Tyed(66)

Mary offers me a shrewd smile. And that’s when I see them. Those dimples. Ty’s dimples. I take a good look at her, photoshopping off years of poverty and misery. She was definitely a hottie before life hit her with a giant shovel and junk food did the rest of the damage.

“You’re not one of the stupid bimbos. Guess Tyler has changed a little since I last saw him.”

“Yeah.” I take a few steps forward, making eye contact. “Now it’s your turn. Get into the shower. I’ll wait here. We’re going to Concord.”

Mary Wilder is her son’s mother, alright. Just like him, she presents the demand list of an angry IRA terrorist before she’ll agree to cooperate. She wants me to take her to the supermarket and buy her groceries, and also asks for a carton of smokes and a manicure before we leave Redwood.

I slam my Mini Cooper’s passenger door, cussing under my breath, and slide behind the wheel. I know my mother can be a pain, but she also cares. She wants me to be happy, even if our definitions of “happy” are very, very different. Ty's mom definitely puts thing in perspective.

“What the hell did you just say?” She lights up another cigarette, not bothering to ask if it's okay to smoke in my car. I roll down my windows.

“I said I’m surprised you didn’t get any Mother of the Year awards yet.” I start the engine and follow her directions to the nearest strip mall. It’s a good thing my Wayfarers are dark enough to hide the disgust in my eyes.

I can’t believe Ty had to suffer her as a mother. I just hope she’ll step up to the plate now.

"I'm also getting some beer, just so you know," she tells me when I park outside the grocery store.

"Alcohol is off limits. You're not going near his house with beer." I put my foot down.

"Yes I am. He won't notice. I’ll hide it from him." She flashes me a dimpled smile. Damn it.

"That's cheating," I point out.

"If it ain't worth cheating on, it ain't worth winning."

Yes. Ty has clearly inherited some traits from his mom. All she seems to care about is how to get her away while screwing people over.

I just wish her son wasn't so literal about following in her footsteps.

When it’s all done and dealt with, and Mary walks out with two huge bags, and has new, glossy red nails, I finally drive to Ty’s house. She’s sitting next to me, completely consumed by the content of her new bags. She looks like a kid who just raided Toys R Us and asks zero questions about Ty. It's becoming more and more difficult for me not to dislike her. I'm convinced that she'll bail on me at the last minute.

“So what happens now?” She tears open a bag of corn chips and tosses one into her mouth, munching loudly.

“Ty’s drinking too much. He needs someone to drag him to the shower, put some food in him and give him a hug. You think you can do that?” I flick my gaze to watch her briefly before turning back to the road.

She shrugs. “What set him off?”

“I dumped him.”

Mary finds this so amusing she literally laughs until she cries. The smell of greasy chips on her hot, moist breath makes me want to throw the bag—and its owner—out of my car.

“Seriously, why’s he depressed?” she finally asks, wiping her eyes. “Lost a fight again or somethin’?”

“He’s depressed because we broke up,” I repeat through gritted teeth.

“Look, Blake, you might be a cutie, but Ty doesn’t get attached. Especially not to women. Look at me, I’m his mom and he won’t even call me on my birthday. You think he’s going to be heartbroken over some cute little thing?”

“Guess you’ll just have to ask him for yourself.” I feign a sugary smile and press the accelerator to the floor. That’s enough bonding time for me with Mama Wilder.

I parallel park in front of Ty’s house and immediately regret it. Why am I parking if I don’t want to go inside? But I do want to go inside. I want to see him. I dragged his mom here so he’d have someone near him, so he wouldn’t be alone. But frankly, I’m the one who should be helping him.

I glance at his fence. It’s totally full of a new collection of souvenirs, courtesy of his female fans. Honest to God, if we ever get back together, the first thing I’m doing is tearing that fence down.

The Harley is off the porch and lying on its side in the yard. Judging by the high grass, the bike had been lying there for weeks. The curtains are drawn and everything is locked and dim, inside and out. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he took off and abandoned the place.

Mary studies his house from the car window. She scowls at the fence. “Some girls just make it goddamned hard not to hate ’em.”

I wrinkle my nose. “Men are worse.”

I bully her out of the car after a five-minute pep talk. Yes, he’ll want to see you, I assure her. No matter what happened between you two, blood is thicker than water. Honestly, I have no idea how Ty is going to react when he sees his mom. If I were him, I would be very suspicious of her. After all, she only agreed to see him after I bribed her with groceries and a manicure. But I so desperately don’t want him to be alone right now, I’m taking a chance on her.

Mary finally sighs and opens her door. “Fine, time for us to go in.”