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“You don’t know me yet, but if you give me a chance, I’ll prove to you that I’m different. I promise you, there is nothing I want more than to make your daughter happy.”
I can hear my mother tsk at his response.
“I won’t give you my blessing but I won’t stand in your way either. My daughter has made her decision and now all I can do is hope that this ends in two years with my daughter not in tears on my living room couch. Can you at least manage that?”
“I can,” he says simply.
“Her father did enough damage to her for a lifetime. I don’t need her to have more reasons to lack trust,” she says, her voice becoming more relaxed like she’s sharing a concern more than a warning.
“I won’t let that happen. You have my word,” he tells her.
“We’ll see, won’t we?”
Then I hear her footsteps return toward the door and I jump back.
My mother pushes the door open and walks through, her flowers hanging by her side. She doesn’t glance up at me as she heads back to her spot against the far window of the apartment to finish backing my brother's last backpack.
Ryker walks in, several feet behind her and not as quickly. Was that conversation defeating? Is it making him rethink things that have happened between us?
My mother made me sound fragile, and though my father has broken my heart worse than anyone else, I’m not made of porcelain.
He gives me a somber smile and then turns to the guys.
“You guys ready to go?” he asks.
He slides his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he turns his eyes on the TV and watches himself score that goal at the end of the third period to win the game. This was even after that huge hit earlier in the game by Petrov.
I remember jumping off the couch and screaming in the living room of his penthouse, wearing my Haynes jersey.
“Yeah, we’re ready,” Seven says.
Briggs finishes explaining what a breakaway is and how Ryker is one of those rare players who always seems to find a way to get himself alone with the goalie.
Pride bubbles up in me that my husband is one of the best in the league at what he does.
Seven stands up and then so does Briggs.
“We’ll see you around, OK?” Briggs tells my brother.
“Get your mom or your sister to bring you out at the end of practice one day and you can hit some pucks with us… if you want,” Seven offers.
Ryker walks over to me and slides his hand over my left arm.
“We have to put in some time at the gym. Are you sure you don’t need help bring anything down?” he asks.
Seven and Briggs glance around the apartment to see if there is anything they can help with but my mom and I have already been taking down trips to my SUV with my brother’s things.
We have two backpacks left to load at most.
“I’m sure.”
I turn to Seven and Briggs. “I appreciate you both for coming and bringing Jerrin gifts. This was the best moving day surprise we could have asked for.”
My mom pipes up from across the room. “You’ve made our week,” she says.
My mom isn’t an ungrateful person and I know she sees what these three men just did for my brother. She’s just cautious.
Seven and Briggs walk out first and then Ryker follows behind.
