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“I’m not.” He finishes the beer, his fingers wrapping around the can and squeezing it tightly. “I’m sorry I didn’t do something about this whole situation sooner. I’m sorry that my boys are suffering the loss of their mother. But in all honesty, it was inevitable. Reina and I were never meant to be. I tried. I really did. And in the beginning, it was working, but these last few years…”
His eyes shift forward, a distant expression flashing on his face.
“What are you going to do now? The season is just around the corner.”
“Mrs. Maxwell agreed to move in and stay with the boys while I’m gone, but I’ve made my decision.”
“You’re retiring.”
I could see it on his face, the resolution. No matter what I said, he wouldn’t change his mind.
He nods. “It’s time. My boys need me, and I’m planning to do right by them.” His gaze meets mine. “What areyougoing to do?”
“There is nothing that I can do.”
“Is that so? Or are you just afraid to do what you know needs to be done?”
“I wanted to, dammit. I wanted to ask her to come here with me. But she didn’t let me. Her mom’s sick, and…” I shake my head. “It doesn’t even matter.”
“It clearly does matter because you’re a mess.” I narrow my eyes at him, but he just glares right back. “Don’t even try to denyit. Not to me, Fernandez. The real question is, are you going to give up or find an alternative way to get what you want? Trust me, you’ll regret it if you let your hurt pride get in the way of getting the woman you want, and from what I’ve gathered, this one’s worth keeping.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
REBECCA
“I’m home,” I greet as I enter the foyer.
Making sure the door is locked behind me, I walk down the hallway until I get to the living room and spot Mom sitting on the couch.
“Hey, Becky.”
Turning around, I find Linda standing in the doorway of the kitchen. “How was your day?”
“Good.” I tilt my head to the side. “How is she doing?”
Linda gives me a soft, almost apologetic smile. “The same. She still hasn’t eaten, and when I tried to get her to shower, she started to get agitated, so I figured I’d let her be.”
“Shit.” I run my hand through my hair, pushing it back as I try to reign in my own frustration. “Thanks for trying, Linda.”
“Of course. If you don’t need me anymore, I’ll be on my way.”
“Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Linda gathers her things while I go to the kitchen to find a prepared plate of food in the fridge. Taking it out, I grab one for myself, too, before making my way to the living room.
“Hey there,” I greet as I sit next to her on the couch. “Lindatold me you were here all day. Was there anything interesting on TV?”
The silence stretches for a few moments as I place one plate on the coffee table.
“How about we have dinner together? Linda made this delicious homemade mac and cheese.” I lift the plate so she can see it, but her gaze doesn’t waver.
Dammit.
“Mom, you have to eat something.”
Leaning in, I place my hand on Mom’s knee, giving it a soft squeeze. Her face is expressionless as she stares at the TV unblinkingly. Physically, she might be in the room, but mentally, she wasn’t here. The pressure starts building inside my chest the longer I stare at her.
She’s been completely and utterly absent for the last few days, and it showed. Her face is ashen, skin dry. Her silver hair was a greasy mess falling over her shoulders. She was waning before our eyes, and there was nothing that we could do to stop it. She refused to shower, she refused to eat, and we barely managed to get her to drink a little bit of tea.
