just for sex. I missed talking until we fell asleep. I missed hearing about her day and watching her scrunch her nose when something didn’t go right. I missed the feel of her body pressed up against mine, her breaths even and steady as she dreamed. I just fucking missed her.
“And you don’t think getting your girlfriend back is an attainable goal?” Mom cocked her head at me, narrowing her blue-gray eyes in my direction.
“I think there might just be too much damage, Mom.” I tugged my beanie hat over my ears. “She didn’t listen when I told her the truth. She chose to believe—” I snapped my mouth shut.
“Maxim,” Mom said gently. “You can say his name around me, Jansen. I won’t break.”
My stomach twisted even as my heart softened. There was no venom in her tone when she said his name. None of the animosity I felt toward him. She was so much kinder than I was.
“I hate him,” I whispered, even though I wasn’t sure that was true anymore, not after seeing Sergei get in his face after that game. Maxim hadn’t spoken to me since the incident in the hallway. Then again, neither had London.
Caz had stopped glaring at me last week, though, so there was some improvement.
“I know,” Mom said, squeezing my arm and nodding. Her complete and utter acceptance didn’t just crack my defenses—it shattered them.
“He took my house!” I motioned to the two-story modern home we stood in front of.
“I know.”
“And it’s not that I don’t like the new one, but I sure as f—” I barely caught myself from swearing and earned an arched eyebrow. “I wouldn’t have chosen the one next door if I’d known he was my neighbor. Trust me, there’s not a lot of borrowing sugar going on.”
“I know, honey.” There was so much compassion in her eyes that my chest ached.
“He took my team, and I know it’s still my team, but it’s like he’s this little spot of black mold on a cake, spoiling the rest of it and spreading his…moldiness.”
“Hmmm.” Mom pressed her lips in a firm line, struggling not to laugh.
“And he’s an asshole!” I cringed. “Sorry for swearing, but he is! He’s arrogant and calculating, and he stole the woman I love!”
Mom’s shoulders fell, and she rubbed her hand up and down my bicep like I was eleven and just lost a game.
“And it’s not like they’re together or anything.” Bile rose in my throat at the thought of it. “But all he had to do was make one stupid comment in the locker room, and it somehow makes me the bad guy. And London believes him! She thinks I pursued her just to piss him off, and I didn’t!”
“Did you tell her that?” Mom asked.
“I started to in the hallway, but I was just so pissed, and even I can admit the timing of when I asked her out was suspicious. It’s all a complicated…jacked up mess.”
Mom nodded. “Do you really love this girl?”
“Yeah.”
“Then fight for her, Jansen.”
“It’s not that simple.” I shook my head.
“It really is.” She tugged my arm, and we started walking up the sidewalk to my house, where Greg waited. “I never gave you an opportunity to watch me fight for love. I didn’t love your father. You know that. And you were out of the house by the time I started seriously dating again, so you didn’t see when Greg and I would push past our arguments. But we do. You can push past this, too, Jansen. Just be honest with her. Lay it out on the line, and if she still doesn’t listen, then it’s on her.”
“Her brother is Maxim’s best friend. If London and I really, honestly make a go of it, he’ll be in my life, Mom. I don’t want that for you.”
Her grip tightened. “Jansen Marcus Sterling, don’t you dare use me as an excuse to hide behind.”
“What? I’m not!”
“I love that you want to protect me, honey.” She leveled me with the Mom look. “But whether or not you want to admit it, he’s always been in your life. Maybe not physically, but from the moment you knew about your father, he was there, too. You have two brothers and a sister. That’s not going to change, whether you’re with London or not. So why not be happy? Don’t let your hatred of Maxim steal away your chance with London.”
I sighed.
“Also,” she continued. “Stop taking him into account for my visits. I’ll come