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She just cocked her head and waited.
“He’s with his parents.”
“Right.”
Israel watched her for a moment, expression inscrutable. “I heard you went to Seattle.”
Her turn to shrug. “Business needed to be handled there too.”
He lifted his chin slowly, sitting back. “I remember telling you to never set foot in New York ever again.”
She tightened her hand around the glass. “You did.”
“Yet here you are.”
The tiny woman popped back up, speaking in a language Seraphina didn’t recognize. She managed to not let her jaw hit the table when Israel spoke to the woman in that same language, then turned to her.
“You wanna put an order in, get them started on what you want to eat or…”
“No, I’m-I’m good for now.” He relayed that to the woman, who scurried away, and Seraphina stared at him. She remembered the tiny boy she’d fallen in love with the moment he’d been placed into her arms. Love had felt like too small a word for everything that had resided in her chest then.
And now.
“What?”
She blinked at his question. “Nothing. I’m just…” She lifted a shoulder. “Taking you in.”
“Tell me why you went to see my brother.”
Was Van alright? She wanted to ask, but did she have the right? No. “I owed him something, so I went to deliver it.”
His gaze searched her face. “And Reggie’s folks.”
She nodded. “Same.”
Israel snorted. “You know those two still claim nothing happened? Why would they lie for you?”
She hadn’t gotten around to asking them that earlier. “I don’t know.” She took a breath, blew it out. “Israel, why am I here?”
“Reggie and I are going away for a bit. He wants to go to Spain or some shit and I’m taking him. We leave tomorrow and we’ll be gone for a few months, so I figured I’d use tonight to get to know my mother.”
It hurt, the way that title sounded falling from his lips. It hurt so fucking good and she wanted to weep at the rightness. At the way her heart went silent, then began a thunderous pounding. He wanted to get to know her. After everything, after all of it.
The thing she’d wanted most in the world—was it finally happening? Something brushed against her cheek, a tickle, and when she touched that spot it was wet.
Her tears spilled down her face as she stared at him.
Her son.
She reached for him, tentatively touching his hand that rested on the table. “You don’t know how long I’ve—” Her phone went off, and she pulled away with a grimace. “Sorry, let me turn that off.” She picked up the handbag she’d placed on the floor at her feet and retrieved her phone.
She was seconds away from shutting it down until she saw who was calling. She cast a regretful glance at Israel. “This is important. Give me a moment, please.” She accepted the call, head bowed. “Yes?” she answered, voice barely over a whisper.
“Ma’am.”
“Speak fast, goddamn it.”
“Something happened.”
