Thin Love (Thin Love, #1)(157)
She wins every time, Kona.
“It was his mother. Your grandmother.”
Her tone, that harsh inflection has Kona sick. He knows this will mean more than distance between him and his son. It will mean that the promises he made last night, the bridge he began to rebuild was burnt to embers by his mother’s one phone call.
His skin is slick with sweat, his forehead is clammy when he rubs the spot between his eyebrows.
“She’s never met me, she doesn’t know me. Why would she care?” Ransom asks Keira.
“Because she doesn’t want him involved with us. That’s what she does. She interferes, she always interferes and it’s not ever going to stop.”
Kona snaps his head up, eyes her carefully. “Keira…”
He has no argument; can say nothing that would convince her he would protect them from his mother. But Keira is right. His mother would never stop interrupting his life, or trying to keep Keira out of it. Not unless Kona breaks all ties to her. He has a choice and for him, it’s easy: His mother or his family.
“I’m going to end this.” He tells them. He is just feet from them and he wants to touch them, to hold them, make them believe him. “I’m going to fix it all.”
Keira looks away, head shaking, but Ransom’s expression is calmer and Kona sees the flicker of hope on his son’s face. “How?”
“I’ll handle it.” Ransom’s mouth twitches and Kona thinks he wants to smile, wants to believe that he isn’t the weak * his son thinks he is. Kona had missed everything; lost all those possible memories to his mother’s deception, to his own weakness. He will not lose more and he wants his boy to know that, to understand that he would do anything to repair the damage done today.
Before Ransom can stop him, Kona is in front of him, his hand on the back of the boy’s neck, pulling him close. “I would never do anything like this to you. You’re my blood.” Palm easy, soft on his boy’s face, Kona lowers his voice, hopes his tone is sincere enough, honest enough. “You’re my boy and I love you. I’d kill for you, understand that. I’m your father and it’s my job to protect you and that’s what I’m going to do.” To his right, Kona sees the packed bags sitting next to the door and the thought of them leaving, either of them running, makes him sick. “Please don’t leave.” He chances a look at Keira, feels gutted at her frown, at that hopeless, defeated expression on her face. “Either one of you. Please. Let me fix this.”
“Can I go with you?” Ransom’s question comes out of nowhere and Kona can only stare at him, mouth open, shocked.
Keira is immediately worried, and she pulls on her son’s sleeve, making him step away from Kona. “Ransom… no, you don’t want to meet that woman.”
And just then, Kona thinks he sees a flicker of his twin; that slow smile, that easy grin, right there in his son’s features. “I think I have to.”
Kona stares at him, jaw working. It would be a shock to his mother to see this remarkable boy, to see the face of the life she tried to destroy. It would level her to see how she hadn’t broken him, how strong he is. In Ransom’s face, Kona sees determination, a fierceness he knows doesn’t come from him and he realizes that there isn’t much he can refuse his son. A quick nod and then Ransom smiles.
“No,” Keira says, giving up on convincing Ransom as he smiles, she takes Kona’s arm, pulling, pleading with those worried eyes. “No, I don’t want…”
“Keira, you’ve been handling things for a long time.” A small graze of his hand against hers and she retreats. Kona buries his disappointment, pushing aside the need to grab her. “You don’t have to anymore. Please, let me carry this. It’s mine anyway.” When he tries touching her, she recoils and that disappointment swells, has his shoulders sagging. “Let’s go,” he tells his son. “I wanna get this over with. We have to stop off at the bank first.”
He needs to leave before Keira’s frown stops him. He wants this over with, this betrayal buried so he can start to rebuild whatever is left with Keira again. He waits by the door as Ransom whispers to his mother, as he kisses her forehead.
He is on the walkway, nearing Kona’s rental when Ransom catches up to him. “You sure about this, Kona?”
He’d never been surer of anything more in his life, but Kona stops, looks down at his son with a grin pulling the side of his mouth. “Think they’ll ever be a day when you call me Dad?”
A small flicker of anger sticks in Ransom’s features; it is softening and Kona thinks his boy is waiting to see how this visit to his mother’s will go. Those familiar features are guarded, gaze considering as Ransom eyes him. Then, his boy shrugs, continues down the walkway with Kona trailing after him. “Maybe. But you gotta earn it.”
“You sure, man? They want an exclusive.”
Kona rolls his eyes. His agent wasn’t thinking about Kona’s choices or the direction of his career. The man was worried about his commission and how much he’d lose once Kona walked away from the NFL.
“I’m sure. I said what I needed to. It’s done.”
There is a pause on the line and Kona pops his neck, waiting for whatever tactic his manager will try to use to convince him to change his mind. Finally, Devon’s sigh echoes in the phone and he clears his throat. “Kona, look, I had no idea that she’d done anything. I told you, she just called with a statement she said you wanted to make. Shit, I didn’t even know you had a kid. You were supposed to be training with the Steamers.”