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My parents had the boys for the weekend. Jonah had already left for his job, and we’d spent yesterday getting the house ready for Maria’s mom.
The drive up to the Steel’s house was a lot faster than the last time we’d made the trip. I took the truck so we’d have space for anything she wanted to bring, and Maria rode with me in the front seat. While we drove, she told me stories about her childhood and her mother.
“She made me Halloween costumes every year until I realized it wasn’t cool to have a homemade Halloween costume,” she said.
“What kinds of costumes did she make you?”
“Oh, I was always a superhero. Pretty much every year.”
“Of course you were. Which one?”
“Me. I was Super-Steel.”
I smiled at that. Hopefully her mom had photos of that somewhere. “You still are, Sugar.”
“Do you think my dad will throw a fit?” There was tension in her voice.
“I think if he does, he’ll be up against the wrath of Maria Greenwood, and that’s not something to fuck with.”
She didn’t correct my language. She smiled instead.
“Let me tell you something…” I said as we pulled into the driveway. I parked the truck and turned to face her, cupping her chin in my hands. “You’re the strongest, bravest woman I know, and I bet you got that from somewhere. Let’s go get your momma out of here and get a fresh start, regardless of your old man, okay? And maybe if he’s sensible, you’ll get to see him grovel and ask for forgiveness.”
“I do love me some groveling,” she smirked, leaning forward to kiss me.
Her lips were like silk. I could never get tired of kissing her.
She pulled away first, climbing out of the car with a resolute look on her face. But she walked to the door slowly, like she didn’t quite want to be one to get to the door first. So I took her hand in mine and we went together, and I knocked on the door.
A middle-aged man with brown eyes and a receding hairline opened the door, glaring suspiciously. He saw Maria and his eyes widened.
“Maria… honey. You’re home.”
“Just passing through,” she said. She stood taller and lifted her chin.
I squeezed her hand and then let go, and she pushed past her dad and went into the house to find her mom. Mr. Steel tore his gaze off his daughter and looked at me.
I offered my hand and he took it on instinct. “Andrew Greenwood,” I said.
“Hm.” He gave my hand a single shake and withdrew as quickly as possible. “What are you doing here? Where are the boys?”
“The boys are at my parent’s house. We didn’t want them in the way, or upset during the move.”
“Move?”
A moment later, Maria came out with two rolling suitcases and a backpack, followed by a tall woman who looked so much like Maria it was like looking at my wife in the future. She was thinner than Maria, almost a little gaunt, but she had the same warm brown eyes, the same wavy hair, and the same confident set in her jaw. She had a suitcase in one hand, and a box hitched on her hip.
I reached out and took the box from her, and she met my eyes for a moment. I saw a timid twitch of her lips, a grateful half-smile, and I nodded at her.
“What the hell are you doing?” Mr. Steel was now fully flabbergasted and began to shout, waving his arms around and stomping after his wife. She ignored him and loaded the suitcase into my truck. She and Maria headed back into the house, attempting to ignore him as he shouted.
I set the box in the bed of the truck and went to follow them in. There was a single moment when Mr. Steel reached out towards them. I wasn’t sure which woman he was aiming to grab, but there was aggression in his movement and I didn’t like it.
I grabbed his arm and had him pinned against the side of his house before he even knew what happened.
Both women turned and gawked, nervous that the situation would escalate. Mr. Steel looked terrified.
“You have anything you want to say to either of these women?”
