Chapter Twelve

That evening, on his way to practice, Alec sat in the Bootleggers’ parking lot and stared straight ahead. There were still twenty minutes before practice and he hadn’t talked to anyone since the news hit this morning. He knew exactly how most people would react. Heath and Kyle would be supportive about his dating Ruby, Coach would tell him to be careful, and Colleen…

Well, Colleen had been texting him all day at various intervals, though he’d done an excellent job of ignoring her. Aside from seeing her name pop up on his notifications, he hadn’t delved into her texts to read any.

Quickly, he glanced at her last text, not wanting to give her any more energy than was necessary. She had texted: Hope you’re happy.

Actually, yes, he wanted to tell her. More than he’d ever been, and things had only gotten started. But so far, he’d gotten Ruby to go out with him, had gotten her into his bed, and both had been part of his dreams. He could only imagine the amazing things to come.

But more important than Colleen was his mother. How could it be that twelve hours had passed since the first website SportsBlog.com had reported about him and Ruby, it’d been shared a thousand times all over Instagram and Twitter, yet Mom hadn’t found out yet?

If he waited any longer, she’d give him an earful.

In the solace of his car, he called his mom and waited. She answered almost immediately. “I was wondering when you’d call me. I’m the last to find everything out, as usual.”

Damn, she’d already heard. Alec winced. “Sorry, it’s been a hectic day.”

“Too hectic to call your mom up and tell her you’ve been dating someone new, I guess.” She sighed. The sounds of pots and pans being shifted around the kitchen sink echoed in the background. No matter how many housekeepers he hired for his mother, the woman insisted on handwashing every night after dinner.

“Mom, why don’t you let Celia do the dishes? I got her so you wouldn’t have to do any manual labor.”

“What’s wrong with manual labor, Alec? I’m not allergic to it. And I’ve told you a thousand times, it gives me something to do. Besides, I let Celia go home early and you’re avoiding my question.”

“Actually, you never asked a question.” He chuckled under his breath. It was his job as her son to give her the hardest time possible, always. “But I did call you before you called me. Don’t I get any points for that?”

Mom’s voice softened. “Well, when you put it that way.” That was the beauty of his relationship with his mom. She would get her beef out right up front then give up the ghost. She could never be mad at him for too long. “So, tell me what’s up, Alec. And please don’t say it’s a publicity stunt, because that would break my heart.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I hope to God you’re really dating that girl, not just pretending to date her to improve your popularity ratings, or my hopes and dreams would be crushed.”

Alec’s jaw nearly dropped. Since when had his mother held an opinion on the matter of Ruby O’Brien? “Wait, you want me to date Ruby?”

“Alec, I’ve never met her, but from everything I hear, she’s exactly the woman you need. Hardworking, no-nonsense…a girl to keep you in line.”

“I-I couldn’t be any more shocked right now,” Alec scoffed, rubbing his chin. “How do you know anything about her if you’ve never met her? I think, in the last twelve months, I’ve maybe mentioned her to you like…three times? And all three have been about how she’s given me hell when I haven’t behaved.”

“Exactly. That was my first clue. Also, several of your teammates’ moms are fond of Ruby. One mentioned she thought Ruby would be perfect for you. I have to use the pieces I’m given, Alec.”

And this was why he could never pull any wool over his mother’s eyes. “Mom, why don’t you have your own private investigation company again? With the way you pry information out of other people… Good God, woman. You and Nana both.”

“Good thing I do, or I’d never know what’s going on with you. About football and other things, sure, but not about your love life.”

It was true. As much as Alec adored his mother and called her on a weekly basis, he never told her about his romantic involvements. She’d been through enough for one lifetime with Alec’s biological father leaving when he was a baby, all the way through his college years, when she struggled financially, sometimes working three jobs just to support him. It just seemed, to him, that his mother wouldn’t want to hear about his personal train wrecks.

Besides, there was never anyone to tell her about. He had never even mentioned Colleen, until he had to, when she told him about the “baby.” And that had made Alec realize he couldn’t marry Colleen. He’d never even invited her to come meet his mother.

“Because there’s never been a love life to talk about.”

“Hmm.”

The sound of water running then his mother sighing seeped into the line. He could tell she was finishing up in the kitchen to get comfortable in her chair where she usually watched a previously recorded Hallmark movie, never on the Sunday when it aired, because Sundays were reserved for watching him on TV.

“So, Ruby O’Brien, huh? Irish, I take it?”

“Irish descent, most likely,” he replied, realizing he’d never asked Ruby. Suddenly, he wanted to find out everything there was to know about her. “With gorgeous red hair and blue eyes.”

“Of course.”

“What do you mean, of course? I’ve never gone out with a redhead before.”

“Yes, you have.”

“When?”

“In pre-K. Sonia Jones had red hair.”

“Mom, Sonia Jones was four years old.”

“She had red hair, Alec. And she was the first girl I could tell you really, really loved, even at that tender age. You would come home and talk nonstop about her, then one day, I found my roses cut right out of the vase. The same ones you had given me for Mother’s Day. But come Monday morning, they became Sonia’s roses.”

Alec threw his head back and laughed. “I did not.”

“Yes, you did.” He heard the smile in his mother’s voice. “And the teacher called me after school to tell me it was sweet what you did, but you really shouldn’t bring anyone roses unless you had enough for all the girls to share.”

“Are you serious?” Alec laughed. “That’s so wrong.”

“And that’s how I knew I had to watch out for redheads. Or girls who loved football, either one. That day, I cried like a baby.”

“Why?”

“Because I knew one day, it’d be for real. Maybe not Sonia, but some day, someone else would steal your heart, and I wasn’t ready for that.”

“No one will ever take your place in my heart, Mom,” Alec replied.

“I know that, Alec. And when the right woman comes along, I won’t mind sharing your heart with her one bit.”

Why hadn’t he ever made that connection with Sonia Jones before? He’d completely forgotten about her being redhead and how much he followed her around the playground, so much that poor Sonia had told her parents, and the next day, Mrs. Brenfeld moved his desk to the other side of the room.

“So, you haven’t been by in over a month,” Mom said, taking him further along on this guilt trip. “I have some things I need your help with, unless you’re too busy for your dear old mom?”

“No, ma’am. Never too busy. I’ll come by this Saturday. What do you need from me?” Alec heard the first whistle blow and knew he had to get going soon or practice would start without him.

“The porch screen is torn in one corner,” she said, “and the dishwasher keeps getting stuck on the same setting. A bunch of things. I have a whole honey-do list for you.”

“I’ll be happy to take care of those, Mom. Listen, I gotta go. Just wanted to be the first to tell you about Ruby, but I guess I failed you. At least I was the first to tell you that it’s real. Not a publicity stunt. Does that get me anything?”

“A knuckle sandwich.” She laughed. “I know, honey. I’m just giving you a hard time. She’s the one, by the way.”

“What?” he asked, shocked that she would make such a proclamation without even knowing her. “The one?”

“Yes. The one, the love of your life…”

“How do you know that?”

“Because,” she said with all-knowing motherness. “You gave Sonia my roses, and now you gave this Ruby my scarf.”

“Your scarf?” He had to think for a minute. Oh, right. The scarf from this morning. The reporters had already posted the pics from this afternoon. “Damn.”

“Damn is right.” She laughed. “And, Alec?”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Bring Ruby on Saturday. I want to meet her.”