His hand moves up to my neck, his thumb resting where he can surely feel my out-of-control pulse. He kisses my forehead. That surprises me because it’s so sweet of a gesture. Is he going to say something or hold me in suspense for the rest of my life?
“We’re making this work, that’s what we’re doing here. You haven’t made any bad decisions and I’ve been able to commit to you so far. We’re doing all the right things.” I think he’s done, but then he says, “And we’re dating, to be clear.” He frowns. “Do you feel like you’re settling, Deanna? Are you not happy being with just me?”
“What? No!” Where would he get that from? “I’m only trying to figure out what we’re doing. I’m meeting your mom, Brayden. That’s huge.”
“So, why are you needing me to explain this in words when clearly my actions speak for me?” He looks utterly confused at this.
“Because I’m a woman and I need to hear things, too.”
He laughs. “Okay. Have you heard enough or do I need to keep talking?”
“I think I’ve heard enough.” I’m tired of talking about it at least.
“Good.” He kisses me so slowly and thoroughly, my head goes dizzy. It’s like I’m drunk in the best of ways when he kisses me. Or maybe I’m high. I’m certainly addicted and I never want to be sober. Brayden distracts me so much with his kiss, makes me feel so good with the soft bite of his teeth, that it takes me until his hand has grasped my breast to even realize his hand moved underneath my shirt.
“What are you doing?” I breathe.
“Reacquainting myself with you.”
I grab his wrist through my shirt. “Are you even allowed?” He only chuckles and moves that talented mouth to my neck. “Your mom is across the hall.”
His sigh is heavy. “Thanks for the reminder.”
“Maryann, Maryann, Maryann, Maryann,” I repeat, causing him to laugh.
“You’re mean. Fine, not tonight.”
Not at all while she’s here. This room isn’t soundproof. Even if it was, it’s a mood killer to know she’s right there! No hanky panky this go-round. Brayden puts his hand in its normal place on my ass, sighs contentedly, and a minute later, he’s sound asleep. I snuggle closer, praying I don’t screw something up while his mom is here.
In the morning, I wake up with my head on Brayden’s chest and a leg thrown over him. When I lift my head, I see that he’s already awake with a slight smile on his face. That has to be a good sign. “How—” His hand suddenly covers my mouth.
“Do not finish that sentence, darlin’. Every morning you ask me that and I haven’t gotten any better. The days were less than stellar. Don’t jinx me today when, you know.” His smile widens, which I’m taking to mean he feels pretty good.
“You’re superstitious?”
“All hockey players are. I’m starting to get superstitious about the question that cannot be asked.”
I giggle.
“Hey, what is your dad doing for Thanksgiving?”
“I asked him yesterday and he said he was going to his brother’s house.” I shrug. He didn’t ask what I was doing for Thanksgiving or if I wanted to come with him. He’s been in his own little world since Mom died. I feel bad for feeling a bit grateful, especially considering how I felt after Mom died.
“Okay, good. If he didn’t have plans, then I was going to say he could come here. Are you working today?”
“Yes. How else are you supposed to spend time with your mom without me around?”
“When are you spending time with her?” he asks.
“Thursday.”
“Do you have some Black Friday thing?”
I shake my head. “We close for the entirety of Thanksgiving Day. My grandma would kill me if we were open on that day for the sake of a sale. She used to say, ‘It’s called Black Friday because it happens on fucking Friday.’ That was a sore subject for her. She had quite the potty mouth, too.”
“I wish I could’ve met her.”
I smile. “Yeah, me too.” With a sigh, I move away from him, toss the sheets away, and get out of bed. “I need to get ready. You stay in bed today and rest.”
“That’s the plan.”
I almost want to roll my eyes when as I’m leaving for the day, I pass Maryann, who is on her way to our bedroom to bring Brayden breakfast. He won’t have to get out of bed unless he needs to go to the bathroom. I better text him and make sure he’s the one who walks Otis. I’m sure Maryann is capable and that Otis will be the most well-behaved dog on the planet, but on the off chance that he isn’t, I’d rather he yank Brayden around than his mother.
My workday goes smoothly. I’m tempted to text Brayden every few hours, but that seems like a bit much. That feels like hovering. Besides, his mother is there taking care of him and making sure he’s resting. I’m sure Brayden is making sure he’s resting. He wants to get back into the game; he won’t do anything to prolong his time away.
As I pull into the driveway, I notice a car pulling in behind me. I step out and see Sylvia stepping out of her car.
“I hope I’m not intruding,” she calls out as she walks toward me. “I thought I’d pop in and check on Brayden since the guys are out of town. I’ve been trying to get here all day and it just hasn’t happened.”
“Well, come on in.”
“How has he been?” she asks while we walk to the front door.
“Okay. Better today, I hope. His mom is here for Thanksgiving, so she’s been keeping him company while I’m at work. Do you always check on guys when they are injured?”
Sylvia shakes her head. “No, but...” Her voice trails off. “Brayden seems like the guy you would want to check on. I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I know he won’t want to be checked on?”
At that I laugh. Otis is right at the door waiting for us. I rub his head, keeping an eye on him to make sure he behaves. The last thing I need him to do is jump on a pregnant lady. He only wags his entire body and nudges her hand when she doesn’t pet him immediately after I’ve loved on him. I guess it’s time to trust him a little more. He behaves. He listens. He’s a good boy.
“Brayden? Maryann?” I call out when I don’t see anyone in the living room or in the kitchen.
“Up here, darlin’!”
We walk upstairs and find them in the bedroom. Brayden lies much in the same place where I left him, only it’s clear he’s changed his clothes. Maryann sits where I normally sleep and it looks as if she’s crocheting something. The TV is on, but it’s muted. Brayden quickly sits up when he sees Sylvia.
“Hey. What are you doing here?” he asks.
“I wanted to check in. Make sure someone was looking after you, but obviously you’re doing fine.”
“Yeah, I am. Oh, Mom, this is Sylvia Boyd. Sylvia, this is my mom, Maryann.”
They wave, but Maryann shocks us all. “Your husband is adorable, by the way.” She winks at Sylvia.
“Mom!” Brayden looks disgusted and perplexed all at once.
“What? I watch your games sometimes. Scott Boyd is a looker.”
Sylvia and I both crack up. “I like her,” Sylvia says.
Maryann smiles. “Thank you. Do you have family you can spend Thanksgiving with?”
“Oh, yes, ma’am. I’ll have a house-full tomorrow. Y’all are welcome to come, if you’d like.”
“Oh, no. We can’t possibly intrude last minute. Plus, I’ve already bought food and it’s probably best for Brayden to rest.” She reaches over to pat his hand.
“Thanks for the invite, Sylvia,” Brayden tells her. “And for checking on me. I think these two have me covered.” He pauses for a second. “There isn’t anything you need, is there? With Scott being gone?”
She waves her hand at him. “No. I’m fine. I have practically an army at my hands waiting to help Lizzy and me, if needed. I’m glad you’re doing okay. I just wanted to check on you.”
He thanks her again and then I walk her out. When I return to the bedroom, it’s only Brayden and he’s texting.
“Where’s your mom?”
“She went to put her things away and to start dinner, I think.”
“How was your day?” I ask as I sit on the edge of his bed by his knees.
“Fine. Thought I was going to make it symptom-free, but didn’t quite get there. Better than yesterday, though.” His attention is on his phone, this thumbs moving every few seconds, and that bugs the hell out of me. He’s always given me his full attention; what gives?
“Who are you texting?”
“Raelynn.”
“Excuse me?” I’m so caught off guard by that answer, that’s all I can manage to say.
He glances up at me. “Mom asking Sylvia made me think of her. EJ just said her only family is Jackson, so I’m texting her to see if she wants to come over tomorrow.”
“Jackson?”
“Her son.”
“Are you sure? You want two kids over here? You can’t even have the volume up on the TV.”
Brayden frowns at me. “She has the option to say no, but I’m at least asking. It’ll be fine.”
I sure hope so. I’m not sure it’s the best idea, but he seems determined. “I’m going to help your mom.” She’s down in the kitchen, fixing dinner. She points me to a pot. “How was he today?” I ask, even though I’ve already asked Brayden.
“Better than yesterday.”
I smile because that’s exactly what he said.
“Do you want to get married one day? Have kids?”
Just like that, my smile disappears. This conversation went from nice to serious in two seconds flat.
“What does Brayden want?” I ask instead.
She chuckles, as if knowing I’m avoiding her questions. “He has what he wants. I want to know what you want.”
“Wait. What do you mean?”
“He’s wanted a woman he could commit to; that’s you. He sees something in you that makes him take the time to be with you and stop thinking about hockey all day every day. The fact that he’s hurt and wants you here? That proves that to me. In his last long relationship, he was injured. I came to visit him. He kicked her out of the house, Deanna. No matter what I said, no matter what she said, he wouldn’t budge.
“All he would say is she interfered with his recovery. It’s still the craziest thing my son has ever done or said. Now, I don’t know what happened before I got here, but he was convinced if he stayed with her, she would ruin his career. Didn’t matter that he supposedly loved her. Didn’t matter that she lived here. He kicked her out. Paid for her to stay in a hotel until she found a place to live. Once he decided she was bad for him, he was done and refused to allow her anywhere near him.”
“He sounds like a jerk,” I interrupt.
Maryann nods, completely agreeing with me. “All he saw was his career and apparently his girlfriend being in the way somehow. I don’t know how. He would never talk about it with me. So, anyway, Brayden currently has what he wants: a woman and a dog. He’s always wanted a dog, but I’d never let him get one when he was younger.”
“Why didn’t he get one when he moved out?”
“He didn’t like the idea of having to rely on a dogsitter so much during the season. Now.” She turns toward me. “What do you want?”
I shrug. I’m not sure that I want to tell her I want someone who doesn’t make me feel as if I’m settling. It seems a bit silly to say such a thing to Maryann. “Someone like Brayden,” I finally say.
“Marriage?”
“I wouldn’t be opposed one day way down the line.”
“Kids?”
This seems like a trick question. Aren’t most people supposed to say yes? I mean, I like kids. They’re cute. But my experience so far has been to hold them for a bit and then return them. That’s all I’ve wanted to do. I don’t know if I want more responsibility than that. Surely she’s hoping for an eventual grandchild, so what am I supposed to say?
“Well?” she pushes. “Do you want kids?”
“Mom, what the fuck are you doing?”
My spine stiffens, even though I’m not the one he’s angry with.
Maryann turns toward him, but I focus on my pot. “Don’t curse at me. I’m only asking her questions about a future. I’m sure you haven’t asked.”
“No, because I haven’t thought of a future.” He still sounds angry, angry enough that I wonder if he realizes what he just said. He hasn’t thought about a future with me at all?
Maryann waves him off. “She isn’t bothered by it, are you, Deanna?”
“I don’t care if she isn’t. I am. Stop it. I came down here to tell you that we’ll have guests tomorrow, a teammates’ nanny, her five-year-old son, and his nine-month-old baby. Behave, Mom.” Brayden’s footsteps are heavy as he walks away without giving her a chance to reply.
Maryann pats my shoulder. “Give him thirty minutes and he’ll realize the mistake in what he said.”
I don’t know what’s worse. The fact that she realized what he said, or the fact that Brayden never does. Now there are two things on my mind. How Brayden doesn’t think of a future with me, which I should be okay with. I haven’t done it either. Why should I be upset that he hasn’t? Maybe because I feel like there is a future for us, whatever that may be, and Brayden’s statement almost made it sound like he thinks the opposite.
And then, I can’t stop thinking about how he suddenly dumped that girl. That’s not what Brayden told me. He said he couldn’t find the balance. Do I need to be worried about getting dumped if he decides I’m too much of a distraction?