Cash parked outside his mum’s house a few days later. With the European season around the corner, this would be the last time he saw her for a few weeks. He wouldn’t have time to come home between tournaments.

“You’re quiet,” Natalia said as he cut the engine.

He twisted in his seat. “I don’t know how to handle this. What do I tell her?”

“The truth,” Natalia replied simply.

Cash ran a hand over his face and sighed heavily. The previous day, when Mum had finally asked what had happened to Dad, Cash had bottled it, made an excuse, and hurriedly left. But he couldn’t hide from that conversation forever.

He rested his forehead against the steering wheel and closed his eyes. Natalia’s warm hand rubbed soothing circles on his back.

“It’s going to be okay, Cash. It’s natural for your mum to want to know what happened, especially now she’s recovering. You owe it to her to fill in the gaps. Stay true to the facts, answer any questions she has, and just be there for her.”

He raised his head and met her gaze. Her blue eyes were soft and warm as they raked his face, looking for clues to his state of mind.

“You’re pretty smart. You know that?”

“I have my moments,” she said, giving his shoulder a playful nudge. “Now, stop procrastinating, and get your arse inside.”

He grinned to himself as he climbed out of the car.

Gracie greeted them at the front door. “Hey, you guys.” She gave Natalia a brief hug and patted his arm. “Ready?”

“Sure,” he lied.

“Good. Because she’s been bugging me all morning about what time you’re getting here.”

A horrible, sickly feeling grew in his gut. How did he begin to tell his mother he’d killed her husband, his father? He didn’t have a clue. The walls began to close in, his pulse rate firing up.

“Hey.” Natalia’s left hand curved round the back of his neck, and she squeezed.

He kept his gaze averted.

“Hey,” she repeated, more forcefully this time.

Cash lifted his head and stared into her eyes. Gradually, his breathing slowed. “What if she hates me?” he whispered.

He found himself in Natalia’s arms, her embrace tight and firm. His whole body began to relax as she murmured comforting words in his ear. He didn’t know what he’d do if she wasn’t by his side.

“Okay, let’s go.”

He knitted his fingers through Natalia’s and set off towards his mother’s room.

“Maybe you should do this alone, Cash,” Natalia said.

“No,” he said. “I want you with me. I need you with me.”

Her response was to squeeze his hand as he pushed open the door to Mum’s room.

* * *

Tally detached her hand from Cash’s and hung around by the door as he wandered inside. Rachael’s bright smile greeted them both.

“There you are,” she said, holding out her arms.

Cash gave his mother a warm hug before settling into the chair next to the bed. He glanced over at where Tally was still hugging the doorframe. He frowned and cocked his head.

“Tally, come and sit next to me,” Rachael said.

Despite both mother and son clearly wanting her there, she couldn’t help feeling this was a conversation to which she didn’t belong. But as neither seemed to be giving her a choice, she wandered over and gave Rachael a kiss on the cheek.

“You look wonderful,” Tally said. “Sorry that it’s been a few days since I came, but things have been pretty busy workwise.”

“No matter.” Rachael waved her hand dismissively. “You’re here now. So,” she said, fixing her razor-sharp gaze on Cash, “are we having this talk now? Or are you going to keep avoiding the situation?”

Tally glanced at Cash. In the whole time she’d known him, she’d never seen him this nervous. He tucked his chin into his chest, avoiding anyone’s gaze, and his hands were clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned white. As the atmosphere grew tense, Tally had a sudden urge to escape.

“Why don’t I go and make us all a drink?” Tally said. “Leave you to it.”

“No.” Rachael’s hand shot out, her fingers curving around Tally’s wrist. For someone who’d only recently come out of a thirteen-year coma, Rachael’s grip was surprisingly strong. The physio must have been working. “You’re family. And I want you here.”

“So do I,” Cash said, finally lifting his head, his eyes imploring her to stay.

“Okay,” she said, a little stunned at Rachael’s comment about her being family. It made her insides warm, and a fuzzy sensation spread across her skin.

“That’s settled, then,” Rachael said, refocusing her attention on Cash.

He squeezed his eyes shut, but when he opened them, they held a new resolve. Tally hoped confessing to his mother would enable Cash to finally let go of the past. To bury it, along with the terrible guilt he’d carried around all these years.

Rachael reached for Cash’s hand as he began to talk. She didn’t take her eyes off him, and when Cash told her he’d been arrested, her fingers tightened on Tally’s arm, as though Rachael needed the extra support. When he finished, his shoulders sagged, and he bent his head low until Rachael gently lifted his chin.

“Don’t you dare hang your head,” she said.

“I killed him,” Cash said, his voice so quiet Tally had to strain to make out the words. “I’m responsible.”

“You’re responsible for saving my life,” Rachael said firmly. “If you hadn’t done what you did, I wouldn’t be here.”

The tension clawing at Tally’s shoulders evaporated. She could have hugged Rachael. Those simple words were exactly what Cash needed to hear. His hands trembled as he reached for his mother.

“So you forgive me?”

Rachael lifted her hand to his face, her touch soft and exploratory, almost as though she was using the contact to reconnect with the son she’d only known as a child, not the man before her.

“There’s nothing to forgive.” A sob caught in her throat, and her eyes shone with unshed tears. “I’m the one at fault. I’m the reason for everything you had to go through.”

“No.” Cash’s response was emphatic. He pressed Rachael’s hand to his cheek. “You are not to blame.”

“I should have left him,” she whispered, her chin trembling with the effort of keeping her emotions in check.

“He’d have come after you. He never would have let you go. You know that.”

Rachael fell into Cash’s arms, and he held her close, gently rubbing her back as she sobbed, her head buried in his chest. Feeling like an interloper, Tally quietly got to her feet and tiptoed out of the room, leaving mother and son alone.

She wandered into the kitchen and put the kettle on.

“How’d it go?”

Tally glanced over her shoulder to find Gracie leaning against the doorframe, hands tucked into the back pockets of her jeans, her brows pulled low.

“Pretty well, considering. It can’t be easy hearing all that, knowing you weren’t there for your son at a time when he needed you the most.”

Gracie moved into the room and pulled up a chair. “Poor Rachael.”

Tally poured boiling water over instant-coffee granules and passed Gracie a mug. “They’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

When Cash appeared about fifteen minutes later, his eyes were heavy, dark circles creating purple bruises beneath, and his mouth pinched in at the corners. He gave Tally a wan smile and nodded at her mug. “Can I get one of those?”

He sank into a chair, his head flopping backwards almost as if he didn’t have the strength to hold it upright.

Tally put his drink on the table and stood behind him. She rested her hands on his shoulders, massaging the tightly bunched muscles. “How is she?”

“Sleeping. Gracie, would you mind giving us a minute?”

“Of course,” Gracie said. She picked up her coffee and left the room. As soon as they were alone, Cash covered his face with his hands.

A sense of alarm crept over her as she took a seat beside him. “What’s going on, ace?”

He brought his head up slowly. “We’ve got a problem. A major fucking problem.”