My phone vibrates with a call. “I have to take this. Mateo was going to call me back.”
“That’s fine. I’ll wait.”
I reach into the front pouch of my sweatshirt and pull out my phone. I glance at the screen, and my blood drains into the abyss.
Fucking great.
As if this time with Dori couldn’t get any worse.
CHAPTER 26
HUNTER
My mother staresat me through the window of this small farmhouse, and I have to remember to breathe.
Her brown hair is in a loose bun. The wisps around her face blow in the breeze. She looks like Courtney Cox but with bright green eyes.
Memories of her loving me slam into my mind.
I sit on her lap in an oversized black leather rocking chair. “Mommy, I don’t feel well.”
“I know, baby. Just rest and let the medicine take hold.” She kisses the top of my head as she cradles me. “Tomorrow, you’ll be as good as new.”
“Promise?”
“Yes, my prince. You’ll be perfect as always.” She humsHush Little Babyas I sink into her embrace.
My love for her pulses throughout my body, and her warmth soothes me. I fall asleep with her love healing me.
A few years later, when I’m about six, I’m on the playground. Two older boys taunt and push me around. Tears pour from my eyes as I run back to where she’s sitting on a bench.
She holds out her arms, and I snuggle into her as she caresses my back and rocks me. “Hunter, you’re alright.”
“But those boys said they were going to beat me up.”
“Don’t you worry about them. You’re the king of this playground. You just haven’t shown anyone yet.” She sways with me from side to side.
“I’m the king?”
“Yes, and all you have to do is let the kids playing here know you’re in charge.”
I peek up at her as my tears come to a stop. “How do I do that?”
“By doing anything you need to do so they get the message.”
“Even if I have to beat them up?”
“Yes, my son. You’re the king, so you can do whatever you need to do in order to get what you want. Stand tall and fight back, then nobody will bother you again.”
I didn’t know she was at the base of these beliefs of mine until now. I had pushed the memories from my mind.
The power she had over me can’t be denied. I trusted her when she said things like that to me. I believed her with everything in me. She was my guide, and I loved her more than anything.
She stands and beckons me with her emerald eyes. I amble her way without a second thought.
Does she still love me?
I shudder at the longing that follows that thought. I open the back door and go to her like I don’t have a say in the matter.
