Chapter 15

Joey stood with her parents at Brandon’s soccer game Saturday afternoon. Near them, she saw Del and her family. Big Mike and his parents. Had to be his father because the man was a carbon copy of Mike and little Colin. And then Del’s father and her brother, J.T. A nice guy, handsome and again big, like the rest of the men in Del’s life.

Joey looked at her father, a small man. A professional, even in repose. Her father looked old to her, his brown hair slightly gray, his loafers, khaki pants and rolled up blue oxford sleeves screaming white collar even at a kid’s soccer game.

In fact, many of the attendees at the game reminded her of her dad. He talked to a few friends they saw regularly and laughed at something one of the other grandfathers said. Dressed in high-end outdoor clothing and cheering politely for their grandchildren, they looked like ads for an L.L.Bean spring collection.

Unlike Del and her family, rooting loudly, being reminded not to swear, and wearing jeans and sneakers and sweatshirts.

A lot like Joey.

“Excuse me. I’m going to go say hi to some friends,” she said to her mom.

Amy blinked, looked over at Del, and smiled. “Oh sure, sweetie. Tell Colin’s mom and dad I said hi.”

Joey nodded. She walked over to Del and saw the other woman smile.

“Hey, Joey. Did you see that assist Brandon made? Nice.” She held up a hand, and Joey slapped it. Then she started talking plays and strategies, which her husband and brother kept interrupting.

Lively, fun, and real. Being with this group of people and away from the picture-perfect-yet-anything-but family she called her own, she found herself wishing Lou could have been there to share in the moment. He’d have laughed, said stuff in Spanish she couldn’t understand. They’d stand arm in arm, like Mike and Del, and he’d cheer when Brandon—

“Earth to Joey. You in there?” J.T. asked, grinning. The hot man who was Del’s brother always put her at ease despite the fact he had a habit of looking her over like she was a prime filet.

“Sorry. Woolgathering.” She glanced at her parents. “It’s boring over there. I like it over here much better.”

“Well, shit. That was a foul!” Colin’s grandfather roared.

Next to him, his girlfriend Sophie, a pretty woman with white hair, yanked him by the arm. “Liam, language.” She nodded at the small children nearby watching him with wide eyes.

Liam flushed. “Sorry. I mean, shoot! Call the foul!”

Sophie rolled her eyes.

J.T. chuckled. “Dad really gets into the games. You should have seen me playing football as a kid. Man, he was brutal.”

“I can see you playing football.” She eyed his wide shoulders, big hands, and thick thighs. “Why is every guy who knows Del a giant with huge arms?”

J.T. shrugged. “Except for Mike, you mean?”

Mike glanced over, gave J.T. a subtle finger, then turned back to the game.

Joey couldn’t help laughing.

“No idea. My sister is badass with a capital B.” J.T. leaned closer and murmured, “I’d call her a badass bitch, with love, you know, but she’d probably rip off my arm and beat me to death with it. She’s the mean one in our family.”

Joey nodded. “I can believe it. She scared me during the wedding planning. Man, when she changes her mind about irises, she means it.”

Del narrowed her eyes at the pair, and Joey pasted on a bright smile and waved. J.T. did the same and chuckled when Del pointed to her eyes, then to him as if to say, I’m watching you.

“So, Joey,” J.T. drawled. “What’s this I hear about you and Lou being a thing?”

She’d known the topic would come up at some point. Her worlds colliding. Brandon on the soccer field, Lou working with the people on the sidelines. Joey sighed. Not like she was hiding Brandon, exactly. Sort of. Maybe a little.

“We’re kind of dating. Just casually.”

“Liar.” J.T. grinned when her eyes widened. “Dude is into you. We all know it. The Casanova of the garage had his heart handed to him by a—”

“If you say ‘flower chick,’ I might belt you.”

“Petite, feminine flower. How’s that?”

She groaned.

He laughed. “Anyway, the guy is gone for you. So why isn’t he here? He blow you off or something?”

The word blow conjured images from the last time she’d seen Lou, so she focused her gaze on the field and her son, hoping J.T. wouldn’t notice her heated cheeks. “We aren’t joined at the hip, J.T.”

“I’m pretty sure he’d like to be. Has he met Brandon yet?”

“Are you this chatty with all the people you don’t know that well?” she snapped, nerves making her obnoxious.

But J.T. only grinned. “That’s a no then. You afraid he’ll bolt if he knows you have a kid?”

“This is your business why?”

He laughed. “I like you, Joey. But I like Lou too. He’s into you pretty hard.”

She didn’t know about that, and she sure didn’t think Lou would like his buddy telling her about his feelings. “He and I are friends. But Brandon is my son. I don’t introduce him to every man I date. It’s no one’s business but mine that I have a child.” True, yet… “And it’s not like I’m hiding him. He plays with Colin. He’s here in plain view of—” Oh. My. God. More stress she didn’t need.

“What?”

“N-never mind. The point is my relationship with Lou is just fine. When and if we talk about my son has nothing to do with you.”

“Put in my place. Damn, girl. You’re a lot tougher than you look.” He seemed approving, not put off at all. Men. Such a puzzle. His phone jingled. “Sorry, gotta take this.” He stepped away and talked to someone about a tattoo.

Which gave her time to process the fact that she’d seen Felix standing in the parking lot, watching the soccer game. He stared at her when they locked gazes, but he didn’t leave. His presence here, now, meant that conversation with him she’d hoped to avoid would have to happen.

But unlike in the past, Joey wouldn’t let anyone badger her into anything. Not sex, not a warm welcome, and not a free pass to the son he’d signed away his rights to. Joey had a young boy to protect, and she wouldn’t let anything—or anyone—stand in her way. She walked from the crowded game toward the lot, saw Felix straighten, and hurried her step. Time to get this one issue out of the way for good.

* * *

J.T. watched Joey Reeves hightail it off the field toward the parking lot. Must have forgotten something in her car. He turned back to the field in time to watch Colin dribble around some boy and nail a pass to his teammate waiting in front of the goal. “Nice one.”

“Hey, asswipe, I’m talking to you,” Lou growled over the phone.

“Sorry. Colin just made a beautiful pass.”

“Oh. You at the game?”

“Yeah.”

“So why are you talking to me then? Enjoy your nephew’s soccer game.”

“I am. I can still talk business.” J.T. wanted badly to mention Joey, but he didn’t want to do anything to ruin Lou’s shot at love. Because he knew the guy, and in all the years they’d been friends, Lou had dated. A lot. But never had he acted lovesick about any of the women he’d been with. Never worn that stupid grin, been mooning about a woman and daydreaming at work. Or been so focused on a chick for this long. For months the guy had been beside himself trying to get Joey’s notice. Yet now that he was dating her, had most likely already had sex with her, Lou seemed in no rush to cut her loose.

“So I’m thinking I’m ready to tattoo my right arm. Same as the left, but with the drawing I made to accompany the vines.”

“Uh-huh.” J.T. glanced at the lot. No sign of Joey. She’d better hurry or she’d miss halftime, when the second-grade tumbling team gave a brief show. “So this tattoo wouldn’t be a picture of a certain flower chick, would it? Or her name or anything?”

Lou laughed. “Hell no. That’s the kiss of death. A woman’s name on your arm practically guarantees she dumps you soon after.” Fortunately, Lou hadn’t completely lost his mind. “But I am thinking about getting a flower. To go with the rose on my chest. But not a rose, something different.”

“A flower?” J.T. shook his head.

“This has nothing to do with Joey, damn it.” Lou sighed. “Don’t be a pain in the ass.”

“Bring me the sketch. I’ll do it if I approve.”

“Fuck you.”

J.T. laughed. “Kidding, man. Chill.” He watched as the other team scored. That had to hurt. Colin looked furious. “So what’s up with you and Joey anyway? You seem kind of serious about her.”

“I am.” Lou sounded weirded out. “She’s so sweet. Gentle.” J.T. didn’t know about that. “Different from the women I’m used to. She fits me, man.”

Oh boy. “But you’re a lone wolf. El lobo single-o.”

“You’re so sad. First of all, ‘lone’ is solitario. But we don’t use ‘lone wolf’ in Spanish. You’d say un soltero. Gringo.”

“Yeah, that. Somehow I see Joey with a passel of kids.” At least one of them a boy. “Think she’d be happy being Lou’s woman, no kids, no attachments?”

“Hey. I’m attached to my family. You’ve met them. All twenty-five of us,” he muttered.

“Twenty-six. You always forget Chavela’s youngest.” J.T. grinned. He loved Lou’s family. So many pretty ladies, and they all thought him finer than fine.

“Yeah, well, Tía Chavela’s youngest is twenty-one, player. Keep it in your pants.”

“Lou, you wound me.” He laughed at the fast-and-furious swear words coming his way. “Just something to think about with Joey. She’s cool, man. We all like her.”

“So do I.” Lou paused. “Not to change the subject, but did you talk to Heller lately?”

“No, why?”

Lou told him about Heller’s mom dying.

“Shit. That’s so sad. I’ll call him.”

“Good. I was going to stop by the shop later today, because knowing him, he’s working.”

“Sounds about right. I’ll stop in too. Around three.”

“Good. See you then.” Lou disconnected before J.T. could razz him more about Joey.

Poor Heller. J.T. liked the guy a lot. Heller had always been close to his mom, a giant of a woman with a heart as big. So nice, and she kept her husband Carl in line. Probably the reason Heller hadn’t killed the guy yet. Such an asshole. J.T. wondered if Heller had had to deal with his old man yet about arrangements for the funeral.

Hell. He tried calling Heller and got his voicemail. Halftime started, distracting him, and he watched a bunch of little kids rolling over the ground and each other, much to their parents’ enthusiastic laughter and applause.

Being around all this family crap gave J.T. the warm and fuzzies. Seeing his sister so happy was the best thing ever. Yeah, he could handle the McCauleys. A great family who treated Del like she belonged. To his surprise, they treated him the same way. None of them seemed to care that his dead mom had been black, that he owned a tattoo parlor, or that he and his family were a lot less well-off than the McCauleys.

Nonjudgmental and nice as shit. Just what his sister needed. His father too. He glanced at Liam, who fairly glowed with contentment next to Sophie Ayers.

J.T. had a huge mom-crush on Sophie. She’d never had kids and now treated him like a son. He had a feeling his dad might be gearing up to propose to the woman, but Liam was no doubt afraid she wouldn’t have him.

J.T. snorted. Liam was turning into a real pussy. Time to handle his business before a fine woman like Sophie left his ass for someone who’d pop the question.

He joined his dad and Sophie and wrapped an arm around her slender shoulders. “Hey, Miss Sophie. When are you going to drop my dad and consider a younger, sexier man?” He waggled his brows.

She blushed. “Stop it, J.T.”

“Don’t be an ass,” Liam growled, but his father had a sparkle in his eye. “My Sophie is plenty happy with me. She knows I worship the ground she walks on.”

Sophie smiled. “That’s true.”

Over her head, J.T. mouthed, “What about a ring?” and lifted his arm, pointing at his ring finger.

His dad turned red.

“Liam?”

Liam gently extricated Sophie from under J.T.’s arm and tugged her closer to him, putting a proprietary arm around her. “Ignore him, Sophie. All those paint fumes going to his head.”

“Paint fumes? I paint people, not cars.”

Sophie frowned. “Ignore what about him? He’s just teasing, Liam. I highly doubt J.T. plans to get you out of the way so we can date. He’s not my type anyway.”

J.T. saw her fighting a smile and acted offended. “Oh? What? I’m too handsome for you?”

“Yes. I like my men rougher around the edges.”

Liam preened. Only his father would take that as a compliment. “Yeah. I’m rough. No pretty boy like my son.”

J.T. rolled his eyes. “Get a room, you two.”

They laughed, as did the older McCauleys, who’d apparently been paying attention to the pair. Beth waved J.T. over, then whispered, “Do you think he might propose?”

J.T. might have made a slight error in judgment, teasing his dad about a ring. Then again, he liked Sophie. His father loved her, and the old man wasn’t getting any younger. Time for him to find happiness again. “I don’t know. But I’m all for it. Sophie’s great.”

Beth beamed. “My baby sister, married.”

“Well, now, let’s not jinx it, honey,” James, her husband, cautioned. “If Liam’s anything like me, he’ll need to go at his own pace.” Then he glanced at J.T. and smirked. “But nothing says we can’t help get him there before the next century.”

J.T. grinned. He noticed Del and Mike arguing over a call, the boys taking the field again, but no Joey. Hmm. Now where had she gotten off to?

* * *

Joey’s pulse raced as she stared at the face that’d meant so much to her so long ago, and now…nothing. “Felix.”

Still blond and blue eyed, still oh so easy on the eyes. He had filled out in the nine years since she’d seen him last. Now twenty-six, a grown man, no longer a scared teenager. She wondered if he still did everything his mother said. Not making the Rogers name look bad had been all Gina Rogers had cared about back then. A congressman’s wife who’d had her eye set on a Senate seat. And now that her husband had it, she’d apparently been right to keep her son from his own child.

“Joey.” He smiled, his gaze warm. “It’s great to see you again.”

“What do you want, Felix?” Polite but firm and uninviting. Just the tone she’d been hoping for.

His smile left him, and he swallowed. He seemed…nervous? Very unlike the captain of the football team, prom king, and student council president of long ago.

“It must be a shock to see me again.”

She said nothing, knowing she was missing her son’s soccer game. Wanting this to be over so she could go back to her life.

“I’m back in the city now. For good.”

“And?”

He sighed. “And I wanted to talk to you. About…Brandon.”

She hated hearing her son’s name on his lips. “What about him? You signed your rights away a long time ago. Remember? Right before we broke up and you pretended I’d never existed.” She wanted to punch him, the old hurt swimming back despite the dam she’d made to keep the past in the past.

“I’m so sorry.” He took a deep breath and let it out, running a nervous hand through this hair. The familiar gesture upset her, because she still knew that much about him. “So much that happened back then was a mistake. Not you or Brandon,” he said quickly. “I meant letting my mother muddle my thinking. Letting her and my father tell me what to do.”

“It’s over with. You’re back. Okay. Are you done?”

He frowned. “No. I’m not. I want to meet him.”

“Who?” She knew damn well who. Her palms were sweating. None of this should be happening. He’d said he’d stay away. He’d signed official documents to that effect.

“This isn’t the time or place. I just wanted to see him again. But I should have called you, set up a time for us to talk without him around.” He looked over her shoulder, and she knew he was watching her—not their—son play. “Can we meet and talk later? Maybe tonight?” He handed her a card. “Here’s my number.”

She crushed the card in her fist. “I’m busy tonight.” Spending time with my son.

“Then later this week?” He looked determined. “Putting me off won’t make me go away. I need to talk to you, to explain things.”

“I thought you explained them just fine when you agreed I was a whore who’d tried to trap you with a baby. Remember?”

He flushed. God, why was she saying all these things? She thought she’d gotten past it all.

“Please, Joey,” he said quietly. “This isn’t about you and me. It’s about Brandon. Our son.”

Rage filled her. All the sacrifices she’d made while he’d partied and gone off to school, getting his dream job, his dream wedding. Everything she’d had to endure as a female of “loose morals and standing” while the boy who’d browbeaten her into giving up her virginity had come out the hero. What a crock of shit.

“You know what? I want to be mature about this,” she said, her voice even, doing her best to keep it together. “I want to be a good mother. Do you know what I told my son about his father when he asked?”

Felix looked pained as he shook his head.

“I told him his father was sick. Because only a very sick person could deny his child. You didn’t want him back then.” She pointed at him, dying to sink her finger into his chest, his skull. “You threw him away.” Her eyes blurred. “You hurt me, and I could have gotten over that. But you threw him away too. None of it was his fault. So you took your moneyed, entitled ass away to school and didn’t give ‘your’ son a second thought. I bathed him. I changed him. I fed him. I paid for it all and never got a moment’s peace because my family was always there to remind me of what a mistake I’d made. But I have a precious little boy because of it. Me, not you. You signed away your rights years ago. And you got off scot-free. No money, no responsibility.” She did poke him then; she couldn’t help it. “That’s the way you wanted it. I played it your way a long time ago.”

She poked him again. And it felt so good. “Felix?”

“Yes?”

“Fuck off. He’s my son. Not yours.”

He looked shocked at the end, but she felt too scared and elated to care.

Except as she walked away, she heard him loud and clear and knew it wasn’t over.

“Not the way I wanted it, Joey. Not at all.”

She hurried back onto the field, praying he’d leave. She was shaking, and she hated that she’d let him get to her. Felix Rogers, golden athlete, Mr. Popular. She’d been right there with him through his senior year. Then she’d quietly dropped out of school to have and raise his baby while he’d pretended nothing had happened. The student body still treated him like a god while she’d been designated the school whore.

Hell. The only reason she’d slept with the boy she’d thought she’d loved was because he’d kept pressuring her. She’d wanted to wait, but Felix had wanted more. And truth be told, their kissing and heavy petting had been exciting.

She watched Brandon, now playing on defense, deflect a shot at goal with a nice kick back to his offensive line. He turned to wave at her, to make sure she’d seen, and she waved back, her thoughts a tangled mess.

That blond hair. Just like his fath—like Felix.

In her defense, she hadn’t been a complete idiot to date Felix. Back in the day, Felix had been a real keeper. He’d been polite to her parents, gorgeous, so nice and fun to be around. Everyone liked him, and it hadn’t hurt that his father was on the rise in politics or that they came from money. Not that she’d cared one iota about his family’s finances. But it had been interesting to note an unspoiled, caring rich kid for once. Until he’d knocked her up and reverted to type.

For six months they’d dated. She’d been a sophomore, he a senior. She’d been in love. He’d been so great to be with, and she’d thought he’d loved her too. He’d been her first, but the sex had been lacking. At least for her. Felix must have known he’d been a dud, because he’d been skittish about having sex again after that. They’d continued being boyfriend and girlfriend, and he’d treated her like gold.

Until she’d missed her period. The pregnancy test proved positive. He was scared, wanted her to have an abortion. But she couldn’t do it. She’d loved Felix, and though it was much earlier than she’d hoped to have a child, she wanted the baby. Then before she knew it, he was out of her life, she was out of his and out of school not two months later.

It being high school, everyone knew her business and started taking sides about who had done what. She’d tried to trap him with a baby. She was a whore. Half the football team had done her. Through it all, Felix remained tight-lipped. Never saying a bad word about her, but not saying a good word either. She’d tried talking to him until his mother had point-blank told her to go away and never come back.

She couldn’t remember whose idea it had been to sign away Felix’s rights to the baby, but in any case, he’d signed the paperwork. Refused to look her in the eye and broke her heart all over again. Not wanting her? Crushing. Not wanting his own child? A true blow to her already-fragile heart.

And now he thought he could just come walking back into her life, into her son’s life? Fuck him.

The f-word blazed like a torch. Her parents, J.T., even Del asked her what was the matter, but she just smiled through her teeth and lied about an unhappy customer she had to deal with. There was time enough to factor Felix into the equation. But she needed to make sure she protected Brandon first and foremost.

After his game, she took him out for ice cream, alone, having promised her parents they’d join them soon enough. In the ice-cream parlor, she constantly looked around to make sure Felix wasn’t near.

“Mom?” Brandon eyed her with puzzlement. “Are you okay?”

She laughed, forcing herself to act normally. “I’m fine, sweetie. Just got word of an unhappy customer from Tonya at work.”

“Oh. Here.” He pushed the cup of rainbow sherbet at her. “Have some of this. You’ll feel much better.”

She looked from his smiling face to the sherbet and felt the tears form. “I love you so much, you know that?”

He flushed. “Aw, Mom. Stop being mushy. You can have it all if you want.”

“No. Just a taste.” She took a bite from his spoon, then handed him back the treat.

And as she sat waiting for him to finish, she wished she had Lou to lean on. His powerful presence seemed like a shield against all things bad. After all, she’d felt nothing but good around him since accepting him into her bed, into her body.

And into her heart?

Oh God. Not now. She could barely handle dealing with Felix.

Yeah. Fuck you. So clever. She groaned. All the F-you’s in the world wouldn’t keep the senator’s son from her door. She should know better. Despite her poor taste in ex-boyfriends, she had a head on her shoulders.

If she wanted to deal with Felix, she needed to take control. Figure out what he really wanted, talk to him like a mature adult, and handle this. Before he took it upon himself to intrude on Brandon’s life. She put her hand in her pocket, fingering his crumpled business card.

Of course he’d become a successful lawyer. Money, looks, charm, and he wanted his son.

But if he could give Brandon the male support—not financial but emotional—of a father Brandon lacked, wasn’t that more important than hurt feelings? So long as Felix didn’t treat Brandon like dirt or change his mind about wanting him after meeting him. Then she could and would kick him so hard, he’d never sit down again without regretting his treatment of her boy. And she’d laugh about it.

Right. Okay, that was what a good mom would do.

She nodded, her mind made up. “Brandon, time to go. I have a few things to do. And I think you and Grandma need some bonding time.”

He grinned. “She’s going to take me bowling. If I win, I get five dollars.”

“A sucker’s bet. You know Grandma is in a league.” She shook her head.

He started crying, right there in the shop, and she gaped. “Brandon?”

The tears dried up, and he laughed. “Ha! See? Colin taught me that. Now when she wins, I’ll just cry, and she’ll buy me pizza. Maybe even beer.”

Joey couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, con man. You try that. Let me know how it turns out for you.” Because even her real tears hadn’t been enough to get her mother to forgive her, not for a very long time.

“I’m so sad. Forever crying and crying… Oh no…” Brandon sputtered and tried to cry again. But his tears had dried up.

She snorted. “Come on, Brando. Time to go home.”

“Who?”

The Xbox generation. She sighed. “Never mind. Grab your coat.”