Momma
stood in the middle of the living room, her long red hair pulled back into a messy ponytail as she glared at Braxton, who stood in front of her with his shoulders squared and his hands at his sides. He was motionless, eyes straight ahead like the Marine he was, with a blank face as she gave him a dispassionate once-over.
Behind her stood both bodyguards who had been a part of my life since I was five years old. Marcus had been my cousin Lucy’s bodyguard up until a few years before, but as soon as she no longer needed him, Momma had brought him in to work as part of my security detail and her own at times.
Both men stood over six feet tall, their hair short, their faces impassive as they eyeballed Braxton like he was a threat. The irony of it was, both bodyguards came from Seller’s Security.
Which had me wondering if Seller had changed the name of the company when Barrick Senior died and if it would change again once my Barrick took over.
Then my heart made a painful squeeze in my chest that had my breath catching. He wasn’t my Barrick. It was all just pretend on his part, as he’d told Braxton with his stupid text message.
“Hey, sis,” Jagger greeted from the couch where he had his feet propped up, eating a slice of leftover pizza. “You weren’t in New York ten minutes, and you caused so much trouble, Ma needed to fly out to take care of it?” He grinned conspiratorially at me. “Nice. Couldn’t have done better myself.”
“Jagger,” Momma said warningly.
He lost the grin immediately and stuffed his mouth with another bite of cold pizza.
Momma and I just looked at each other for the longest time until I couldn’t stand the silence in the room anymore. “Momma, I’m sorry.”
“Mia, I’m sorry,” she said at the same time, causing us both to laugh, and tears filled both our eyes.
I didn’t know who moved first, but suddenly her arms were around me, and mine were holding on to her like she was my lifeline. Because she was. This woman was my everything and I didn’t know how I’d gotten so lucky to have her as my mother, but I was thankful for her every damn day.
“You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about,” she told me fiercely as she took a small step back so she could see my face.
“But I’ve done nothing but cause trouble since I asked to go to college in Virginia. I never should have—”
The words dried up in my throat when she gave me a look to keep my mouth shut. “It wouldn’t have mattered if you’d wanted to go to college back home or Virginia or the gods damned moon. It would have happened regardless of where you went to school.” Her gaze shot to Braxton. “Wouldn’t it?”
“Yes, ma’am, it would have,” he admitted, his gaze still trained straight ahead.
“Wh-what?” I whispered.
“It’s time for answers, Mia.” Momma took my hand and guided me over to the couch. I sat down beside my brother, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, tucking me against him. Like he was the older sibling and he was protecting me from all the truths that were about to flood the room.
“Lance Corporal Collins,” Momma addressed Braxton. “Would you please be so kind as to join us for a cup of coffee? And while we’re at it, I would be extra grateful if you would tell us every motherfucking thing you know.”
Chapter 16
Mia
I thought Nevaeh was in bed sleeping, but when she came out of the kitchen with a tray full of coffee, cream, and sugar, I was happy to see her.
Setting the tray on the coffee table, she took the open spot on the couch on the other side of me. Like my brother, she wrapped her arms around me, surrounding me with love.
Momma motioned for Braxton to sit on the chair while she sat her tiny ass on the edge of the coffee table and picked up a saucer and mug. She didn’t add cream or sugar as she crossed her legs and smiled sweetly at one of the three people I’d thought I could trust just as much as the rest of my family.
But apparently, I couldn’t even trust my family. My own damn father and uncles had played me, and they’d done it very, very well.
“How do you take your coffee, Lance Corporal?”
“Black please, ma’am,” he said in that detached voice that gave him a robotic quality. I hated it. I wanted the smiling, sometimes goofy, always lovable Braxton back.
Part of me wanted to hit rewind and never to have answered Nevaeh’s phone when her dad called. Then I wouldn’t have heard Barrick’s laugh in the background, and I wouldn’t feel like my heart was shriveling up and dying in my chest a little more with each passing second.
Momma passed him a saucer, and he tossed the coffee back like a shot before handing it back to her. I clenched my hands together in my lap, not liking that he’d just hurt himself with scalding-hot coffee.
Gods, if I couldn’t turn off what I felt for Braxton, who was only my friend, how would I ever turn off what I felt for Barrick, whom I’d foolishly given my heart to?