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The girls in the lane next to us gave me a thumbs-up, and I shook my head in exasperation at them, causing them to burst into more giggles.
As it turned out, I did get better over the course of the game, but not by much. Hilton ended up winning, smashing out strike after strike. He only missed three strikes, and out of those three, he scored two spares.
By the time we were heading home, all four of us were still on a high of happiness. Hilton and Ellis were in the back seat of Judah’s car, chatting animatedly about their scores and some of the funny things they’d done.
A sense of peace fell over me as I shoved my hands in the pockets of my gray jacket. I’d prepared for a lifetime of fighting to survive and a constant plague of worry controlling me. I’d never thought I’d get this kind of future with a family of my own.
“You all right, Puffin?” Judah glanced at me from the driver’s seat and reached out to slide his fingers between mine, and I squeezed them in reassurance.
“Aye. I’m just thinkin’ about how bloody lucky I am to have you and these guys.” I nodded toward the back seat, where it got eerily quiet.
“We’re lucky to have you, too,” Judah murmured, raising my hand to place a kiss on the back of it. I smiled in response as he pulled the car into the driveway of the house.
Judah stopped the vehicle suddenly, and I glanced in front of us, stiffening when my gaze caught an Audi. Elizabeth stood beside the deep red car, her arms wrapped around herself as though she was cold, and she glared at us.
“Wait here.” Judah patted me on the arm, but I shook my head.
“If you’re goin’ out there, so am I.” I glanced at Ellis and Hilton, who were both snuggled in hoodies and staring at me with concerned expressions. “Both of you stay in the car.” I didn’t give them a chance to make a snappy reply before I was sliding out my door and meeting Judah around the front. He gave me a look that said he wasn’t happy that I hadn’t listened, but I ignored it as I grabbed his hand and walked up to Elizabeth with him.
“Elizabeth, why are you here?” Judah straightened and his face hardened, and the playfulness he’d shown all afternoon and into the night was gone.
The front light of the house was on, casting Elizabeth in a bright glare that didn’t match her energy. She was the darkness.
She stalked forward and stopped in front of us, her attention darting to our connected hands before she focused on Judah. Despite the feminine suit she wore, she appeared ragged with her hair falling out of the usually tightly pinned bun on her head, and she had dark circles under her eyes. “I need you to come back to Dailey Tires, Judah.”
Judah snorted. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
She huffed and ran a shaky hand over her head. “The board and I want you back. Our sales are dropping and the investors aren’t happy. We’ll pay you double.”
He glanced at me in disbelief, and all I could do was shrug in response. I’d expected her to come crawling to him eventually, but she looked haggard and as though she’d been through ten rounds of a cage fight.
“No, Mom, I’m not doing that. I started my own business. You made your choice, and I made mine.” He ran a hand over his face.
“Judah, stop this.” Her tone bordered on begging, and the more she spoke, the more her hands began to shake. “Your father is ready to leave me. I need you.”
He laughed at her and it had a disbelieving edge to it. “I needed you when I was eighteen. I needed you when I found Tav again. But instead of being my mother, you were an enemy. You took away my company, you tried to offer Tav money again to leave, and now you’re here, desperate, and I’m not giving in to you. I have no interest in being a part of your life anymore. I cut you off.”
“You can’t.” She took a step forward, but he backed away. “Your father?—”
“That’s on you, Mom.” He smiled sadly. “You did that. He tried to make you see reason, and you still went behind my back to the board and you all voted to kick me out. Now reap the consequences while I live a happy life with my partner.” He dragged me closer and kissed my cheek. “This is my family now.” He shrugged. “I don’t know what else to tell you.”
“What about your friends?” She placed her palms together and pressed the tips of her fingers against her lips. “Brett and Chaz miss you, even though your boyfriend’s friends hit Chaz. You need them.”
Judah snorted. “I don’t need those negative bastards in my life. I have Eric and Michael, the ones who didn’t mock Tavish. I don’t need Brett and Chaz after how they treated Tav.”
She shook her head, more strands of hair falling out. “Do you see what you’re doing to your life, Judah?”
“Me?” He laughed maniacally and thrust a finger at his chest. “Me?” Then, he pointed the finger at Elizabeth. “You. You were the one who chose to ruin my job at Dailey Tires, now you can fix your mistake. I’m out of that company and out of your life. Fucking go, Mom.”
“Judah—”
“Go!” He waved at her car impatiently. “Get in your car and go.”
She took a step back, then another, her shoulders shaking now. Finally, tears fell down her cheeks and she let out a wretched sob. Despite how much she hated me, I almost felt sorry for her. I didn’t do anything, though, because she didn’t deserve Judah. He was too kind, and she tried to destroy his world because of who he was dating.
She rushed to her Audi and slid in, backing around Judah’s Honda and out of the driveway before she sped away.
Judah watched her, and I stared at him, and when he bowed his head, I hugged him from behind.
