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“Are you okay?”
“F-fine,” I croak out as I look up just to see Mrs. Williams observing us with watchful eyes.
“What? It’s a legitimate question. You two have been dancing around each other for way too long. I think it’s time for you to settle down.”
“I…”
Not knowing what to say, I turn to Rebecca for any sign of guidance, but she pointedly ignores my gaze.
“Now’s not the time, Mom. Miguel is busy playing professional football in Austin.”
Pulling her arms back she sits down on the chair next to me and starts piling food on everybody’s plates.
“Nonsense.” Mrs. Williams waves her off. “If you wait for the right time, you’ll always come up short. Perfect time is a phrase for people who aren’t ready to settle down and are looking for excuses.” Those hazel eyes meet mine. “I never thought you were the type of man who needs excuses, Miguel Fernandez. Quite the contrary, actually.”
Although spoken softly, her words are like a kick to my gut. But I don’t know what to tell her. Yes, I’ve always gone after what I wanted, but this was different. Rebecca and I broke up years ago, and as we’ve established recently, this thing between us couldn’t work. Not because we didn’t want it to work but because our lives were just too different.
“Mom,” Rebecca chastises. “Can we all focus on breakfast instead?”
I don’t miss the fact that she didn’t correct her and tell her that we weren’t together. I guess there wasn’t really a point to it. Maybe Rebecca had told her already, and Mrs. Williams just couldn’t remember due to her illness, so she didn’t even try.
Mrs. Williams lifts her hands defensively. “I was just saying.”
After that, we change the subject. Mrs. Williams asks meabout football, so I tell her about how I entered the draft early and about my teammates. She listens intently, a smile playing on her lips, and for the first time, I feel like I belong. Becky’s family always accepted me just the way I was. They never complained about football. Never told me it was a foolish dream I should give up on. Hell, Mrs. Williams attended more of my football games than my own parents did until that last year. I guess that should have been a sign in itself.
Maybe if I paid more attention, I would have noticed something was off with her. But I was too immersed in my studies, too immersed in football and getting that scholarship, too enamored in Rebecca.
Once we finish, Becky gets up and starts collecting the plates, so I do the same. I’m going back for the second batch when I notice Mrs. Williams looking around, a confused expression on her face.
I lean down, trying not to scare her. “Mrs. Williams?”
She jumps slightly, her hazel eyes wide as she clenches her fingers together. “Where is Jackson?”
I blink a few times, thrown off guard by her question. Mr. Williams? Why would she… The realization hits me just as I catch the smile falling from Rebecca’s lips.
“Jackson went out to work,” Rebecca says softly, grabbing a towel to dry her hands. “He’ll be back later.”
Mrs. Williams looks around the room, completely confused. “Work. Right.” Then her eyes land on me, and that scowl is back, but this time, there is no recognition. “And who’re you?”
“I–”
“Are you bringing strange men home again, Gigi?”
Gigi?
Rebecca doesn’t seem the least bit fazed by any of it as she makes her way to her mother. “Miguel is a friend. He’ll be going soon. How about we get you to the living room?” Rebecca gentlyslips her hand under her mother’s arm and helps her to her feet. “You can watch your favorite show.”
Mrs. Williams nods. “Okay.”
I watch as Rebecca leads her mom to the living room, murmuring something softly to her the whole time. My heart hurts watching them like this.
What must it be like? One moment here, like no time has passed, the other gone, back to the past to the point that she doesn’t even remember her own daughter? I couldn’t imagine it. And yet, this has been Rebecca’s life for the last few years.
The TV turns on, soft voices filling the background. Then Rebecca appears in the doorway. Her gaze is fixed on the floor, and I can see her shoulders shake as she lets out a long breath before looking up.
Her eyes meet mine, and for a split second, she looks surprised to see me standing there.
“Is it always like this?” I ask, breaking the silence.
