Brazen and Breathless (Untouchable #6) - Heather Long Page 0,124

restaurant I knew she liked. Garlic bread too.

“Coop, look at me.”

I met Mom’s gaze.

“I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about, Mom…”

“I do,” she argued with me, then raised a hand to stop my disagreement. “I do. Because I leaned on you pretty hard after I threw your father out.”

It was the first time we’d tackled this particular subject. He’d left, that I’d always known. And the fights, those had started over an affair. But I hadn’t known the finer details.

Part of me hadn’t wanted to know. I’d gone to Frankie’s to get away from it, sometimes taking Sis with me to spare her.

“But I did that, and that’s on me. You didn’t have to be my sturdy boy and prop me up, and you did it anyway.”

“You’re my mom,” I told her, as if it summed it all up. “You weren’t the one who messed up.”

“We all mess up in different ways, and don’t look at me like that, Cooper. I’m not excusing his choices. I’m not even comparing them. I’m just saying that I also made some questionable ones. Now…we didn’t really talk about this Frankie thing that night.”

I took a bite of the garlic breadstick and eyed her. Eating at least kept me from saying anything snappy, and I preferred to listen to everything said before I formulated a response. But the crap with Noah and Trina this week had left me on edge. So far, the little shit had done exactly as instructed, and Trina even admitted he’d apologized to her over a text message and that was the last contact she’d had from him.

I’d let it go.

“I’m not comfortable with it,” Mom said. “The idea all of you boys are having that mature a relationship with one girl. I don’t know if it’s fair to you or to her.”

After dipping the breadstick in the sauce, I took another bite.

“That said, I also don’t know that it’s unfair because all of you are being honest with each other, and I have to admit I’m not entirely sure how you’re all doing that. Talking to boys at your age was hard enough, and even now, after everything or maybe especially because of everything, your father and I never seem to be able to get our point across easily. At least until this thing with Trina.” She frowned. “He seems very determined.”

“Okay,” I said around the bite of food I chewed. “I’m glad he’s being there for you guys. Sis loves him, and I think she feels his absence more than we do.”

“She’s younger,” Mom admonished me. “She’s a daddy’s girl and it’s hard for her, especially now that she knows. Part of why I never wanted either of you to know. Another fail on my part…”

“Mom,” I said and shook my head. “Stop it. You’re human. Maybe you didn’t hang the moon and you can’t catch a star, but you’re still the best mom ever. You’re human. You’re allowed mistakes.”

“So are you,” she said softly.

“Frankie’s not a mistake. What we have…it’s never been a mistake. It’s always been her, it’s always going to be her.”

“But can it really be that serious or that invested if she can’t commit to one of you?”

“We’re not asking her to,” I said simply. “I know she’s committed to me. I know she loves me. I know exactly how important I am to her. Just like I know how important the guys are. And she’s… She makes everything better, Mom. She makes me better. She makes them better. We’re stronger together. All of us.”

“I don’t understand that.” She sounded almost sorrowful. “I want to understand, baby, so I can be there for you.” She took a sip of her wine, then licked her lips as she shook her head. “I’m so worried this can’t possibly work. Someone always gets hurt…especially if she decides one of those other boys is better for her. Not that you’re not perfect…”

I chuckled. Honestly, this was a way better reaction than I’d hoped for, so I could roll with it. “None of them can be a more perfect me.”

Mom eyed me.

I spread my hands. “Seriously, Archie’s awesome, Jake’s got skills, and Bubba’s not bad, but none of them are me. None of them have my history with her. They can’t do for her what I can. Just like I can’t be them.”

Staring at me, Mom swirled the wine in her glass. “I don’t know what I did right with you, baby, but I hope this works out