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“In here,” she answered from the back of the house.
She was reading in the family room, wearing her favorite pink heart pajama pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt. She closed her book and set it aside, placing her reading glasses on the cover.
I grinned and moved a few of the blue throw pillows out of the way so I could sit on the end of the white couch opposite her. “I thought I would take a chance on you being awake.”
“Is everything okay?” Her brows furrowed over eyes the same shade of dark blue as mine. “Is it Phoenix? Or Aspen?”
I held up my hand. “No. Nothing like that. There was a party at the house, and I just felt like coming home instead.”
That wasn’t completely honest, and I knew she could tell by how she watched me. But she was the best. She always had been. She didn’t push. I could sit with her anytime I wanted and not feel pressured to explain my fucked-up state of mind.
“I’m glad you came by.” She tucked her dark hair behind her ears, a small smile curving her mouth. “Do you want something to eat?”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
We went into the kitchen, and she pulled out eggs, shredded cheddar cheese, and a bunch of veggies.
After washing my hands, I pushed up my sleeves and got to work chopping the veggies while she beat the eggs. When I was done, I sauteed them while Mom popped in the toast. Once they were cooked enough, Mom got to work at the stove. Not too long after, she slid an omelet onto my plate, followed by toast, then she set butter in front of me with a glass of water.
“You aren’t eating?” I paused with my fork hovering over the fluffy omelet, waiting to see if she would join me. “Do you want half of this one?”
“No. I need to sleep soon, and a full stomach always makes that more difficult.”
I glanced at the time. It was almost two in the morning. “I thought you had the weekend off.”
She gathered the cutting board, knife, and spatula and brought them to the sink, where she washed them. “I was supposed to be off, but Carly got sick, and I said I’d cover her shifts at the hospital.”
“Is she on the graveyard shift too?” Switching to a day shift when Mom worked nights would be hard on her system, especially since she’d done nights ever since I could remember. They paid better.
“Yes, or I never would have agreed to it.” She leaned against the counter opposite the island.
Devouring the food, I hadn’t realized how hungry I was. When I finished, I rinsed my dishes and put them in the dishwasher. I closed it, and she hugged me before pulling back, holding onto my shoulders and looking me in the eyes.
“Is everything okay?”
I forced a smile. “It is. Just adjusting to Phoenix not living in the same house. Things are changing too fast, but I promise, I’m good.”
“You’ll stay here tonight? I don’t want you driving back to Thane this late, especially if you’re tired.”
“Yeah, I’d planned on it. Thanks, Mom.”
She hugged me then said good night before going to her room. I went to mine, feeling the absence of my brother even more. I went to my closet and pulled down the old shoebox where I kept a few things, including the letter I’d written in fifth grade. It had been my big goodbye to the world. I’d kept it all that time because I didn’t want to forget how low I’d fallen and had still survived.
I took out the letter, returned the old box to the shelf, and sat on my bed. If it hadn’t been for my brother telling me it would kill our mom if I ended things and then Winter moving away so I finally had some peace, I wouldn’t be alive. Because of Winter fucking Patten. I couldn’t believe I kissed her and managed to keep my hatred hidden.
Back then, Cole, Damon, and my brother had taken me to the gym at our cousins’ house. We’d worked out, but what had helped the most was sparring. It was where I’d learned to fight and had later taken those same skills to the Ring. At the time, we’d been too young to fight in the underground fighting ring we’d heard whispers about through a select few people whose brothers were in high school and involved in it.
I’d had a goal and had found my passion outside of football and family. I’d lifted weights, worked out, and learned to fight. And I’d known that when the time was right, I would be in the Ring too.
Everything swirled in my mind. Things had been so exacerbated at that age. Problems were almost impossible, and they’d only gotten worse in junior high. Not long after, I’d found Tracey, who had soothed a part of me that had been irreparably damaged. She was a balm that I didn’t think my brother understood. It’d been enough, and when Phoenix had severed that connection with his lie, I’d reacted badly.
The letter crinkled in my hand. But losing Tracey wasn’t as devastating as the torment Winter had put me through. Nothing would ever bring me as low as she had. As I shoved the letter into my wallet to carry with me as a reminder, my phone chimed.
Joe’s name flashed across the screen, and I tapped the messenger app to open his text.What the hell is he doing texting me at three in the morning?That knot in the pit of my stomach grew as I responded. He wanted the money and stated that the house wouldn’t stay on the market forever. Someone was sure to snap it up.
I kept my response simple—“I’m working on it.”
I wasn’t, though. I couldn’t go to Grandad. He would disagree, as he hated Joe. I wasn’t even sure if Grandad would flip his lid and disown me if he knew I was talking to my dad. It was hypocritical since he’d fucked up in a big way with my brother and Aspen. And that had only happened recently. He’d done plenty before that with his controlling ways, all in the name of love and keeping his family safe. He meant well, but he could be rather extreme about the methods he employed to do so.
