“Sounds like a houseful. You’re a saint,” he teased Teo’s wife.
She laughed. “Not really. They treat me like gold.”
“Because you make me happy, love.” Teo kissed her cheek.
She ran her hand down his jaw in a tender caress.
“Kiss me!” Akoni demanded. They all laughed, and Teo put Akoni between him and his beautiful wife and they showered the boy with kisses.
Owen was on the outside, looking in. Like he had been his whole life. He’d seen families pile into the van and drive to Disneyland while his father plowed through work every day, too exhausted to come to his games. His mom was better, but more often than not she’d drop him off and tell him to find a ride home. His family didn’t play together, his older brothers caught up in their own lives and his sister too young to be a companion. He wondered if there was ever a moment when his parents had looked at him like that.
Teo had the whole pie, and all Owen wanted was one little slice. He waved and made his way out to the car, the echoes of the Parata family’s peace following after him.
He wanted to stay away from Schulenburg for a few days or a week … or two. Physical space from Bree and her hometown was good because he wasn’t reminded of the time they’d shared at every turn when he was in Dallas. His apartment was sparse and she hadn’t been there yet to leave an imprint of herself behind to haunt him. She was all over his beloved and well-planned home, from the bookshelf in his office to the couch in his weight room.
He was halfway to his apartment in the city when the phone rang. He pressed the button to send the call to Bluetooth. “Hello?”
“Owen?”
The voice was familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. “I’m sorry, who is this?”
“Doris Phelts.”
He gripped the leather steering wheel. This was a new twist. “Hello, Doris.”
“Hi. Listen, I wanted to apologize.”
He stayed taut, his knuckles turning white.
“I wasn’t really friendly the first time we met, and I feel like that put us off on the wrong foot. I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s fine, Doris.”
“See, I don’t think it is. I’m just sick thinking I cost you and Bree something wonderful because I was being stubborn. She’s torn up and I feel as though I’m to blame.”
Owen’s foot slipped off the gas and the car slowed. Bree was hurting? Because of him? He searched for something to say that would argue Doris’s point. “It wasn’t you specifically.” He adjusted in his seat and sped up again. Thankfully, traffic wasn’t too bad this evening.
“Thanks for that. I want you to know that, as a mom, Bree’s happiness is what matters most. I think you and I could get along well—I’m willing to try if you are.”
He sighed. “That’s nice of you to offer.” It was more than he’d ever gotten out of Tammy’s parents. “I’ve been thinking a lot these last couple days, and I’m not sure I’m good boyfriend material. Bree deserves someone without so much baggage.”
“If I believed that, then there wouldn’t be any hope for me finding love either.”
“I don’t understand.”
She paused. “I hate doing this over the phone. Is there any chance we can meet for lunch?”
Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. “I’m sorry. I’m in the city for practice this week.”
“Very well.” She sighed. “Bear with me, this is personal. I don’t think I’ve ever talked about it with Bree. I fell hard and fast for Bree’s father.”
Here we go. She’s going to lay out the reasons she should be a part of everything that happens in her daughter’s life. How she’s there to protect her daughter—even from him, if necessary.
“He was charismatic and driven and he drove right over me, leaving me pregnant and with only a high school diploma. You want to talk about baggage? About bitterness? About fear? I had all that in spades.”
He grunted and refrained from commenting. When she told him to stay away from Bree, he’d agree wholeheartedly.
“One day a nice guy in a business suit asked me out. I was at the grocery store; Bree was in the cart. And I was so shocked and afraid that I turned him down flat.” She gulped. “I kept thinking about him, wondering what he could possibly see in a single, stressed-out mother that was worth taking the risk of rejection over.”