Page 83 of Die for You
My brother gives me a playful punch. “Five.”
“And that’sit.” Blaire gives Karter a warning glare. “I’m glad you finally brought Aurora with you, Knox. I’ve been wanting to meet her.”
“I’m glad he did too.” Aurora smiles up at me, squeezing my hand. And I can’t think of a time in my life that I’ve ever been happier.
Karter places Ella into my arms. She’s impossibly small. Her little gummy mouth curls up in a smile, and I grin right back at her.
Aurora watches me hold my niece like she could melt into a puddle at the sight. “Aww, she’s smiling at you.”
“That probably means she’s farting,” Blaire calls. “Or shitting herself.”
Karter nods at me. “Now change my kid’s diaper so you remember to wrap it up.”
Chapter 21
Damien
The new boyfriend’sname is Todd.Todd. What kind of name is that? The name alone makes him a douchebag.
Except he pulls my mom’s chair out for her and puts his black platinum credit card on the table before the waiter’s even brought the check. He smiles at her, gaze glued to her every time she talks, and his eyes don’t stray to a single other woman in the restaurant.
More importantly, my mother leans into his touch and her eyes light up when she looks at him. I’ve never seen her look at a man like that. The way Aurora looks at me. The way I look at her.
Guess he might not be as big of a dick as I figured he’d be. Maybe.
Mom insisted her two favorite men finally sit down for a family dinner. I ordered the most expensive steak and liquor on the menu, and the guy didn’t bat an eye.
“How is Aurora?” Mom smiles, popping a final bite of tiramisu into her mouth before shoving her plate away.
“Great.”
Way better now that we haven’t seen that asshole Jeremiah since the court hearing. I’m not letting my guard down yet—I know better than that. But the new bounce in Aurora’s step andthe easy smile she’s been wearing lately make me hopeful that we’ve started a new chapter, with him far behind us.
“If it’s getting more serious between you two, I want to meet her.” Mom stands and squeezes Todd’s shoulder before she heads for the restroom.
Left with Todd, I lean back in my seat and level my glare at him. He keeps his jovial smile. Not for long.
“So tell me more about this Aurora?—”
“My mother’s one of the few people in this world I give a shit about.” I nod after her retreating back. Despite the low threat underlying my words, Todd’s easygoing expression doesn’t falter. “I play hockey. I can toss grown men across ice. Just remember that.”
Todd lets out a good-natured laugh, resting his forearms on the table. “I’m glad she has a son who cares so much about her.”
I nearly roll my eyes. Bet he is. Bet he was justdelightedwhen he discovered she has a twenty-two-year-old son. “And her son’s got a whole hockey team that would happily follow their captain to prison.”
“Trust me, I’d feel the same way in your shoes. But you don’t need to worry.” He slouches back against his chair, and the easy way he talks makes me think I might actually believe him. “I’d rather hurt myself than her. Your mother is...very important to me.”
I drop my elbows onto the table. “Relax, Shakespeare. I don’t need you waxing poetic. She’s my mother.”
He might not be writing her love letters or sonnets, but if the guy’s half as decent as he seems, I might not have to kill him.
My mother returns, and he stands to pull out her chair again. I make a mental note to ask her if he’s always like this or if he’s putting on a show. She doesn’t seem surprised, though. More like she expects the princess treatment from him now.Maybe she’s finally found someone who can love her the way she deserves.
Maybe we both have.
Though I’m not sure how long what I have with Aurora will last. Graduation is looming, and then what? She’ll head for Juilliard and forget all about me. Maybe she’ll realize when she’s gone that I’m not enough for her. Maybe she’ll still want Knox and Finn. Or maybe she won’t want any of us anymore.
“So what did you two talk about while I was gone?” Mom smiles at us until her attention is drawn to the chair at my side, where someone tugs it from the table.
