Downfall(36)

He shifted uneasily in front of me as I narrowed my eyes at him. “A thing?”

He grunted again. “Yeah, a thing.”

I sighed and poured my own cup of coffee. “A thing that will lead to more black eyes and busted lips?” I hated that he fought for money. Hated the idea of him being hurt and hurting others. It didn’t fit with my vision of the strong, brave man who was always there when I needed him.

A grin quirked at the corner of his mouth. “If I do it right, it’s the other guy who should have black eyes and busted lips.” He cleared his throat. “This is a special event. Something private. I couldn’t turn down the money.”

I was about to ask for more details when Noble suddenly jumped up and ran into her room. She quickly returned with a piece of paper scribbled with a drawing that actually looked much more like a heart than the pancakes had. Noble wrapped an arm around Solo’s knees and thrust the drawing in the direction of his hands. Their size difference was adorable. She was small and he was so big, but he was so infinitely gentle when he reached down to take the picture from her, sticky fingerprints and all.

“What’s this, kiddo?”

Noble gave him a serious look as she continued to hug his legs. “For your mommy. So she feels better.”

Solo reached out to put his coffee on the counter. He put his free hand on Noble’s head the same way I often did. I saw his throat work for a second as he stroked her soft curls. “Thank you, Noble. She’ll love it.”

“Where is she?” Noble asked the question innocently, but I could see the answer wasn’t a simple one. His eyes narrowed a fraction and the expression on his face tightened.

Solo shifted his gaze to mine and it was his turn to clear his throat before he could answer. “My mom lives in a really nice house right outside of the city. She’s got a lot of doctors and nurses who take care of her, because I can’t do it myself. But sometimes she has a bad day and I’m the only one who can help her out. She’s the best mom in the whole world… Next to your mommy, of course.” He gently pried Noble off his legs and solemnly promised, “I’ll take your picture to her next time I go visit.”

Appeased, Noble bounded back to the living room and her breakfast.

It was quiet in the kitchen as I waited for him to tell me, or not. Either way, he looked like he needed a hug so I put my coffee down and moved toward him. My arms went around his lean waist and I rested my head on his chest. His heartbeat was a steady rhythm under my ear, but I could feel tension throughout every strong line of his body.

“She worked three jobs to keep me off the streets. She was gone a lot, but we always managed, just me and her. I’m not kidding when I say she was an amazing mother. I was wild, but she always kept me from going too far. I had a chance to make it out of this city because of her. It was all she wanted. A better life for me.” His sigh ruffled my hair as he lowered his chin to rest on the top of my head.

“My mom grew up in the city; she navigated it for years without incident. She was going to give up the car without question the night she was attacked.” He sighed again and I felt a slight tremor work though his big frame. “But she didn’t want to give up my stupid backpack in the backseat. I left it there when I borrowed the car. She was all about keeping my grades up so

I could get into a good college. She didn’t want me to fall behind. She took a bullet to the head for my future.”

“Oh my God!” The gasp ripped out of me and my arms tightened reflexively around him.

“She was lucky she didn’t die, even if some days it doesn’t feel that way.” He shook his head. “It was bad, so bad at first. I was just a kid who lost the one person who actually cared about me. I dropped out of school, found a couple jobs and did what I could to get her into a better place. My boss found me when I was at the end of my rope, buried in debt and contemplating a long list of really bad options when it came to what I could do for her. He gave me the opportunity to help my mom, and to earn enough money to support both of us. It’s not easy, but it’s the only option I have. Like I said, he saved my life.”

“I’m so sorry, Solo.” His arms wrapped around my shoulders when my voice cracked, and he pulled me close.

“She’s got great staff taking care of her, but some nights she gets scared, she remembers, or she forgets. She always calms down when she sees me. I talk to her. I read to her. We listen to music. I promise her I’m doing all right and tell her I’m going to make her proud.” I felt a kiss land on the top of my head. “Last night I talked about you and Noble. She smiled the whole time.” He squeezed me again, this time hard enough to make me squeak. “Maybe, if you ever tell me your last name, I can take you to meet her. You can’t get in unless I put your full name on the visitor’s log.”

It was my turn to quiver slightly against him. He wasn’t asking for much. After all, we were far from strangers at this point. But when I opened my mouth, nothing came out and I could feel his disappointment, so I held him tighter. I wasn’t sure I was ever going to let go, which meant figuring out how to share my past with him… while protecting him from it at the same time.

Good thing I’d slept well last night, because it was really starting to get exhausting being me.





Solo