Page 93 of Your Biggest Downfall
“You didn’t tell her I was coming?” Nova whispered harshly.
“Nope.” It was easier if I ripped the Band-Aid off all at once, or at least that’s what I was telling myself.
“Fuck,” she murmured and then turned around with the biggest smile on her face. “Hi, Mrs. Cole. It’s so nice to see you guys again.”
Mom pulled Nova into a hug and then turned to me. “Hi, son.”
“Hi, Mama,” I said, and she grabbed me and burst into tears. “No need to cry. I’m here now.” I ground my teeth as I spoke words I didn’t even believe.
“I’m sorry I haven’t come to see you,” my mom cried.
Too fucking late.
It had been over a week since I’d been back, and she’d made no effort to reach out, aside from inviting me to this dinner.
“I’m here now,” I repeated, the words hollow in my mouth.
It felt like I was always the one taking care of my mother, who acted more like a child. I had to manage her emotions, always catering to everyone else while no one did the same for me.
But then I saw a glint of dark brown hair in the corner of my eye and the most genuine smile that caught my attention as I pulled away from my mom.
No one truly cared for meexceptNova.
“Can we go inside? I don’t want anyone taking pictures out here,” I said.
Mom nodded, and we followed her.
I reached down, holding out my hand for Nova, desperate to feel her skin against mine. She laced her fingers with mine and smiled up at me.
“You’re doing good,” she whispered, and for the first time tonight, I felt like I could face whatever was ahead, as long as she was by my side.
We walked into the house, and Mom ushered us to the back, where the kitchen and living area was. It smelled like pasta andgarlic bread, which meant Ledger must’ve been cooking because nothing my mom made was ever edible.
Truthfully, it wasn’t my mom who made me nervous—it was Ledger. He was the last person to see me before I headed to rehab. He’d also told me I needed to stay away from his family to protect them.
When we rounded the corner, he was in the kitchen over a boiling pot of water. Evie was happily cooing in her bouncing chair in the living room behind the island.
“She looks so much bigger,” I muttered.
I glanced at Nova, who was smiling and walking toward the baby.
Nova would one day be the mother of my children. Yes, she had told me she was going to have trouble having children, but if that meant IVF, surrogacy, or adoption, she’d mother our children when we were both ready.
I stared at her in awe for a moment, letting that realization wash over me.
“Nova?” Ledger asked.
That snapped me out of my reverie. The first thing he asked when I came into “his” house was why Nova was here.
“Hi, Ledger,” I said, taking him in.
He was wearing a plaid shirt with a pair of khakis. His beard had somehow grown thicker and longer since retiring from the NHL.
Holding a wooden spoon in his hand, he gestured over to Nova, who was cooing over the baby with my mom. “You’re dating?”
“It’s nice to see you too, Ledger. I’m glad I was allowed past the threshold.” I couldn’t help the jab.
My mom’s head shot in my direction. Fuck that. I wasn’t walking on eggshells around him. He wasn’t my partner.
