Misadventures of a Rookie Read online

  “And I’ve apologized for that,” Dad added, and I laughed out.

  “We know, Dad, no need to reiterate,” I teased, and he shot me a grin that mirrored my own.

  While he laughed, though, I noticed that Bo and Mom were still staring at each other—a weird look on their faces as Mom went on. “I was officially on my own. Since I felt like I wasn’t enough to have anyone want to help me, I decided to be the best I could be for Gus.”

  “And you did,” Bo said softly. “You did it.”

  “I did,” she agreed, a grin pulling at her lips.

  “I envy you. That strength, that’s amazing.”

  “Well, thank you, but I’m pretty damn sure you aren’t lacking in that department. You seem like a firecracker.”

  Bo looked away then, reaching for the cup that Davis was trying to get once more. As she tended to him, I glanced over at my mom to see that she was staring at Davis and Bo, this look in her eyes. Confused, I asked, “Mom, you good?”

  She snapped her head up and nodded. “Of course. Just so damn proud of you.”

  But I felt like her eyes were telling me something completely different. I wasn’t sure what she was thinking. Her eyes had a certain look in them as she ate her food silently while my dad was talking to Davis about hockey. When he paused to take a drink, my mom asked, “So, how old are you, Davis?”

  Davis perked up, proudly saying, “Five! I’ll be six in nine months.”

  “He isn’t counting down or anything,” Bo said softly, such tenderness in her eyes as she moved his hair out of his eyes.

  “Wow, that’s a huge gap between you two,” Mom commented as my dad nodded.

  “Yeah, good on your parents. We didn’t have another one because by the time we got back together, Gus was almost eight and we were both lazy.”

  Mom laughed as I scoffed. “You mean you were lazy and she wasn’t raising another kid,” I supplied, and he shrugged.

  “Or that.”

  Mom rolled her eyes. “We just didn’t want such an age gap, and we were good with us.”

  I felt Bo move, and then her hand was gone as she reached for her water. When I looked over at her, she looked uncomfortable. Her face was blotchy with color, and she seemed tense.

  “So you were what, like seventeen, when he was born?”

  She didn’t look up at my mom as she slowly nodded. “Yup. Built-in babysitter.” Reaching for a fry, she shrugged. “It works for them, I guess.”

  Mom bit into her lips as she slowly nodded, and a silence fell over the table once more. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but something was up, and when my mom met my gaze, she slowly shook her head.

  I had no clue what that meant.

  Before I could ask, though, my dad started talking about hockey, and then I was lost in conversation. I didn’t miss that Bo didn’t talk much after that. Davis did, but Bo was pretty much silent as we finished up.

  Leaning in close, I whispered, “You good?”

  She turned her face so that our cheeks touched. “Just tired.”

  “That’s not okay.”

  I felt her lips quirk. “Oh no?”

  “No. I want you to come to my hotel.”

  “Oh really? For what?”

  “Endless orgasms.”

  She slowly nodded. “I could wake up for that.”

  “So I’ll text you the address?”

  “I might show up.”

  “You better.”

  She pulled back, grinning.

  I kissed her nose. “Thanks for coming tonight. It means the world to me.”

  She beamed, holding my jaw, but that little something that was always in her eyes when she looked at me was missing. She almost had a haunted look in her eyes. Still unsure what that meant, I decided it had to be the same thing that she had been upset about earlier when she showed up. Maybe she got into it with her parents again.

  “Boo, I’m tired.” Davis then yawned, and Bo kissed my lips before pushing her seat back.

  “Okay, that’s my cue to get this kiddo home. It was so wonderful to meet you two. Thank you for having me.”

  “Anytime,” Dad said, hugging her tightly. “We love that you’ve gotten Gus to settle down.”

  “Ha, he’s hardly settled,” she joked, flashing me a grin as she hugged my mom tightly. “Thank you again.”

  “Of course, hun. I can’t wait to see you again.”

  Davis said bye to my parents before giving me a high-five. “Can we play sometime?”

  “Place and time, I’ll be there.”

  That made the kid beam as Bo pressed her lips to the side of my mouth. “See you soon,” she whispered against my lips, and then she was walking away. I heard my dad say something about the bathroom, but I was too busy watching Bo walk away. The leggings she wore should be illegal, and her hair was all wild and down. She looked killer but also sweet with her hand in Davis’s.

  “Gus.”

  At the sound of my mom’s voice, I jumped. “Shit, Mom, you scared me.” But when I turned to her, her eyes were full of concern. “What?”

  “That boy is not her brother.”

  My brow quirked before my face scrunched up in confusion. “Huh?”

  “Davis is not her brother. That’s her son.”

  “No way.”

  “Yes way. They are identical, and I know a mother when I see one.”

  I just stared at her, but then it made sense.

  It’s the same old sob story. Girl falls for guy, gives him every single piece of her, shit goes down, he promises her the world and then some. Next day, he’s gone.

  Shit went down.

  She got pregnant.

  Wow.

  Well fuck, why did I feel so betrayed?

  Chapter Thirty

  Bo

  I was putting my night bag on my shoulder when a knock came at my door. “Yeah?”

  My mom popped her head in. “Can I come in?”

  “Yeah,” I said as I tucked my phone in the side pocket of my bag. “I was about to leave. I’ll be back in the morning.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to see Gus.”

  “Are you staying the night?”

  “I am,” I said simply, and when I looked back at her, I could see that she wanted to say so much, but she somehow kept it in as she folded her arms over her chest.

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah, so Davis is in bed. He knocked out in the car. He had a lot of fun tonight.”

  “Okay, thank you. I’m sure he did.”

  “No reason to thank me,” I said, waving her off. “So I’ll see you in the morning? Or did you need something?”

  She inhaled hard, and I could see the white of her knuckles as she looked around my room. “I just wanted to apologize for what happened earlier. I was in the wrong, and I didn’t realize I was pushing you away.”

  I shrugged. “Thanks.”

  “That’s not my intention. I just want you to be in his life.”

  “Mom, I am. As his sister, like you wanted. I asked you, over and over again, if you thought this was a good idea, and you insisted that it was. Not the least bit worried about me or how I felt. How it hurt to see someone else raise my kid. At least if he was with another family, I wouldn’t have seen it, and the guilt wouldn’t eat me alive, but that wasn’t how it was. That’s why I had such a hard time. That’s why I battled depression, and that’s why I left as soon as I turned eighteen.”

  She swallowed hard. We hadn’t ever discussed this. I just always held it in. Looking away, she tangled her fingers together. “Then I’m sorry. I didn’t want anyone else raising my grandbaby.”

  “And now, I feel the same. I’m so thankful he’s here, but Mom, you gotta give me a bit of a break. It’s a done deal. You’re Mom, I’m not.”

  “You’re right.”

  I slowly nodded. “Okay, then,” I said softly. “I’m gonna go.”

  But I didn’t move. Her gaze was holding mine as she whispered