Andrew barked out a laugh, grateful that his mother still knew how to cut a brotha. “Seriously, Mom, you need to be careful. You’re doing too much.”
“When Damon moved out, I didn’t know what to do with myself,” Connie said. “So I worked. Every day I worked hard, never calling off, always on time. That work got me through the loneliness.” A tear fell from her eye, and Andrew dabbed it with a tissue. “I built my life around you boys. And I’ll never regret it because you’re all my greatest accomplishments. You’re living lives that I’ve never even dreamed of living.
“Connor, you spend your days building wealth for people.” Mom grasped Andrew’s hand, smiling through her tears. “And Drew, your regular day’s work is talking to people I watch on TV like it’s no big deal. Damon manages an entire IT department for a Fortune Five Hundred company. I have nothing to regret when I look at the three of you. I’m so proud of you.”
“Mom, don’t cry,” Connor grumbled. “Please.”
“Oh, shut up.” Mom swatted Connor’s hand away when he tried to straighten her blanket. “I’m talking now.”
Connor raised his hands. “Okay. Your turn.”
Andrew chuckled. “But he does have a point. We don’t like to see you cry.”
“Like Bobby Brown says, it’s my prerogative.” They all laughed. “Listen.” She held out her other hand for Connor. “You want to know why I really retired?”
“I thought you were just tired of the plant,” Connor said.
“I was,” she continued. “But one day I was sitting out on the deck alone, and it suddenly dawned on me thatIwanted some of that life y’all are living. I’ve worked hard, now it’s time for me to play hard.”
“That’s fine, Ma,” Connor said. “That’s what we want for you.”
“We just want you to be careful,” Andrew added. “And again, stop doing too much.”
“If I promise to be careful, you two have to make me a promise, too.”
“What is it?” Andrew asked.
“For goodness’ sake, bring me some damn grandbabies!”
Connor clasped Andrew’s shoulder. “I think she’s talking to you.”
Glaring at his brother, Andrew said, “Whatever. Don’t you think I should have a wife or a public girlfriend before I bring a kid in here?”
“Is this you admitting that Paige is your girlfriend?” Connor raised a challenging brow. “I mean, as far as we know she’s still yourfriend.”
“Right?” Mom agreed.
“I think you both know she’s not just my friend,” Andrew confirmed. “I do love her.”
His mother gasped. “Oh, yes. Finally, you admit it. Now, I have another question.”
“Don’t ask about babies.” Andrew shook his head. “It’s not the time.”
“I wasn’t going to ask about babies,” she said. “I was going to ask why you’re still here. Don’t you have a plane to catch?”
Andrew laughed. “I did. But I’m not leaving you. I need to hear what the doc says, make sure you get home okay, call—”
“All things Connor can handle,” she insisted.
“We’ll see,” Andrew said. “Let’s give it a few hours.”
His mother let out a heavy sigh, finally releasing their hands and burrowing back into the mattress. Her eyes drifted closed. “Fine. But I reserve the right to wake up and yell at you if you’re still here.”
Bending down, he hugged her gently. “I can take it.”
A few seconds later, his mother drifted off to sleep. Andrew picked up his phone and stared at the text he’d already typed letting Paige know that he wouldn’t make it home in time for the taping. Sighing, he deleted it. While he wasn’t sure he’d make back to L.A. by tomorrow, he also wasn’t ready to leave his mother yet. And Paige would have to understand that if they ever had a chance of making it.
* * *
