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My eyes jump out of their sockets. “Two weeks! Are you kidding me? Mom—”
“Oh, shut up, Brayden, and ask your own girlfriend to move in with you.”
I laugh and decide to let it go. After all, here they are three years later, planning to get married. I’ve been with Deanna longer than they were together before they moved in with each other. Plus, I have no intention of letting Deanna get away. It’ll all work out in the end one way or another. The most important thing is to focus on getting used to my old coach being my mom’s boyfriend.
***
As the day goes on, Brayden behaves more and more like himself. All he needed was a little time to overcome the shock. His mother really should’ve warned him about why she wanted him to come home. Even I know you can’t spring anything on Brayden. Something minor, he doesn’t like. Obviously, he won’t react well to something huge. I can’t lie, though; his reaction amused me.
Now, we’re lying in bed after a very long day. The room seems too quiet, even with the soft sound of our breathing and Brayden’s heartbeat. But then, we hear a noise. It’s possibly a squeaking and maybe a loud sigh or a moan.
“You have to be fucking kidding me. Cut my ears off, darlin’. Now, before it’s too late.”
Giggles overtake me as Brayden covers his head with a pillow.
“Why? Why while we’re here? Fucking why?” The pillow muffles his voice, but I manage to hear him still.
“I’m sorry.”
“I want to go home.” He sounds like a pouting child, which only makes me laugh harder. “Stop laughing, Deanna.”
“It’s laugh or be like you.”
That makes him pause. “I’m not gonna laugh over this. Laughing is impossible. You wouldn’t laugh at hearing your parents have sex.”
I ignore his point. At least the sounds seem to have died down. “You can move the pillow now,” I tell him.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to chance hearing it again.”
I laugh. “We’ll fall asleep fast.”
With reluctance, he places the pillow under his head again. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. His body is tense, like he’s waiting to hear another unfortunate sound. I hoist a leg over his thighs, snuggle in closer, and hope he’ll relax soon enough to fall asleep.
“So glad you’re here, darlin’,” he whispers just before I doze off.
When I awaken in the morning, I smile at the text message I see. Brayden told me it would be crazy to text Cal and ask for a picture of Otis, to check in. I lean over and hold up my phone for Brayden to see.
“Look! Cal didn’t think it would be crazy for me to know how they’re doing. He texted me, without me even asking!”
Brayden rolls his eyes. It’s tempting to stick my tongue out at him, but I don’t. We get ready for the day and join Maryann and Perry for breakfast. I’m not sure what we’re doing today, or if there are any specific plans. Apparently, Maryann doesn’t know either.
“We have Christmas activities tomorrow, so today is free to do as we’d like. Was there anything you wanted to do, Brayden? We could go to the outdoor rink in town. Or did you want to spend the day with Deanna?”
“We do not need to spend the day together,” I say before Brayden can answer. We see each other plenty; he does not see his mother that often.
“We can do whatever you want, Mom,” Brayden adds.
“Have you ever been skating at an outdoor rink?” Maryann asks me.
“No. I’ve never skated at all.”
With a slightly dismayed look, she glances at Brayden. “How does a hockey player not take his girlfriend skating?”
Brayden shrugs his shoulders. “Hadn’t thought about it.”
I decide to poke fun at him. “He doesn’t take me out much. We’ve only been to a 5K as a date.”
Maryann’s mouth drops in horror as Perry chuckles. “That’s it? We go out once a week.”
