleachers.
Once out of earshot of everyone, Viviana said, “We haven’t seen you at game night lately.”
“I’ve been kind of busy.” He kept his voice light and his eyes on his nephew’s smiling face. Little Sean pinched at his cheeks and squealed with delight.
“I received your invitation for the Barringtons to join you in Oklahoma next week,” Viviana said.
Connor’s mood took a quick dive. If his sister was there to say he was once again an embarrassment to her, it was time to set her straight on a few things. For over a year he’d done everything he could to appease her. He didn’t want to live that way anymore. If that meant pulling back from the Barringtons, that was a path he was okay with. He wanted his sister to be happy, but he’d found a way to be happy also. “And?”
Viviana’s eyebrows rose at his curt tone. He felt bad, but he was also beginning to think he should have pushed back long before this. “I understand why you invited them through me, but I don’t feel good about it.”
“Then don’t pass the invitation along to them.” Really? What did she want him to say? As if sensing his mood, Little Sean began to fuss. Grant offered to take him, but Connor settled him onto his hip and made a silly noise to him that had the little one smiling again. He understood kids, they didn’t overthink things the way adults did.
“No,” Viviana said in a rush. “You don’t understand. I don’t feel good about what that says about how I’ve been behaving. My whole life you and Dylan have done nothing but support me. No matter what I wanted to do. When I went to the city, you told me I could do anything I set my mind to. When I came home pregnant, you tracked down Grant to threaten him . . . but you never judged me. I didn’t see I wasn’t doing the same for you until Sophie took me aside and opened my eyes.” She reached out and laid a hand on her son’s head as she spoke. “I never meant to make you feel like you needed to change. I was so worried about not fitting into Grant’s family that I couldn’t see how much they love you too. I’m here to say I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.” At his mother’s touch, Sean decided he wanted her back, so Connor handed her back. “Not all the changes you asked me to make were bad. My movie career is taking off—Claire helped make that possible. I’m taking my first college class because I’ve learned it’s never too late to better yourself. You helped me see that.”
Grant put an arm around Viviana and son. “Your sister cares about you more than you know. So do I. My family had forgotten how to be silly and laugh together. You reminded us that life doesn’t always need to be serious. I’m grateful Sean will have an uncle like you. When I see Asher allowing his son to tackle him to the ground, I credit you for reminding us how lighthearted love can be.”
Connor smiled. “Little Sean is awesome. I love my Big Man, too. Asher cracks me up as well.”
Viviana pursed her lips before saying, “You have your own relationship with Asher, with Sophie and Dale, and all the Barringtons. You shouldn’t feel that you have to run an invitation through me. They’re your family as well. I hate that I ever made you feel like they weren’t.”
It was almost enough to bring tears to a man’s eyes. Instead, Connor hugged his sister, then her husband. When he stepped back, they were both smiling and Sean was clapping happily. “We’re good,” he said.