The Revenge Pact (Kings of Football #1) - Ilsa Madden-Mills Page 0,110
wait for Anastasia…
I’m doing it…
But Anastasia’s face when I left?
Devastated.
I mean, she didn’t say it—she wouldn’t, because she’s brave for me—but…
“She’s flying back after the ski trip to see her folks.”
“When will you see her again?”
I don’t know, and I hate it.
“We’re taking it day by day.”
“Because you want to be with me.” She bites her lip.
“For you, for football, for me. School was not my thing, Mom. You gonna get huffy on me?”
She looks out at the hills, and I see a glimmer of tears in her lashes. “No, my huffy vanished the moment I opened my eyes and saw you. I’m glad you’re here to stay.” Her shoulders hunch, a vulnerable bent to them as she faces me. “I just wanted things to be normal, but they aren’t. I’ve missed you so much. My spirit needs you, it does, and I haven’t seen you in months, and now you’re here and just seeing you in person…” She stops, her throat moving. “I need your three things to keep me going, son, every day.”
I hug her closer, and she presses her face to my chest and weeps.
“I’m here, Mom. Not leaving,” I murmur softly.
A few minutes later, she pulls away and takes my hand. Hers is thin, the veins blue and stark against her skin, the bones sharp. She laces our fingers together. “Tell me about her.”
“I will, I will, but first you tell me about how you are—”
“You are just like your daddy.”
“Mom, you have it wrong. He wasn’t stubborn. You are, and I’m just like you.” I chuckle through the tightness in my chest.
She smiles. “I have news. I spoke with my doctor today. There’s a clinical trial at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. It’s not a sure thing, I need tests, but…”
Hope springs inside my chest. “When?”
“After Christmas. I don’t want to get my hopes up, but…” She pauses and squeezes my hand. “What do you see when you look at me?”
My eyes mist. “A fighter.”
“Damn straight. I’m a kickass bitch.”
I burst out with a laugh.
She smiles, then gets serious. “I have too much to let go, River—you and Rae and Callie, and even Anastasia. How on earth would I ever rest in peace knowing you haven’t given me a grandkid yet? I wouldn’t! I’d be pissed off, and God or the devil—it’s up for debate—would beg me to leave. I’m not going anywhere, not now, not now, not even when I’m at my lowest do I let myself consider it…” A tear drips down her cheek, but she’s smiling. “And I’ve got you home! I… It means so much to me, River, thank you so much…” She leans her head on my shoulder, and I hold her.
28
“Where do I set this sweet potato casserole?” my mom asks breezily as she turns around from the oven inside Carl’s kitchen. “The counters are covered, sunshine.” She hums. “Here!” She sets it on the small island in the middle. “Next to the rolls. What a feast! Thank goodness you’re a good cook.”
I cooked the turkey, mashed potatoes, and the casserole. She made the rolls. I laugh.
“I made that apple salad thing!” Carl calls out as he and Dad work at the table, placing Carl’s white, worn dishes next to the silverware and paper napkins. It’s such a stark difference from the table settings at Donovan’s this past summer that I blink. Wow, this is so much better.
“Yes, you did!” I say to him. He put too much mayo in the Waldorf salad, but I never said a word.
They go back to discussing football, which my dad knows zero about, but he nods in all the right places.
June is curled up in Carl’s recliner with Oscar, Die Hard on the TV.
She’s wary of us, sending us glances every now and then, but content, and having Christmas here with them was better than my apartment. Plus, she can get up and go back to her RV any time she wants.
My mom gives me a side hug and I smile. I picked them up a couple of days ago, and we’ve spent time together. I even took them to the alien museum. Dad wants to paint a night sky inspired by the newspaper clippings, and Mom declared she’s going to design some intergalactic jewelry. It’s not the most fascinating place they’ve visited, but they loved it. We walked through campus and I showed them the main buildings and talked about my favorite classes. We had dinner at The Truth Is Out There.