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Bridget
“Mom!”Iyell,walkinginto her house after I dropped Caden off at his car.
“In here!” she answers, and I follow her voice to the kitchen. I kiss her cheek and slide onto the kitchen counter where she’s cooking.
“You off today?” I ask.
“Yeah,” she smiles. “Les gave me the week off since they weren’t going to be home.” My mom absolutely adores Les and her guys. She started working for Luca Poletti about a year before he passed and didn’t even hesitate to stay on the house staff with Les. Not that Les expects much out of her. Mom just does basic things, and I have my suspicions that Les only keeps her on because she loves Mom just as much.
“I’m bored without her here,” I groan.
“What about Caden? You guys have been hanging out a lot lately.” She sets the dough she’s kneading into a bowl, laying a towel over it so it can rise before turning to me.
“Don’t get that look, Mom. He’s just a friend.” His bombshell about never being with a woman shocked me to my core today. I thought for sure he’d have girls lined up out his front door.
“He’s a sweet boy, though, Bridget. You should give him a chance.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s not like that.”
“Is this because of Travis….”
“Nope. Not going there.” I hop off the counter and head toward the living room. Mom is right on my heels.
“Come on. You can’t really swear off relationships because of one bad one.”
I flop on the couch. “Like you did?”
She sinks into the chair in front of me on the other side of the coffee table, narrowing her eyes. I look so much like my mom that it’s scary, especially when she gives me that look. “I didn’t swear off relationships because of your father. I had you to raise. That was more important.”
“What about now? I’m twenty-four, and it’s not like you’ve got one foot in the grave.” Mom just celebrated her fortieth birthday last month. She had me at sixteen, and although I talk to my dad, he didn’t really stick around to help since he was only seventeen himself. But Mom did everything she could for me, and then some.
She waves her hand. “I’m not looking.”
“You can’t look if the only place you’re at is here and Les’.” I lay my head back on the couch with a sigh. “I’m not looking either.”
“You’re young, sweetie. You’ll find someone.”
I know Mom secretly hopes that someone is Caden. He’s been to the house with me several times, and she fawns over him. He absolutely eats it up too. I don’t know much about how he grew up, but like most people from this life, it wasn’t good.
All this conversation does is bring my mind back to Alexey and Dmitri. Mom knows nothing about what happened with them. It’s not like I can tell her I was in a twin sandwich, and now they won’t stop sending me gifts. It should be creepy how they are so insistent, but it’s sweet for them, given who their piece of shit dad was. Mom is right, though. I can’t swear off all relationships just because one ex cheated on me almost the whole time we were together. But I also don’t know if I can let myself go through that again. I’m not saying all men are the same, but I can’t get my mind to agree with my pussy.
“Bridget, did you hear me?”
“Huh?” I jerk my head up and look at Mom. How long has she been talking to me?
“I said you should invite Caden over for dinner tonight.”
“Are you sureyou’renot interested in him?” I joke.
She scoffs. “He’s young enough to be my son.”
“So, you’d make a hot cougar.”
“Bridget!” Mom gasps. “Stop that.”
“Don’t act so shocked, Mom,” I laugh. “You would think by the look on your face that you’ve thought about it.” I look closer just to mess with her. “Oh my god! You have!”
“I have not, Bridget Paige Carter!”
