33 Cutter #3
“That’s only because Cutter was a preemie,” she replies. “Your father loved you both equally. As do I.”
In the interest of keeping the peace, I bite my tongue to keep from disputing that statement. I glance at Aubie and he squeezes my thigh under the table.
“You must be bored to tears,” I tell him.
“Are you kidding me? I’m loving this. Getting you to talk about yourself is like pulling teeth.”
“Well, you can come over whenever you like and I’ll tell you all kinds of stories,” Mom assures him.
He winks at me and tells my mom he’d love nothing more.
Great, now they’re all ganging up on me.
I swear Callum is digging deep to recall every cringeworthy thing I ever did as a kid, which is a long list, especially going back to my grade school days.
I was a clumsy, awkward kid who half the time couldn’t get out of my own way.
How I ever managed to clean up my act enough to become a top prospect pitcher is nothing short of miraculous, a fact that Callum also mentions.
“You should have seen him,” he tells Aubie. “He was unhittable.”
I guess Aubie reads the discomfort in my eyes at the mention of that time in my life, because he reaches for my hand and gives me a warm smile. “He’s pretty special at what he does now, too.”
I want to kiss him so badly right now.
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Mom says. “Cutter has always been a perfectionist.”
“What about me?” Callum asks.
She turns to him and offers an indulgent smile. “It always came easy to you, sweetie. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but you had us all in the palm of your hand from the day you were born.”
I chuckle. “She’s got you pegged, bro.”
“You’re just jealous because I’m prettier,” he pretends to pout.
“You’re both pretty,” Mom insists. “Not to brag, but I made some damn fine looking sons.”
“That you did,” Aubie agrees.
Despite the roasting I’m getting from my family, dinner is actually…
nice. Having everyone here together almost feels like old times.
Times before I blew everything to shit. I’m even making an effort to get along with Callum.
I can’t say I’ve a hundred percent forgiven him, but at least I can tolerate being in the same room with him.
And he goes out of his way to be nice to Aubie, so that’s a plus.
In fact, both him and Mom have been surprisingly supportive of Aubie and me without asking a lot of questions. It’s almost weird. I don’t know what, if anything, Aubie told my mom while we were down in the basement, but they seem to have forged an instant bond.
“I’m sending you both home with leftovers,” Mom insists after we help her clear the dishes and load the dishwasher.
“Now you’re spoiling me,” Aubie says as she fills two Tupperware containers with roast and potatoes.
She reaches up and pinches his cheek. “You could stand to eat a little more, dear.”
He looks at me and asks coyly, “Do you think I could stand to eat more?”
“I like you just the way you are,” I mumble, then blush when I realize everyone heard me.
“Aren’t you sweet?” he purrs.
When my dick twitches I know we’d better get going.
Mom follows us to the door with our care packages of food and waits while we pull on our coats. “Aubie,” she says, “it’s been a delight to meet you. Please don’t be a stranger.”
He pecks her on the cheek before accepting the food containers and heading for the door. “I wouldn’t dream of it, if only for some more of your cooking.”
Before I follow him, she pulls me close and whispers in my ear. “I’m so glad you came. Aubie is wonderful.”
I meet her eyes. “You didn’t say anything about…us. You know, being together.”
She reaches up and brushes the curl back from my forehead. “If he’s what you want, then that’s good enough for me. All I ever wanted is for both my sons to be happy.”
“I am. For the first time since, well…you know.”
“I don’t know what happened between you and Amber, though I have my suspicions.
” She flicks a glance back at Callum and I wonder just how much she does know.
She always seemed to have that mother’s intuition about things.
“What I do know is you seem more relaxed now than you ever did with her, so you’re doing something right.
” Before I step through the door, she adds, “I just want you to know I’m proud of you. ”
I nearly lose it right there. That’s all I ever wanted from her. “Thanks, Mom.”
I swallow the lump in my throat as I make my way down the driveway to my truck. Aubie is already inside waiting for me.
“You’re lucky,” he says as I get in and start the engine.
“What do you mean?”
“Your mom is great. Warm, funny, and an awesome cook. Can she adopt me?”
I grin to myself as I back out of the driveway. “She already has. She’s your mom now, too.”
I don’t know if I’m overstepping my bounds by saying that. We’ve never talked about the future or what we want out of this. I glance at him and wait for the showman’s smirk that tells me he’s pulling away, but his smile is bright and open. He reaches for my hand and sighs.
“Best news I’ve had in a long time.”