Bitter Sweet Heart (Lies, Hearts & Truths #2)(103)

If she could breathe fire, I’m sure she would. I can appreciate her conviction and her love for her son.

“I realize how this must look from where you’re standing, and I don’t think there’s anything I can say that’s going to make you see it differently. I don’t know if Maverick told you this, but he intervened when I was almost attacked by a group of men.”

“What? When?”

“It was the end of October. I was putting out my garbage, and a group of drunk men started heckling me. They surrounded me, and Maverick stopped whatever was or wasn’t going to happen. And then he made sure I was okay and suggested I take the self-defense class he teaches.”

Her brows pull together. “That sounds like him, but it doesn’t explain how you ended up in a relationship.”

“I’m getting to that. I want you to know it didn’t start with any sinister intentions.”

“He told me you hooked up in the summer.”

My eyebrows rise. “Wow. He’s really open with you, isn’t he?” I feel my face heat with embarrassment. Interesting that he’ll divulge that kind of information but talking about what happened to his sister is such a closed subject.

“He has verbal diarrhea. It’s hereditary. I’m sure if he could have kept that part to himself, he would have. As a mother of a daughter, I have to say, you are incredibly lucky that you hooked up with my son, and not some asshole.”

“It was . . . impulsive, and out of character, and not something I would typically do. I don’t know how to explain it, but I felt safe with him, despite not knowing him as well as I should have.”

“He wouldn’t hurt a fly—unless he’s on the ice, anyway.”

I nod. “He’s more likely to catch it so he can set it free outside. Anyway, I went to the self-defense class. Only once, but he was insistent, and I thought it was a good idea. He told me he started teaching them because of what happened to his sister.”

She takes a step back, and her fingers go to her bottom lip. She rubs the center of it, like Maverick does every time he talks about his sister. That scar. The one that came after the trauma, when she was locked in the closet during the game of hide-and-seek. “I don’t understand how all of this connects.”

“I got to know him as a person.” I look up at the ceiling. “He is very charismatic and also hard to say no to.”

“It’s the dimples. They’re a curse. His dad has them. Man can convince a desert dweller to buy a space heater like—” She snaps her fingers.

“The dimples are hard to resist,” I agree.

“This still doesn’t tell me what your intentions are. He’s young. A lot happens in your twenties, as I’m sure you’re aware. And his career is just starting, where yours is already established. How will that work? Are you planning to follow him wherever he signs?”

I shake my head. “I’ll be staying here.” Or at least close to here.

“And how will that work? Being the wife of an NHL player isn’t easy. There are a lot of sacrifices. Your career comes second.” It sounds like both a warning and a challenge.

“I don’t know what the future holds for him and me, but I’ll support whatever path he wants to take, whether it’s to pursue a career in the NHL or something else. And I realize it won’t be easy, but I don’t want to give up on us before we’ve even had a chance to try to make it work.”

“He’s been training for this his entire life. He needs to stay focused on his goals.”

“Is this a polite way of telling me I should step back?” I arch a brow.

“I don’t want Maverick to get sidetracked by a fling and throw his entire future away. And some of the things he’s said recently concern me, and they very conveniently coincide with his relationship with you.”

“I don’t want to get in the middle of you and your family, but I also won’t minimize my relationship with Maverick. He’s far too important to me, and I understand if this is difficult for you, but at least try to see it from his perspective.” I hold up a hand before she has a chance to interrupt. “Maverick is incredibly selfless. He puts everyone else’s needs ahead of his own. Particularly when it involves the people he loves, and that includes but isn’t limited to his family, his friends, and his teammates. This year hasn’t been easy for him.” I want his mother to understand that there’s more to this than just my relationship with her son, and that blaming it on me is convenient.

“Because of contract talks?” It’s a question, not a statement.

“Among other things. He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, and the path he’s on is a challenging one. He has some big shoes to fill. Look, I won’t betray Maverick’s confidence, but know he’s grappling with a lot. Our life circumstances and what we’ve both been going through brought us together in ways neither of us expected. I didn’t intend to fall in love with him, no more than he intended to fall in love with me. But it happened. You don’t have to like our relationship, but it seems a lot like you’ve already condemned it.”

“His life is just starting.”

“I know. And I won’t get in the way of that. Whatever he wants, I will support and encourage, because that’s what partners do. I know this is unconventional, but I would have walked away long before now if I didn’t think our relationship was worth the challenges. He’s under a lot of pressure. Feel however you want to feel about me but stand beside him. He’s already fighting enough demons. He needs your love right now more than anything.”