After calling Yvonne, Gabi, and Shannon the day after Yvonne's parents' house was shot at by Tigres and making sure they were all okay, Lena walked into the living room at Wayne's house and was intercepted by Mrs. Bowers. She held the plastic Rubbermaid bin she carried tighter. Thad was only going to be gone an hour, and she'd decided to do laundry to speed up the time until he got home.

But everywhere she turned in the house, Thad's mom was trying to help her.

"I've got it." Lena smiled to soften her refusal. "It won't take me long to fold the clothes."

"We can do it together." Mrs. Bowers walked beside her to the couch. "That way when Thaddeus and his dad get back, you don't have any chores to do."

Thad had gone with his dad, taking his father's truck, to pick up more of her clothes at her house. She'd wanted to go with to pick out the belongings she needed, but Thad wanted her to stay at his house. Considering he'd been laying on top of her with his cock between her legs when he'd made that request, she hadn't put up much of an argument.

She set the tub beside the couch and stepped around it when her stomach rolled and rebelled. Covering her mouth, she ran up the stairs and into the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet in time to lose the contents of the breakfast she'd consumed.

Left gagging, she spit the burning acid that came up in her throat. Looking away from the toilet bowl, she flushed. Breathing through her nose, she tilted her head back and tried to calm her irritated stomach. She could no longer ignore how badly she was handling the stress. Her stomach had felt queasy the last couple of days. Though she hadn't thrown up before.

She washed her hands and face, brushed her teeth, and returned downstairs. Mrs. Bowers studied her with a frown. She took up her seat on the couch and joined in on folding the last few articles of clothing. A mix of her jeans and Thad's shirts, since he said he didn't worry about sorting colors.

"Did Thaddeus ever tell you he never graduated high school?" asked Mrs. Bowers.

Lena paused in folding one of Thad's shirt. Every question his mom asked caught her off guard. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to answer or if she was supposed to be judging Thad's decisions. It was as if Mrs. Bowers was trying to give her a crash course in everything Thad.

"No, he never mentioned it." She folded the arms of the shirt and then folded the body in half.

"Well, he got his certificate early. I think it was two weeks before the last day of school if I remember right. Of course, I never found that out until afterward." Mrs. Bowers shook her head and smiled. "I was so upset with him at the time. He never mentioned not going to graduation to his father or me, and since he had turned eighteen years old a month before that, the school never called me, because he was an adult. Anyway, his dad and I showed up at graduation, ready to cheer him on to his adult life, and they didn't even call out his name to walk up to the podium to receive his diploma."

She held Thad's jeans on her lap. "Why didn't he go?"

"Because of Wayne." Mrs. Bowers clicked her tongue and grabbed another article of clothing. "Wayne was short two credits. They offered to let him do a report...I can't remember what class it was for or what the whole story was, but Wayne had never liked school. He had a hard time studying once he hit high school. So, when he found out he was behind, he simply refused to do the make-up work and walked out of school without graduating. The same day, Thaddeus, Chuck, Glen, and Rich strolled into the office together and asked if they had enough credits to graduate. They did, so they made the decision not to participate in graduation. If Wayne wasn't going to be there, they weren't going to be there."

Lena folded the jeans. She'd attended her graduation alone. There was no one to send out invitations too, and her mom and brother never went. Not that she asked them. For her, graduation was only a way to get a piece of paper so she could move out and find a job.

"He'll never know how proud we were of him for making that decision. Even at that young age, he cared more about his friend than if he followed the crowd. I don't think a day has gone by in the last four decades where Thaddeus hasn't been with his friends." Mrs. Bowers laughed. "Biker buddies. That's what I call them. I know they all want me to stop, but I remember them as little boys. It's my right to tease them. I feel like they're all my sons. If it wasn't for them, I don't know where I would be right now..."

"Because of losing your daughter?" She'd never broached the subject of Thalia with Thad's mom. It was a touchy subject, but she sensed the story about not graduating was more for Mrs. Bowers than for her.

"I wanted to give up after what happened with my daughter, and those boys wouldn't allow it. They were angels who took turns staying at the house. They were all adults, at the time, but they rolled out their sleeping bags in the family room like they were having a sleepover. It didn't matter if I got up in the middle of the night when everyone was sleeping and walked the floors, wanting my daughter back. There would be Thaddeus or Wayne or Chuck or Glen or Rich." Mrs. Bowers sighed and smiled sadly. "It's been twenty- five years since that time, and do you know each one of those boys checks up on me at least once a week?"

Lena swallowed, emotions clogging her throat.

"The best part is they talk about Thalia." Mrs. Bowers voice broke, and she looked away. "Nobody else talks about her anymore."

Lena reached out and squeezed Mrs. Bowers hand. She had nothing to say because she hadn't known Thalia and she couldn't understand a mother's love for her daughter.

Mrs. Bowers looked at Lena. "You remind me of when Thalia was alive."

"How so?"

Thad's mom smiled and shook her head slowly in wonder. "My son's eyes are brighter, more excited about life, again. That's something I wasn't sure would ever happen, and I've been praying every day to see that happiness for life return to him before I'm gone."

Lena's stomach clenched. Afraid she was going to be sick again, she excused herself, claiming to need a drink of water. In the kitchen, she held on to the edge of the counter and closed her eyes as the wave of nausea passed. She was responsible for Thad's happiness?

What was she supposed to do with that information? She couldn't have him depending on her or...or relying on her to make him happy. She didn't possess the skills or experience. Their relationship wasn't meant to last forever.

Her nose tickled. She sniffed and realized tears were falling down her face. Frantically, she brushed the wetness away, unable to remember the last time she'd cried. Then, it hit her that she wasn't crying because of Mrs. Bowers sorrow or Thad's returned happiness, but that she was afraid of losing it all.

Thad.

His parents.

Notus Motorcycle Club.

Clara, Gracie, Ingrid.

The people she didn't even know but were in Thad's life.

The chaos. The quiet times. The security.

A gentle hand landed on her back, and a soft voice said, "Oh, honey, I didn't mean to upset you."

Lena covered her mouth, trapping the sob that came from the comfort Thad's mom offered. A mother's comfort. A comfort she must've wanted some time in her life but had forgotten, and never received.

She turned, and Mrs. Bowers wrapped her arms around her. She couldn't push her away. She couldn't tell her to go. She couldn't stop the feelings consuming her.

Her legs weakened. The next thing she knew, Mrs. Bowers was lowering her to the floor. She couldn't leave because Thad's mom stayed with her. Mrs. Bowers held her on the kitchen floor as if it was the most normal thing to watch her son's girlfriend completely lose it.

She pulled her knees up to her chest, and her head landed in Mrs. Bower's lap. Gentle fingers combed through her hair soothingly, and a soft voice murmured telling her it was all right. That she'd be okay. That Thad loved her.

Was it all right?

Was she okay?

Did Thad love her?

How was she supposed to know if everything Mrs. Bowers claimed was true? She had no way of knowing.

Her mother was dying or could already be dead. She had no idea who her father was but fantasized over a picture of a man she didn't know. She was always on the outside of other people's families looking in at what was supposed to be normal.

And yet, the woman holding her had brought her inside and let her touch how normal people depended on each other. How they looked out for one another. How life was better being loved.

And, while she clung to what Mrs. Bower's gave her, she realized she wanted a family. A normal family. Thad's family.

"Sh...it's okay..." Mrs. Bowers stroked her hair. "You're going to be okay, Lena."

She squeezed her eyes closed, and her chin trembled. She was weak, and Thad's mom hadn't pushed her away. Mrs. Bowers gave her permission to not be okay, and that acceptance was the most pleasurable experience she'd ever had.

"I'm sorry," Lena whispered. "I don't mean to—"

"Don't ever apologize for being human." Mrs. Bowers laughed softly. "Lord, I can't even count the times I cried through my life."

"I didn't think I could." She sniffed, staying in Thad's mom's lap.

Mrs. Bower's hand paused atop Lena's head before caressing her again. "Maybe, that's something Thad has given you in return for making him happy. Sometimes, it's good to feel and let all your emotions out, and not just the happy ones."

Mrs. Bower's voice had changed as she talked. Lena opened her eyes, blinking against the brightness of the light in the kitchen, and found Thad standing at the entrance of the room. He stared at her intently, possessively, as if he'd battle his own mother if he thought Lena was being hurt.

She pushed up to a sitting position on the floor. "I'm okay."

"I can see that," mumbled Thad, glancing at his mom. "Mom, can you give us a few minutes?"

Mrs. Bowers squeezed Lena's hand and pulled herself to her feet using the kitchen cabinet. Lena inhaled deeply and wiped her face with her hands, embarrassed and ashamed of her behavior.

Thad lowered himself to the floor on a groan and pulled her back against his chest, wrapping his arms around her and taking his mother's place. For several minutes, he simply held her, and she wondered how she ended up here, with them, going through things she never imagined.

Her stomach calmed. Today hadn't turned out like she'd imagined.

"I am going to apologize to your mom for how I behaved," she said.

He squeezed her. "You did nothing wrong, and she can handle whatever happens between you two. Everything is catching up with you and Mom was here. I'm glad she was here for you."

"I am, too," she whispered. "I've never..."

"You've never what?"

She leaned her head against his chest. Unable to see Thad's judgment of her, she said, "I've never had someone comfort me the way your mom had. It's...nice."

Thad kissed the top of her head. "Mom is going to love you, too."

She blinked extra-long and swallowed. Thad never said he loved her. He always said he was going to love her. Now, he offered his mom to her.

"I better get off your floor." She needed to move to keep herself from getting her hopes up about the future. It was too tempting to believe everything that Thad said and take a chance that life with him could be exactly like he claimed.