AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“My mom says we all have regrets, but the challenge in life is to learn from them and better ourselves.”
I smiled softly. “Your mom and my mom sound a lot alike.”
“Yeah, moms speak a universal language I think.”
That felt right. As did this moment here with his arms around me and the taste of cherry lip gloss and chlorine on my lips.
“You want something to eat?” Tyler asked.
“Nah, I’m good here.” My stomach growled. Tyler giggled and my heart melted just like the snow bordering the pool.
Yeah, this was about as right as right could be.
ChapterFourteen
Tyler
Mom’s cautionwas like a beacon across the table, and I knew she was trying at the start when we sat down, but now, she was quiet, and Jonah had also given up and was almost subdued. I was at a loss as to how to get the two of them talking and making a meaningful connection other than Jonah complimenting Mom on the food, and Mom telling him where she bought her groceries.
Not the kind of conversation I’d been hoping for.
What did they have in common? I wracked my brains for one thing. But I gave up when it turned out that Jonah did not, in fact, read romance mystery novels, or that my mom didn’t get to the movies much at all.
I guess the only thing they had in common was me.
“Ouch,” I said dramatically, and pressed a hand to my hip as if there was a lot of pain sitting in that spot.
Two sets of gazes flew my way, Jonah wide-eyed and Mom clearly already in mom-mode and considering what medical options she might have that fit my generic ouch.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Is it your stomach?”
“No, my back,” I said, and added a pathetic tone to my explanation, wincing and stretching.
“What happened to your back?” Mom asked. “Was it from hockey? Do we need to call someone?”
Jonah’s assessment slipped out with no thought as to what my mom did and didn’t need to hear. “I bet it was from when that ass from Hershey tipped him over the boards?”
“Oh my god, yes. I didn’t like the way he did that,” Mom added, directing her words at Jonah.
“Me neither. There was no need to keep pushing.”
“Were you closer? Did you see Tyler get hurt?”
“I didn’t know that hewashurt.” Jonah sent me a look of accusation that I hadn’t shared my injury with him. Given it was made up, I couldn’t even defend myself.
“It didn’t hurt until now,” I said.
“Delayed shock,” Mom said, in her most dramatic tone.
“I have the whole thing on closeup, hang on.” Jonah put down his cutlery and fished out his phone, thumbing through to videos, then holding the cell out for my mom, who took it immediately.
“Oh my god, Tyler!” she exclaimed as she watched the incredibly clean, and not at all painful, hit from one of the Hershey defensemen, a big dude with an ever-present snarl. “It didn’t look this bad from my angle.”
Jonah leaned across and paused the video. “See what he did there? There was no need for that extra shove to tip Tyler into the home bench. That’s probably where Tyler got injured.”
“Tyler, why didn’t you say you’d been in an accident like this? No wonder your back hurts. We should get you to urgent care for an X-ray.”
“Did you hit your head?” Jonah asked.
