Chapter 4
Tate
Did I hear right? They’re here for my nephew? He told me his girlfriend was coming. He didn’t mention that she’d be here with her mother, but who else could that woman be? From what I see, she’s just as beautiful as the younger version of herself sitting to her right.
“You’re here for Teddy?” I ask. Only it doesn’t sound like a question; the gruffness of my voice makes it sound like an accusation. Maybe, on some level, it is, because if I’d known who they were here for, I would’ve made it my business to leave a better first impression. “That would make you Gemma.” I smile, hoping I look friendly enough to make up for inserting myself into their conversation.
The older woman eyes me with suspicion. I see caution in her azure eyes and have a hard time looking away. Her honey-brown hair catches the sun and shows off gold highlights. She could’ve been amodel when she was younger. The hell with that, she still could.
“Yes.” The younger of the two answers with a nervous lilt. I don’t blame her. She’s never seen me before. I wouldn’t be surprised if referring to her by name rattled her. It sure looks like it rattled the woman next to her.
“I’ve heard a lot about you.” I nod, trying to keep the banter casual. I don’t want her to know how much I’ve looked forward to meeting her. This is the first time Teddy has asked me to meet one of his girlfriends. I don’t want to let on that my nephew is over the moon about her. She might use that knowledge to manipulate him.
“Don’t talk to him.” The older woman warns in a stern voice. “He might be a predator.”
The hell? I don’t prey on women. More like I have to swat them away. “I’m no predator.” I snap back, causing the older woman to wince. I don’t give a damn! How dare she! “I’m Teddy’s Uncle Tate. Tate Grimm.” I smile. If the girl is into rugby, she should definitely recognize my name.
“Grimm, did you say?” The mother asks. Here we go. In about thirty seconds, she’ll be fawning all over me.
“Yes. Tate Grimm.” I repeat, turning the corners of my mouth up into a full smile.
“Hmm. Grimm suits you perfectly.” She sasses.
“Oh my God!” The younger girl’s eyes double in size. Pink shades her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Grimm.” She sounds mortified.
“Call me Tate.”
“Please excuse my mother.” My guess was right. For Teddy’s sake, I hope the girl is easier going than her mother. Gemma continues to ramble on. “My father just died, and Mom’s not herself. She’s never been to a rugby game. This is all new for her. To be honest, I don’t know much about it myself, only what Teddy has taught me.”
“Your father didn’tjustdie,” Gemma’s mother clarifies in a wicked tone. “He died over a month ago. And I don’t need you to make excuses for me.”
Recent enough for me to afford her some grace and reserve judgment, although at the moment, my opinion of her isn’t so good. Why correct her daughter over something so trivial? Does she want me to know there’s been a little bit of time and she’s ready to move on? Or is she a micromanager who feels the need to fix everything her daughter does that she deems not good enough or incorrect? That could be problematic for Teddy.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” I nod my head and make sure to speak softly, hoping to defuse the situation. Teddy is crazy about this girl, and I don’t want my perceived rudeness toward her mother to be the cause of any heat or friction between the couple. “Since you’re both new to the game, please ask if you have any questions.”
“Thank you, I will.” Gemma turns her attention back to the game.
Aside from Gemma’s cheers, the women watch the game in silence for a few minutes. The bleachers move. It’s subtle, but I feel it. After about a minute, I look down to see the mother’s leg jiggle and shake.
She’s got something to say; I can see it in how she turns her head ever so slightly in my direction every few seconds. Maybe I’m reading her wrong, and she’s only sneaking glances at me? If she is, it’s okay. It’s not like I’m not used to female attention. But that’s not what this feels like.
I wish the woman would just say what’s on her mind so I can focus on my nephew, the reason I’m here. I was wrong not to introduce myself before speaking to Gemma, but I apologized and thought we moved past that.
I scoot down a row to be closer to them so the mother can stop giving us all a ride on the spin cycle and say her peace. I’m not sure if she realizes I’m directly behind her or if she was so focused on biting her tongue and shaking us like a can of cola that she didn’t feel my movement.
The woman leans toward her daughter again, this time keeping her voice to little more than a whisper. “Why is his uncle here? Doesn’t the boy have parents?”
Unfortunately for her, I hear her words loud and clear.
“MOM!” Gemma not only turns away from her mother, but scoots over a few inches to create distance.
“What? I’m just asking.” She says, no longer worried about the volume of her voice. “If he means that much to you, I’d like to know if he has parents. What’s wrong with that?”
“Not that it’s any of your business,” I chime in, unable to keep my mouth shut. Teddy is the closest thing I have to a son, and there’s no way in hell I’mgoing to let anyone trash him or my sister. “Since you’re grieving, I’ll grant you the courtesy of believing you’re a concerned parent. Not that I owe you an explanation, but Teddy’s father is serving our country overseas, and his little sister has the flu. His mother, my sister, is home taking care of her and his younger brother.”
