“Okay,” he mumbles, not sounding convinced.

I pull in a breath, releasing it slowly and wondering what I can say to make him feel better, but before I can find the words, Gareth comes back into the house. His eyes go between his son and me before they lock on mine in question. Unsure how to tell him what his son just said without using words, I give him a tight smile and he drops his eyes to Max. “Come here, kid. Your mom wants to say goodbye.”

“She’s leaving?” he asks worriedly, his body still against mine filling with tension once more.

“Just for now. You’ll see her tomorrow. She’s going to pick you up from school and hang with you for a while, if that’s okay with you.”

“It’s okay,” he says, hurrying to wash his hands before rushing out of the kitchen and house.

“Just a few more minutes, baby,” Gareth tells me, and I nod then watch him walk back outside.

I look down at the bowl of mush in front of me, muttering, “You were the one who was waiting for drama. Well, here you go. Now you just gotta deal with it.”

“Are you talking to yourself?”

I jump in place and turn to mock glare at Mitchell. “Don’t sneak up on me.”

“I didn’t sneak. I walked in here like I always do.” He grins.

I shake my head. “Well, don’t walk so quietly.”

“Do you want me to wear a bell like Melbourne?”

“That doesn’t sound like such a bad idea. Maybe I’ll sew some into your jeans,” I say, listening to him laugh while I dump the meat mixture into the baking dish and shape it into a loaf before washing my hands and placing it in the oven.

“Are you okay?” he asks, grabbing a can of Coke from the fridge.

“I think I should be asking you that question,” I say as he casually leans back against the counter.

“I’m used to my mom showing up out of the blue then disappearing again for a few months. It’s been the same way my whole life. You’re new to her games.”

“That must have been hard to deal with growing up.”

He shrugs then takes a sip from his Coke and looks toward the front door. “Just sucks for Max. He still buys into her bullshit when she’s around and then is hurt when she takes off and doesn’t call for weeks or months at a time,” he says, and even though I don’t agree with him cursing I curb the urge to say something about it.

“He loves his mom,” I say, leaving out that he loves her too, otherwise, he wouldn’t be hurt by her actions.

“Yeah.” He lets out a long breath.

“He’s lucky he has you. You’re a good big brother.”

“I guess,” he concedes, pushing away from the counter. “Do you need help with dinner?”

“I’m good, honey.”

He lifts his chin. “I’m gonna start on my homework.”

“Sure,” I tell him. He gives me a small smile that doesn’t reach his eyes then leaves the kitchen, and I hear his bedroom door close. With a sigh, I go to my bag and grab my cell phone along with my Kindle then take a seat on the couch. I send my mom a text just to tell her that I love her, and tears fill my eyes when she texts back a moment later, Beyond each and every galaxy.

I don’t believe for one moment that Beth doesn’t love her boys, but I do know she’s hurting them with her actions, and that is something a mother shouldn’t do to her children—especially not over and over again. I wish I knew how to fix things between them, not for her but for the boys.

I bite the inside of my cheek, wondering if she would even listen to me if I tried to explain things to her. I doubt she would. Actually, I’m sure she would be offended if I even tried. I’m also not sure it’s my place. With a sigh, I turn on my Kindle, but as soon as the screen lights up and words appear, the door opens and Max and Gareth come inside.

“Go get started on your homework,” Gareth orders, and without a word, Max disappears down the hall while Gareth takes off his coat.

I bite my lip when he tosses the jacket on the back of the couch and jerks his fingers through his hair. “Everything all right?” I ask softly, placing my Kindle and cell on the coffee table.

“No,” he answers then moves past me to the kitchen, and I hear the fridge open and shut. I get up and walk around the edge of the island, finding him standing near the stove with a bottle of beer to his lips. When he sees me, he drops it and holds open his arms. I walk toward him slowly then wrap my arms around his waist and rest the side of my head against his chest. “She always does this,” he says as his cheek rests against my hair and he pulls in a deep breath.

“Does what?” I ask, not moving.

“Shows when the boys and I have had enough time to forget she even exists.” I cringe from the harshness in his voice. “It’s like she can smell that we’re happy and can’t handle it, so she comes to fuck shit up.”

“She can only mess things up if you let her, Gareth. And she didn’t seem so bad.”

“Babe, she was nice to you outside, probably because she was caught off guard by seeing you with us.” Nice? That was her being nice? Yikes. “Just promise to stick this out with me and the boys. She’s never around for very long.”

I tip my head back, forcing him to move his head, and frown up at him. “Do you think she’s going to scare me off?”

“I think she’ll try,” he replies gently, setting down his beer so he can capture my face with both his hands. “In her mind, me and the boys belong to her.”

“I’m a Mayson, Gareth Black. I know I’m not adventurous or very outgoing, but I’m still a Mayson.” His brows draw together, and I lift my hand to rub away the lines etched between them. “Family, love, devotion, and determination are what I grew up seeing all around me. I know what’s important. I know why it’s important. And I understand that sometimes, even when it’s scary, you have to do everything within your power to protect it. I love you.” I say and watch as his pupils dilate on the word love. “I’m not worried about me, or even you. I’m worried about what her being here will mean for the boys. Neither of them knows how to deal with her presence. Mitchell is angry with her, probably because he loves her and wishes that she loved him enough to stick around, and Max is torn, because he likes me and feels like he’s betraying his mom by feeling that way.”

“Seems you know my boys,” he says tenderly.

I melt farther against him and slide my hands up to rest against his chest. “They’re just like you. All you have to do is read between the lines to know what they’re thinking or feeling.” I tip my head to the side and ask, “She’s picking Max up from school tomorrow?”

“Yeah.” He leans back against the counter, keeping hold of my waist with one hand while using the other to pick his beer back up and take a swig.

“What about Mitchell?”

“I’ll talk to him and see if he’s down with her picking him up. If not then I can still have Mom grab him after practice, so you won’t have to deal with Beth.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s staying at one of the local hotels, so after she gets Max, she’ll come back here with him.”