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Was I respecting her wishes? Or was I just protecting myself, like the chickenshit Daria said I was?
ChapterThirty-Nine
NOVA
I ranthe receipt numbers through my online accounting system for one of my long-time clients, while Huey grizzled beside me. “Two more minutes, baby boy, and then we’ll have some dinner.”
I turned on the mobile that spun around the top of his rocker, which kept him momentarily mesmerized.
My phone pinged again, my cash-sharing app telling me that River had put in another two thousand dollars for Huey’s upkeep. I opened the app and sent the money back. I could look after Huey. And I had no idea what he thought Huey needed that required two grand in a day! I sent him a picture of Huey mesmerized by the bees on his mobile as proof of life.
I worked for another ten minutes, until Huey started grumbling again, and then it was time to stop. Picking him up, I walked into the small kitchen and grabbed his bottle from the fridge, setting it into the bottle warmer. Grabbing a frozen meal from the freezer for me, I shoved it into the microwave and bounced Huey on my shoulder.
He was grumpy today, and I had a feeling he was just picking up my mood. Or maybe he was teething? His gums seemed slightly red, and he was protesting a bit, gnawing on his pacifier. I’d take him to the drugstore tomorrow and see what the pharmacist said.
As if to cement my decision, he started to wail a little. “Hey, hey, I’m sorry, sweetheart. Just a few more minutes, okay? And tomorrow, I’ll get you a nice cool teething ring. You can gnaw on it like a tiny piranha until you feel better, would that be okay?” I bounced him more, rocking side to side, hoping to settle him.
His bottle was finally warm, and I was just lifting it to his lips when someone knocked at the door. Fuck, the walls in this place were paper thin; it was probably the neighbors complaining.
I figured it was karma, considering they had loud sex all fucking night. I’d actually swapped my room and the living room, because we shared a wall and it had been keeping Huey—and me—up all night.
But when I opened the door, it wasn’t the neighbor. It was a middle-aged woman, with soft, graying-blonde hair and crow’s feet around her eyes. She was a fraction taller than me and had extremely blue eyes.
“Hi? Can I help you?” I shifted Huey slightly back further into the house, just in case this lady was a wackadoodle. She looked nice, and my gut said she was safe, but you could never be totally sure.
“You must be Nova. And this must be Huey.” She looked adoringly at the baby in my arms. “I’m Lorraine Engman, Rigby’s mother.”
My mouth fell open. Now she’d said it, I could see the similarities in their faces, though obviously Rigby was a broader, more masculine version of the woman in my doorway. “Oh, hi.”
Fuck, what the hell did I say to this woman?Hi, nice to meet you. Sorry I dragged your son’s career down the toilet and then broke his heart?
Probably not.
“Sorry to drop in unannounced like this. I just wanted to meet you.”
I shook my head, chasing away the shock. My mother would’ve been appalled by my lack of manners. “I’m sorry—please come inside. I was just feeding Huey.”
The woman gave me a bright smile, so like her son’s. “Thank you.”
Even though it had been worth it for some sleep, the problem with swapping the bedroom and the living room was that the main area now opened onto my bedroom. Lorraine’s eyes traveled over the room quickly before averting her gaze. At least I always kept it tidy.
I directed her into the living room, with the couch and television, light pouring through the big windows that had attracted me to this poky little apartment in the first place. “Can I get you something to drink?”
Lorraine shook her head. “No, sit. It's fine. Finish feeding your son. Brother? Rigby was a bit hazy on how you were choosing to raise him, as a sibling or like your child until he was older.”
Man, that was a good question, but not one I wanted to discuss with a complete stranger, despite the fact she was giving me warm fuzzy feelings—so like her own son.
I sat down, shaking my head softly as Huey drank deeply, unaware of my turmoil. “Did Rigby send you? Because I’m—”
Lorraine held up a hand, cutting me off. “Gosh no. If Rigby knew I was here, he’d give me an hour-long lecture like he was the parent and I was the child. No, he’s off his suspension for tonight’s game, so my husband and I came down to give the boys some extra support. Well, my husband did, anyway. I still haven’t quite gotten used to watching the physicality of hockey, even after fifteen years. He's still my baby, and you never get over that protective urge to go mama bear on anyone who hurts them, professional sportsman or not.”
Yeah, I could understand that.
“Devan gave me your address. I just wanted to check on you, I guess. Rigby spoke a lot about you, and I know my boy. When he said you’d broken up…” She sighed. “Tell me if I’m overstepping. I know what happened to your mama, and if our roles were reversed, I’d want to know that someone was checking in on my boy if his heart was hurting, and making sure he was okay.”
Gah.Tears sprang to my eyes. “I can see where Rigby gets his empathy from.”
Lorraine waved a hand. “He might have his father’s size, but he got my heart. His father has the emotional intelligence of a cactus, but he was never shy about showing his love to our boys and me. Rigby’s brothers are the same. Just can’t say the words, not like Rigby. It’s probably because he's the baby.”
