Page 116 of Keep Me

She drew her attention to me. A wide smile across her face. This was it.

“I—"

“You did a great job, honey.” A woman pulled Britt into a hug, completely stopping my train of thought.Oh, shit.The hair, the eyes, the smile. There was no denying that was Britt’s mom. “I’m so proud of you. If those networks aren’t clambering for you, then they’re the idiots.”

I stood motionless. Something burned deep in my chest watching their interaction. Was it longing? Or was it happiness that Britt had a support system I’d only dreamed of? Britt’s mom pulled away from her and gave her a comforting smile. So comforting that my heartbeat slowed.

“Thanks, Mom.”

My smile faded. I knew exactly why I was feeling like this. I missed my own mother and although I was starting to put the pieces of my life back together, it would never be the same again. Not without her.

I stepped back, wanting to give them a little privacy, but before I could, Britt’s mom turned to me with a bright smile.

“And you must be Matty, right? Or do you prefer Ben?” She stepped toward me, her arms wide open, expecting a hug. I flicked my gaze to Britt, hoping she’d give me cues on what she wanted me to do.

When she didn’t, I just collapsed into her mom’s open arms and hugged her. Thankfully, any sweat had dried, but it was a clunky and awkward hug, considering the uniform. I glanced at Britt from over her mom’s shoulder, feeling somewhat hesitant as to how to introduce myself. This wasn’t the way I wasexpecting to meet my mother-in-law. I wanted her to like me even if she didn’t know I was married to her daughter.

“I like Matty,” I said as she pulled away and took me in.

“Oh, sorry. Was the hug too much?” I barely felt when she squeezed my arms because of all the padding. “I can’t help it. I feel like I already know you.”

“Oh, yeah?”

Throwing a smirk her daughter’s way before looking at me again, she said, “Britt hasn’t stopped talking about you since freshman year, and I can see why.” Her eyebrows rose as she took me in.

“Mom!” Britt whisper-shouted, knocking her mom with her elbow.

“What? I was referring to his nerves of steel. Performing like that under pressure isn’t easy.”

“Thank you.”

Britt’s cheeks pinked, and the second her eyes connected with mine, she looked away.

“Congratulations on your win tonight. Are any of your family here to celebrate?”

Yeah. Your daughter, and the only person I want to celebrate with.

“No, ma’am. Unfortunately, none of them could make it.”

She slapped me on the shoulder. “Please don’t call me ma’am. That’s almost insulting. I’m Vivianne, and the tall, overly muscular man over there is—”

“Sam Brennon. I, uh, know him.” When she pointed over at the guy in the crowd, I knew exactly who it was. Even in a Covey Wildcats jersey, he couldn’t hide his six-foot-five frame and the obvious cast on his arm.

“Oh, did you meet him when he visited Britt at the start of the semester?”

“No. I, uh, watch a lot of baseball.” I glanced over at Britt, giving her a knowing smile. She was the only reason I started watching the game. I wanted an excuse to hang out with her, and baseball always worked since there are an obscene number of games in one season. With two brothers in the MLB, one of them was always on, which meant I always had an excuse to be around.

“Well, I bet Sam would love to talk with you about it.” She nudged my side, and he came toward me. If he wasn’t already my brother-in-law—albeit, unknowingly—I might be afraid of him. I knew so much about him at this point that it felt like I’d be able to win him over once he realized how in love with his sister I was.

“Why don’t you come to dinner with us?”

“Mom…” Britt looked between her mother and me with pressed lips. “Matty doesn’t want to do that.”

“Why not? You said your family aren’t here, so are you going to celebrate your win with anyone?”

“Uh, no?” I raised my eyebrows toward Britt, who watched me with fascination.

“Well, you can’t kick a game-winning goal and not get cake for it. We’ll celebrate. Don’t worry. It’s nothing fancy. It’s just a little sports bar we love to go to when we visit Britt. Might even be able to catch a glimpse of Max in his game.”

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