Bittersweet (Redemption #3) - Jessica Prince Page 0,28
fill that role for you, and it sometimes made me jealous.”
I turned my hand over under hers so we were palm to palm. “God, Caro. I’m so sorry I ever made you feel that way. You know that’s not the case, right? You have always been so much more of a mother to me than she ever was, and I love you with everything I am because of that.”
Her fingers gave mine a squeeze. “I know that, honey, and it wasn’t you who made me feel like that. It was my own insecurities. We’ve all got them. I’m not sayin’ what I occasionally felt was rational, and it never made me feel any different for you. I never held an ounce of resentment, just like you’ll never feel that way with your baby. My point is, you’re human. We aren’t perfect, Shane. We’re full of flaws. No person should ever be judged by their feelings. They should be judged by the actions they take in regard to those feelings. You’d die before you did anything that would hurt that boy, and that’s what makes you a good person. That’s what makes you selfless.”
That burn behind my eyes was back, only this time it had nothing to do with anger. Pulling my hand from hers, I wrapped my arms around my aunt and hugged her tight. “You’re the best, you know that?”
“Of course I do, honey pie,” she teased once we broke apart. “Now, about the bunk bed situation . . .”
“Oh God,” I groaned dramatically. “Don’t start.”
“I’m not sayin’ you have to dive right into the whole overnight thing right away, but maybe it’s time to consider a different approach to this whole visitation gig. Whether you like it or not, he’s here. You can’t pretend he doesn’t exist forever. Scooter will keep this charade up as long as you need, but you and that man out there are eventually gonna have to suck it up and start actin’ like adults. You two have this whole damn town walkin’ around on eggshells. We’re all sittin’ back, waiting for the explosion that’s bound to happen.”
With one patty down, I started on the second, casting my aunt a stubborn glare. “You know, I really hate it when you’re all wise and levelheaded and stuff.”
She gave me a smug grin. “Well one of us has to be. You can’t keep goin’ down this current path, darlin’. It’s a dead end straight into ugliness.”
“Whatever,” I grumbled under my breath. Everything she’d said resonated, but I wasn’t willing to give her credit just yet. “I’ll think about it.”
“All I can ask,” she said with a self-satisfied grin before giving me a smacking kiss on the cheek. “And would you look at that? Your aura’s already looking brighter.”
Jensen
This was the first visit I’d had with my boy where I didn’t have Shane’s uncle watching over my every single thing I did with murder in his eyes the entire time, and it was the most fun I’d ever had with him. I’d take time with Brantley however I could get it, but there was something to be said for not having to watch your every move for fear of being shot or stabbed.
Don’t get me wrong, Scooter wasn’t a bad guy. But when it came to protecting the people he loved, he wouldn’t hesitate to get his hands dirty, and I had no doubt if I stepped out of line with Shane, they’d never be able to find my body.
“Dad!” Brant yelled as he raced across the driveway on his neon green and black bicycle, complete with training wheels. His matching helmet bobbed as he turned his head in my direction to make sure I was watching. “Check out this super cool trick I can do!”
“Show me what you’ve got, buddy.”
He hit the end of the driveway and circled back around, pumping his little legs as fast as they could go. Once he got in front of me, he gave a little hop, jerking on the handlebars like he was trying to do a wheelie, only the front tire never left the ground. “Did you see? Did you see?”
I smiled big, my chest feeling tight as I stared after him. “Sure did, kiddo. It was awesome!” That wasn’t me lying or patronizing, that was the God’s honest truth, because there wasn’t a damn thing on this planet that my boy did that didn’t leave me mesmerized.
In all the years I’d been away, I’d missed my son—the tiny