“What?” I open my eyes and stare them down. They all hesitate, shooting looks at each other. “Just say it.”
“We would never take Rose’s side over yours,” Poe begins.
“Obviously.” TJ nods.
I tip my head to the side. “But?”
“But when you’re ready…when you take some time to do the processing that you need to do…it might be worth another conversation with her,” Del says. “There’s something special about what you two had.”
I clench my jaw. “I don’t know if I can trust her.”
“I get that.” Del nods. “She messed up with the lying and the secrets for sure.”
“But I give her credit for owning it,” Poe adds. “She did what she thought was right under the circumstances, and it sounds like she was only ever trying to protect you.”
I digest his words. They echo what Rose told me herself.
“We’re here for you, man.” TJ slaps my back. “No matter what.”
“I appreciate that.” I lean back in my seat and close my eyes.
It’s all too much to think about right now, especially when I know I have to face my mother when I get home to Green Bay.
My mom is perched on the edge of my couch when I arrive home.
She rises and sashays toward me. “Anton, darling. Good to see you.”
“Mother.” My voice sounds mechanical. I drop my bag inside the door and give her air kisses—our usual, stupid form of greeting.
“How was your little game?”
This is so typical of my mom. I’m the star quarterback for a professional football team, but to her, what I do equates to some silly game.
“Good. We won.”
“How nice for you.” She sounds bored. “I hope you don’t mind, but I ordered food for us.” She flips her gaze to the corner, and it’s only then that I realize Duke’s assistant, Charles, is here. That’s weird, but whatever. “Charles will pick it up. We have a lot to discuss.”
I walk into my kitchen and open the fridge, pulling out an electrolyte drink and taking a long slug. “Sure. Let’s start with how you’ve lied to me. Continuously. For my entire life.”
“For your own safety and good. I won’t apologize.”
I grunt.
“You are my only son, Anton.” She doubles down. “The heir to the Penwick crown. I’m going to do anything and everything to safeguard you and your future.”
“What do you want me to say to that? Thank you?”
“A bit of appreciation would be nice, yes.” My mom stands up straighter. “After all, what would you have done if I’d told you about the threats? Not a darn thing, that’s what. You’re way too flippant with your security. You have an entire country that’s counting on you, and you can’t be bothered to take any precautions. It’s selfish.”
The blood rushes to my cheeks, and I feel my face turn hot. “I’m a lot of things, Mother, but I’ve worked every day not to be selfish. Don’t accuse me of that.”
My mother rolls her eyes. “You’ve had no problems being a model citizen here in the United States, but you’ve completely failed your home country. What am I supposed to say to thepress when they ask me why you haven’t returned? That my son chooses a life away from his family—shirking his responsibilities in favor of some sport? How do you think that looks?”
“It’s all about my image and the optics for you, isn’t it?” I lean on the counter between us. “It always has been.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You care about me to the extent that I do what I’m told and step into my role for Penwick. But if I swerve out of the line you’ve drawn for me and my life—even if it’s for a good reason—you do whatever you can to snatch back control. In this case, it was to stick Rose on me as your spy.”
