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“Mom,” Kinley announced out of nowhere, making my body snap around to the woman who was suddenly walking toward us.
All eyes flew to her mother. In my head, I’d built her up to be this monster, but the woman walking toward Kinley was pretty.
Normal.
Not what I thought she’d look like.
Her hair was pinned back, and she was wearing a nice dress with a bag hanging off her shoulder. She appeared put together.
Sober.
My gaze went back to my girl, who was standing there frozen with wide eyes and an expression I’d never seen before. I didn’t know what came over me, but I stepped out in front of Kinley and placed her securely behind my back.
Her sorry excuse of a fucking mother stopped dead in her tracks.
“Christian,” Kinley exclaimed, surprised by my action.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I snapped at her mom, incapable of holding back.
I’d seen Kinley bawl her eyes out too many times to give a flying fuck about this woman.
“Christian!” Mom reprimanded, grabbing my arm to yank me away from her, but I didn’t move an inch.
I was rooted to the ground. After what she’d put my girl through, she had no business being here now.
“Please, excuse my son,” Dad apologized for me, and I resisted the urge to tell him he didn’t owe her a damn thing. “He’s very protective of your daughter.”
She cautiously smiled. “I’m happy to hear she has such great friends—”
“I’m her boyfriend.”
“Oh, well I’m glad she has someone to protect her.”
I didn’t falter. “Somebody has to.”
“Christian…” Mom tried to get me to move again, but she didn’t need to that time.
Kinley stepped out in front of me instead.
—Kinley—
“Mom, what are you doing here?”
“It’s your graduation, Kinley. I’m here for you.”
Those words rang in my head over and over again. “For me?”
“Yes, sweetheart, I’m here only for you.”
I didn’t know what to say. I barely knew how to feel. I hadn’t seen or talked to her since they took me away from her over six years ago. My heart was beating out of my chest the longer I stood there taking her in. She looked better than I’d ever seen her.
I didn’t recognize the woman who was standing in front of me, yet I knew she was my mother.
“How did you know where I was?”
“I talked to your aunt. She was working today, and I didn’t want you to not have family in the stands.” Her eyes lit up. “I watched your entire ceremony. I’m so proud of you, honey. You graduated with honors. I always knew you’d accomplish amazing things. You were always such a smart little girl.”
My eyes connected with Jax. He was standing behind her, his concern for me radiated off of him. It was almost as bad as Christian’s.
