Then they fell on me. “Drew Harris, you should have warned me you were bringing company,” she scolded.
That was all it took for me to realize this was his mother.
I had the sudden urge to straighten my clothes, my hair, find a mirror to see if I looked presentable. I’d never had anyone introduce me to their mother. I wasn’t the kind of woman a man brought home to his mom. My heart squeezed in my chest.
“Last-minute decision,” he said.
“Are you going to introduce me?” she said.
I fought the urge to speak, wanting Drew to present me to her.
“Mama, this is Sonya Hughes and Sam.” The respect he held for his mother was apparent, but there was something in his tone, a reverence in the way he spoke my name that said he respected me as well. Despite fucking me in an alley less than half an hour ago. “Sonya, this is my mother, Loretta Carter.”
Her expression softened as she looked at me, her eyes darting down to where Drew and I held hands. “It’s lovely to meet you, Sonya. I can see why my son is taken with you. Both of you.” Her gaze warmed at the sight of Sam sitting obediently beside me.
I shot a look at Drew, who stood there, neither confirming nor denying the statement. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, as well, Mrs. Carter.” I’d never been so soft-spoken in front of him.
“Call me Loretta, please.”
“Okay, Loretta.”
“I hope you’re staying long enough to sit down,” she said with a mischievous smile.
Drew moved quickly, pulling another chair up to the one already positioned by her bed. He gestured for me to sit. Sam eased over to the bedside and put his head on the mattress. He gently nosed Loretta’s hand, and she ran her fingers through his soft fur.
Drew held up an extra pillow and blanket to his mother from the closet, and she waved him off.
“You don’t have to wait on me hand and foot.”
“I know I don’t,” he said quietly, sinking into the chair beside me.
His hand immediately found mine again. I frowned. He wasn’t a hand-holding kind of guy. I didn’t think I was that kind of girl. I liked it more than I anticipated, but I was still trying to figure out his angle. Why was I here?
His mother was obviously very ill, the hair loss a big clue that she had cancer. Maybe there wasn’t much time?
Oh, God. She was dying. My insensitive heart broke for them both.
Her eyes sparkled at me, and she smiled as if my presence was the highlight of her week. I couldn’t grasp that, certain if I were in that bed, I’d be hiding under the covers. I could swindle my way through life, but I couldn’t cheat death.
“What are the two of you up to today?” she asked.
Drew and I exchanged a smirk, and his mother raised her eyebrows. “You know what? Forget I asked that.” She grinned. Loretta wasn’t a prude.
Drew smoothed my hair while I fought the urge to smack him. “You sure?” His affection for her was visceral. Even I felt it, which made me see him in a totally different light. I’d have never pictured him like this with anyone and half-expected he’d tell his own mother she looked like hell if that was what he thought. “Let’s see,” he said, and my eyes widened. “I picked up Sonya and Sam and then . . .” He looked at me with mischief in his eyes. “Sugar, remind me what happened after that.”
“We strolled over in freezing cold weather. Sam barked at a bird. Nothing else memorable that I can recall,” I said tartly.
“Is that so?” he asked darkly as if his mother wasn’t in the room.
“Yep. That was it,” I assured him, and he leaned closer to me, his gaze narrowed.
His mother cleared her throat. “Well, I hope it wasn’t too far of a walk.”
“No. Actually, the fresh air was kind of nice,” I reassured her.
“I’m ready for some of that myself,” she mused without a trace of bitterness.
“Would you like to go for a walk, Mama?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation, and Drew popped out of his seat, pulling me up along with him. He kissed the top of my hand before releasing it. I felt empty without his touch but quickly shoved it away so I could be of help getting Mrs. Carter out of bed. “Thank you, dear,” she said, reaching for my elbow to steady herself.
We took it slow to the hallway. She was in a weakened state, but her spine was straight, shoulders back, and head held high. I was impressed.
Drew and I were on either side of her as support, which she had no problem accepting. Sam stayed close to her but was careful not to get in her way. It was a tight fit down the narrow hallway, but we made it work.
“Sonya, forgive me for being so direct, but you can just chalk it up to me being a nosy mother,” she said, and my stomach tightened into a knot. Here it comes. The barrage of personal questions I didn’t want to answer.
I put on a brave face. “Bring it on,” I said lightly, and she laughed.
“Have you been married before?” That was a softball, one I didn’t mind fielding. Drew watched me with keen interest over his mother’s head.
“No.”
“Do you have children?”
“Nope.”
“Is that something you want one day?” There was trepidation in her voice, and her pace even slowed as she seemed to hold her breath, waiting for the answer.
“God, no,” I said with a shiver. Mrs. Carter relaxed. Drew’s mouth screwed up, and he looked away from us. I barked out a forced laugh. “You’d probably like lots of grandkids, but I’m definitely not the person to help with that.” I realized I’d implied Drew and I were in a serious enough relationship to be considering these things when the truth was, we weren’t anything at all.
“I would like grandchildren very much,” she said with a wistful look before she turned her head to Drew. “But my children have been more of a blessing than I could have ever asked for.” His head snapped to her, and she nodded, something unspoken between them that I didn’t understand. She stopped walking, slipped her hand out from the crook of my elbow, and cupped his cheeks. “I forgive you, baby.”
Drew’s eyes glassed over, and he gathered her in his arms, careful not to hug too tightly. He whispered something in her ear, and my throat closed as tears thickened it. But why? I hadn’t spoken to my mother in two years. Hadn’t hugged her since I graduated from college. At that moment, all the emotions I’d shoved down came to the surface. I wasn’t someone who got choked up. My family had knocked that out of me early in life. I’d had to be disciplined. Yet here I was, struggling to watch what was happening in front of me. Why had Drew brought me here?
When they finally released one another, she turned to me, her fingers grazing my cheek. “I know we’ve just met and that you and my son don’t know each other all that well. I have no right to ask this of you, but some situations make you brave enough to speak your mind. Take care of my boy, please. This”—she motioned up and down Drew’s body—“is tough, but inside, he’s a good man. Someone decent who deserves to be loved, and you’re capable of that.”
“You don’t know me,” I protested.
“I believe I mentioned that.” She winked at me. “But I think you and Drew have some things in common.”