“Always, Mama.” I squeezed her hand. There was nothing but love in her gaze.
“She’s been beaten?”
“Just a black eye. It’s possible a man hit her, but she doesn’t seem that upset by the injury. Truth be told, I think she’s scamming the shelter. That sounds awful, but it’s just a gut feeling. She doesn’t belong there, though. Of that I’m certain.”
“She could be hiding, or perhaps she needed somewhere to go.”
“I don’t like her, but I can’t seem to stay away.”
Mama winked at me in understanding. “What’s her name?”
“Sonya.”
“Don’t keep her from me too long.” She paused. Would she come? Would Sonya actually come with me to meet my mama? “Even if you don’t pursue it, I’d like to meet a woman who intrigues you. Can’t say I recall that ever happening.”
“Only—”
“Not her,” she cut me off, refusing to speak the name of the woman who had torn me up. “She fit the mold. Beautiful, loved baseball, seemed to be a family girl. You loved her, but she wasn’t the one.”
“Did you know that all along?” I asked, the ache that came every time I thought of Erin tightening my chest.
“It was more apparent after the fact. Yes, she made you happy, but something was off. Nothing I could ever put my finger on. This woman you barely know has put more interest in your eyes than I’ve ever seen.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you thought it wasn’t right?” It stung to know she had kept that from me.
“What would you have said if I had come to you with a feeling it wasn’t right? And what if I had been wrong? It would have planted seeds of doubt.” She took a deep breath, her eyes drifting closed for a second, and I was scared she wouldn’t be able to talk any longer when I wanted her to. After a swallow, she continued. “We have to discover things for ourselves. I’ve wondered if I should have run her off to protect you, but you would have hated me for that.”
“I wouldn’t have listened anyway,” I admitted. “She had me by the—um, well, you know,” I finished sheepishly, cheeks heating.
“Balls. Yes, I know.” My eyes bulged, and she laughed. “The three of you think I have a stick shoved up my rear.”
“No, Mama. I promise we don’t. But I was a little scared of what you’d do if I finished that sentence. You raised a gentleman, right?”
Her expression turned serious. “I did.” And sadly, she hadn’t seen that gentleman for a few years now. Ever since—
“What the hell did I tell you?” Dad boomed, drawing our attention. “Go. Now.” He pointed, his jaw working in anger.
I didn’t move a muscle, and Mama’s hand tightened on mine.
“Harris, I want him to stay,” she said firmly. Nobody argued with her when she took that tone.
“Honey, I—”
“I don’t give a damn what you want.” She paused to catch her breath. Neither Dad nor I said a word. “We were having a nice talk, and I feel better than I have in days.” She stood up to him in ways none of us ever would. My chest filled with warmth, knowing she was taking up for me. That couldn’t have been easy on her. “Sit down.” Without hesitation, Dad went straight to a chair, obediently taking a seat.
He didn’t look at me.
“Mama, you should rest,” I said, getting her another drink of water.
“I’m tired of resting,” she protested. “I want to get out of this bed.” If she set her mind to it, that was exactly what she’d do.
“Loretta, just a few more days of rest.” Dad sounded weary and looked even worse, my mother’s illness taking as much a toll on him in ways as it had on her. He and I might not be in the best of places, but there was one thing I admired very much about the man. He loved my mother with a vengeance. If something happened to her, he wouldn’t be far behind. Their heartbeats were tied together.
“Want me to ask the nurse if it’s okay for you to get up? I’ll take you for a walk down the hall.” Dad glared at me, and she beamed.
“I’d like that, sweetheart.”
“Be right back.”
It was a big production, but in a few minutes, she was up and out of bed, my father on one side of her, and I on the other, slowly taking her up and down the hall. She did three laps, and I felt like I had when I’d begun sliding home for the winning run in the College World Series—like nothing could ever bring me down.
Chapter Eighteen
Sonya
“Let’s take a field trip.”
I was clearing my plate from lunch when he spoke from behind me. I continued with my task, pretending to ignore him.
Drew Carter wouldn’t get out of my mind. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I hated him. But that one percent had rooted itself in my heart, and I couldn’t help but be curious about who he was and why he was here.
“I can’t leave without permission,” I lied.
“Who said we’re leaving?”
He was the smuggest bastard I’d ever met. I wanted him at my mercy, wanted to see how cocky he was when I held all the marbles. “Generally, that’s what a field trip indicates. You leave the usual premises.”
“Okay, Webster’s Dictionary. Get your coat. I’ll wait here.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you. I told you, I can’t—”
“You don’t need a permission slip. This isn’t a prison, sugar.”
While that might be true, I was nervous about going out into the world. Here, I was safe. If Tamas found me—and I had no doubt he was looking—it spelled the kind of difficulty I wasn’t sure I could get out of.
“What about Sam?”
We both looked down at the dog sitting at my feet. Even if I wanted to go with Drew, I couldn’t leave Sam behind. Seemed as if we’d gotten attached to one another.
“The mutt can come too.” There was no malice behind the words, only mock annoyance. Drew offered him something from his pocket, which Sam immediately wolfed down.
“I’ll be back.”
The stunned look on his face was totally worth it. He’d expected more of a fight, but doing what he didn’t anticipate was effective.
* * *
“Where are we headed?” I asked as we slipped out the front door.
“You’ll see.” He was being serious, not one ounce of the playful, carefree asshole present.
“Everything okay?” I asked, hating that my concern had come forth without thought.
“Yes and no.”
“Hi, Mr. Drew.”
He showed a moment of panic before he turned to a young boy with honey-brown hair the exact shade of his approaching with a giant smile on his face.
“Hey, Gabriel.”
Drew flinched when they high-fived. Then he went straight for Sam.
“You’ve got a dog?” He crouched down, and Sam licked him in the face. A shrill giggle pierced the winter air.
“Not mine.” I barely recognized Drew’s gruff and awkward voice.