Downfall(51)

I cleared my throat and pulled the tall redhead by the hand so she was standing next to me. “Mom, this is my friend Orley. She’s Noble’s mom. They moved in next door to me not too long ago and I’ve been spending a lot of time with them lately. I talk about you all the time, so they were excited to come and meet you.”

My mother stuck her hand out and Orley gave it a gentle shake. My mom repeated the motion in Noble’s direction and the little girl shook her hand with a serious expression on her face as she practically yelled, “It’s nice to meet you.”

My mom’s dark eyes drifted from Orley to where my hand was still resting on her lower back. Her eyebrows winged up and she tilted her head to the side a little bit. After a moment long enough to make the silence awkward, she stepped away from the door and waved us into the apartment.

“You’re pretty.” She stopped once we were inside the smallish space and looked over at Orley again. “Are you Solo’s new girlfriend?”

Orley faltered a step, so I reached out to steady her. I smiled at my mom and nodded behind Orley’s head as she stumbled over her answer.

“We… I … Uh…. we’re close. I think he’s pretty great.” I could hear her voice shake but she kept her eyes on my mother and the twitch in her hands was no longer obvious.

“He is great. I love it when he comes and sees me, and this time he brought a friend.” She reached out a hand in Noble’s direction, which the little girl immediately took. Together they practically skipped toward her living room. My mom was telling Noble all about her favorite colors and her favorite things to draw. She had the same careless delight in the little things as Noble. It made my heart feel like it’d been drop kicked by a hundred different emotions watching the two of them together.

I dropped a kiss on the top of Orley’s head and asked if she was okay. She nodded briefly and exhaled audibly. “I’m good. You look so much like her. She’s beautiful.”

“She likes you.” I reassured her as we slowly followed my mom and Noble.

Orley snorted and I got an elbow in the side. Luckily, it was the side without the broken ribs, but I still grunted at the impact and made a big deal of rubbing the spot dramatically for sympathy points.

“How do you know she likes me? Because she told me I’m pretty?” She sounded utterly skeptical.

I chuckled under my breath and smoothed my hand down the fiery fall of her hair. “Because she opened the door and let us in. Some days she won’t even let Melody come in, and that woman has cared for her like she’s family for years.”

Orley blew out another long breath and turned her head so she could look up at me. “That’s good, then. I want her to like me.”

I lifted an eyebrow at her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “What about me? Shouldn’t I be the one you’re worried about liking you?”

She flushed and lowered her eyelashes to shield her gaze. The way the blue changed colors was always a giveaway to how she was feeling. I could read the truth in those different shades even when it was hard to trust what was coming out of her mouth.

“You like me.”

I laughed again and gave her a hard side hug. “You’re sure about that?”

She nodded, still refusing to meet my gaze. “I’m sure. This is the last place I would be if you didn’t like me.”

“True.” No one else had ever mattered enough to bring them to meet my mom.

Two heads snapped up from whatever they were focused on when we entered the living room. My mother’s eyes traveled over us, lingering on my healing face and the thickness around my middle from the bandage wrapped tightly around my ribs. Sometimes she lectured me for showing up looking like I played in the Super Bowl without pads. Other times she wasn’t even fazed by the bruises and busted knuckles. I’d come home from school roughed up enough times, seeing me battered was nothing new, but today she focused her attention on Orley.

“If you’re his girlfriend, you need to take care of him.” It was stated so matter-of-factly both Orley and I were slightly taken aback.

“I will. Promise.” She sounded so sincere it was impossible not to believe her.

My mother nodded and turned her surprisingly sharp gaze in my direction. “If you’re her boyfriend, you need to take care of her. You can’t be busy all the time anymore.”

I coughed to clear my throat and hide my laughter. “Okay, Mom. I’ll do my best to not be as busy anymore so I can take care of Orley.”

She nodded and turned to put her hand on top of Noble’s untamable curls. “And you both need to take care of my new friend. I like her a lot.”

“That’s the plan. I’m going to take care of both of them, and you.” Or I would die trying.

Noble beamed up at my mother as if Orley and I weren’t even in the room. It was obvious the two of them were enamored with each other. The little girl rested her tiny chin in her hand and mischievously replied with, “I like you, too. Do you like cake? We should have my mommy get us some cake!”

My mother clapped her hands excitedly and agreed wholeheartedly. “I love cake.”

I sighed and let Orley go sit with the other two ladies who held different parts of my heart. I tugged the brim of my ball cap lower on my forehead, hiding the sudden rush of overwhelming emotions taking hold of me.