I sucked in breath to control the pain and stared at the door knowing one thing was for certain, it wasn’t Hawk.
Cam, Tracy and Meredith would give me space. Dad and Troy would not. Dad could get impatient and he was protective and after all that went down, and the obvious fact I was no longer with Hawk, he would be concerned and not happy to be kept out of the loop. Troy had been a fixture in my life and being thus, I was one in his. With Hawk out of the picture, he’d make his approach.
I wasn’t ready for either of these.
I still went to the door because, even if I wasn’t ready, I loved them both and I couldn’t leave them hanging. It wasn’t nice.
When I looked through the side window I stared at who was there.
Okay, I wasn’t ready for Dad and Troy but I really wasn’t ready for a surprise visit from Maria Delgado.
She moved, caught sight of me at the window and focused on me.
I jerked away from the window.
Shit!
The doorbell chimed and clunked again.
Shit. Shit. Shit!
Well, she saw me. I couldn’t ignore her.
Shit.
I opened the door. “Hey, Maria.”
She stared up at me. Then without a word, she pushed through and into my house.
I stared out at my yard and prayed for strength. I endured and survived Hawk ending things. It tore me to shreds inside but I did it. I could endure this too.
I closed the door and turned. “This is a surprise,” I noted, forcing a smile.
Her eyes narrowed on me then she demanded to know, “What gives?”
“What…” I paused for no reason then went on, “gives?”
“Yeah,” she replied. “A week ago, you were dazzled by my son. A week ago, me and my boys show at his place first thing in the mornin’ and you’re in his bathroom. A week ago, you played hide and seek with his nephews. A week ago, you turned to him when you got your heart broken by your Mama. Now, Elvira tells me, you’re done. What,” she leaned forward, “gives?”
Elvira. Great.
“Maria,” I said softly. “He ended things with me.”
“So?” she asked instantly and I stared.
“So?” I repeated stupidly.
“Yeah,” she threw out her arms, “so?”
“Um… when Hawk’s done, he’s done.”
She crossed her arms on her chest. “His name is Cabe, Gwen.”
Something about that and the way she said it made me still.
Then I shook my head. “No, Maria, he told me that man is gone. He’s Hawk now.”
She shook her head back at me. “No, Gwen, that man was gone. But I walked into his place with my boys and saw for the first time in eight years my boy Cabe was back.”