Page 17 of The Penalty Shot (Totally Pucked 5)

His camera moves to his handsome husband who waves and blows me a kiss. That’s the best thing about your best friend finding their soulmate. They kind of become yours too.

“Hi Blakey! I miss you guys.”

“We miss you, Aud. You and Alex have to put this place on your bucket list. How is my nephew?” Blake asks.

Both he and Eli come into the frame, and I smile. Happiness truly lookssogood on them.

I unlock the front door with my new key and get us inside, placing the deadbolt back, and when Alex disappears into his room with a snack and his homework, I talk to Eli and Blake about their honeymoon, never hinting to what’s happening here at home. I can't burden Eli with my issues while he’s on his honeymoon. I won’t. He works so hard, and never takes time for himself, and I’m not going to selfishly unload my problems on him. By the end of the conversation, I do feel slightly better knowing they’re having a blast.

Although the mess from last night has been cleaned up, his touch still lingers. I feel vulnerable. Violated and completely exposed in my own home.

Maybe a glass of wine will help calm my nerves and help me relax. I make my way to the kitchen and stand on my tiptoes to reach the one wineglass I have tucked behind the coffee cups.

I’m not a huge drinker; I never have been, but I do occasionally like a glass of wine. White, not red. Opening the fridge, I pull out the unopened bottle of Mascato d’Asti and pour a glass then get to work on making dinner.

I make my grandmother’s famous Fettuccini Alfredo, Alex’s favorite, and garlic knots, dancing the entire time to nineties alternative on the speaker while sipping my wine. Trying to erase the last twenty-four hours. Trying not to be overcome with anxiety. Trying to forget. By the time we finish eating dinner and I listen to Alex tell me about his day, I feel better.

We may not have much, and it may not be extravagant or expensive, but we have each other. We have a home that consists of all of the love I could possibly give to my baby boy.

That’s what matters at the end of the day.

We have a roof over our head, food in our stomachs, and love in our hearts.

He’s safe and protected. Loved and cherished. Happy. He gets to be a kid, without worrying about who he is disappointing or feeling like he has to make adult decisions.

That’s the life I want and have always tried to provide for him. The childhood I didn’t have.

Alex pads into the living room shortly after nine, right when I’ve opened my second bottle of wine, and he wraps his little arms around my body, hugging me tightly to him.

“I love you, Mama,” he says quietly, and my heart squeezes.

“I love you right back.”

For a moment, I simply hold him and enjoy the feel of him in my arms. I know it won’t always be this way, and one day soon, he’s going to be a teenager and too cool to hang out with his mom, but for now, I want to cherish every single moment.

The next few months may be hard, but in the end, we have each other, and that’s all that matters.

Just like it’s always been.

Chapter Seven

Asher

“Crap!”Auden’s muffled voice comes from behind the door. “Uh, one sec!”

A few days have passed since I’ve seen her, since the morning after the attack, and since I couldn’t stop thinking about her, I decided to walk over and check on her and Alex.

Seconds later, the door swings open and reveals Auden standing there in a satin camisole and a pair of matching shorts. Her cheeks are pink and flushed, and her hair is wet and falling to her hips in loose waves.

“Did I interrupt something?”

I’m teasing, simply to see if I can get a response from her, and as always, she doesn’t disappoint.

She stutters, her cheeks turning a deeper pink, obviously flustered by my question. “W-what? No, of course not,” she says, “I was just having a glass of wine.”

My lips turn upward into a smirk, and my eyes drop to her outfit, all the way to the fuzzy bunny slippers on her feet.

“Nice shoes.”

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