Pretty Boy (Perfect Boys #1) - K.M. Neuhold Page 0,81
onto my lap, unable to bear the thought of not holding him, even for the short drive home.
“That’s not silly at all. I think this program is absolutely going to change lives. Imagine all the kids who might’ve never had the chance to read who might decide to become authors or doctors or who just find the escape they need between the pages.”
He nods and then presses a kiss against my cheek. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“For what?” I ask, holding him tight.
“For everything. For making me happier and better and for loving me.”
“Oh, little rabbit,” I murmur, resting my forehead against his and closing my eyes. “You have that the wrong way around.”
Epilogue
Two Years Later
Sterling
Once upon a time, in a ridiculously fancy house in Las Vegas, there lived a boy. He knew he was loved because his Daddy told him so every single day. He spoiled the boy with presents and affection, even though the boy constantly told him to quit it. It wasn’t the boy’s fault his Daddy was so generous, but the boy still liked to do things for himself whenever he could. Some folks said the boy was too ugly to be loved, but the boy knew better now. He learned that sometimes you’re given hard things in life so you can prove how strong you are and to make sure only the right kind of people will love you.
“Sweetheart,” Barrett’s voice pulls me out of my happy musings.
My stomach lurches when I realize we’ve stopped in front of the coffee shop.
“She’s in there?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.
A few months ago, after a particularly athletic evening, while I was starting to drift to sleep in Daddy’s arms, some crazy words popped out of my mouth without even meaning to. I told him I wondered where my mama was and if she was okay.
I didn’t think no more about it until he came to me a few days ago and told me that he’d hired a private investigator to track her down for me. Apparently, she’d been living in Reno for a while now, and was open to meeting with me, if I wanted to.
“I can come in with you if you want,” he offers, and I reach over to squeeze his hand.
“I gotta do this myself.”
He don’t exactly look happy about my choice, but he don’t argue. Barrett lifts my hand to his lips and kisses the back of it.
“I’ll be right here whenever you’re done. Take your time, and if you need me, just text me.”
I take a deep breath, steeling my nerves before getting out of the car. I just barely hear Barrett shout good luck through the pounding of my pulse in my ears. You’d think with the sleepless nights I’d had since he told me about this meeting, I’d’ve thought about what I’d say to her, but as soon as I’m standing in front of her, my mind is completely blank.
She looks better than I remember her, not as skinny, and her skin don’t seem to sag so much. She’s stirring a cup of tea and I stand in front of her for a few seconds, my heart trying it’s darndest to pound straight outta my chest.
“Mama,” I say, my voice cracking.
She whips her head up, and I’m surprised to see her eyes glassy with tears. I ain’t never seen her cry before, ‘cept when my gran died.
“Sterling.” She don’t sound much better than I do, her voice barely a whisper when she says my name, jumping up from the table and rushing around to wrap me up in a hug.
I go stiff in her arms, unsure what to do since this is surely a first for us. I awkwardly pat her back, slowly relaxing into the hug the longer it goes on. It’s not so bad once I have time to adjust to it. In fact, I could probably get used to doing it more…assuming this meeting goes well and we see each other again.
She releases me after a minute or two, and we both sit down.
“You look real good, Mama.”
She takes a sip of her tea and gives me a half-smile. “Quittin’ the booze will have that effect.”
“You quit drinkin’?”
She nods. “A year sober now. After I left Billow, I sorta hit rock bottom. That man I left with, he started hittin’ on me, got real bad. I didn’t want to go back though since I knew I already let you down too many times to count,