From the little I’d seen, it was like taking care of a child.

“I’ll go see if I can help. Brady, do you want to go to my room and start homework until dinner?” She was trying to get me comfortable and not leave me alone with her dad. I appreciated it, but I needed to get in good with her father. I wanted him to approve of me.

“I think I’ll visit with your dad and watch the news. See what’s happening in sports,” I told her.

She didn’t hug me, but the expression on her face said she wanted to. Seems my decision had just scored me some points.

“Okay, then. It shouldn’t be too much longer,” she said before hurrying into the kitchen.

Bryony stayed right behind her, skipping as she went.

“That girl loves her momma. Riley has made a wonderful mom. Couldn’t be prouder of her,” Mr. Young said as they disappeared into the other room.

“She’s really impressive,” I agreed.

“That she is. A strong girl. Life hasn’t been fair to her, but she seems to find joy in the little things. And, of course, in Bryony. She’s the least selfish teenage girl I know.”

I nodded.

He set his paper down in his lap and took off his reading glasses, then placed them on the table beside him before leveling me with his gaze.

“You’re a good kid. I’ve always thought so. You’ve got dreams and talent. Ain’t a thing wrong with that. It’s admirable,” he began, and although that sounded good I was worried about the tone he had taken with me. “But that girl in there is my baby. I’ve never hurt as badly as I did when her childhood was taken from her. The dreams and hopes for her future were snatched out from under her. It just about broke me. But she showed me and her mother that she’s strong and her dreams and hopes could change. With that, so did ours. But her future doesn’t fit into your world.” He paused and studied me to make sure I was listening.

“I don’t want my girl hurt again. She’s not had a friend since we left this place. Having you has helped her. I appreciate what you’re doing. But don’t let her think there could be more for the two of you when there can’t be. She’s a mother, but she’s also just a seventeen-year-old girl.”

Hurting her was the last thing I’d ever do. My dreams weren’t what they once were either. My father had changed that. I nodded my understanding.

“Yes, sir, the last thing I want is to hurt her. We’ve talked about the future and where our lives are headed. She’s different from other girls. She more mature and responsible. She cares about things that matter, and honestly, right now I think I need her more than she needs me.”

Her father didn’t reply right away. He simply sat there and thought about what I’d said. I couldn’t promise him we would have it easy. However, I could promise him I’d protect her from me. I would never hurt her. If anyone was hurt when this was over, it would be me.

“Fine, then. Good. I like you, Brady Higgens. I think you’re good for each other.”

I breathed a little easier.

Death by Corn Bread

CHAPTER 39

RILEY

I wrapped the afghan around my shoulders tightly to block the cold night breeze. Brady was beside me on the back porch steps. Dinner had gone well, and Bryony was tucked in bed. She’d enjoyed having a new face around to perform for and entertain.

Between her and Grandmamma, I wasn’t sure what Brady thought of my family. Bryony had kept giving him buttered corn bread, which he ate like a champ, Grandmamma had asked him three times what his name was and if he’d seen Thomas, and then to end the night, Bryony had made him a pallet by our bed and told him to stay.

If I sat back and tried to see us through someone else’s eyes, we resembled a zoo. Dad had chuckled through all of it. Mom had kept apologizing under her breath. But Brady had smiled and assured everyone he was having a good time.

“Are you about to vomit from all the corn bread?” I asked him.

“I’m a growing boy. Bryony knows that. She was just making sure I ate enough.”

I laughed at that. “Death by corn bread.”

“It wasn’t bad. I enjoyed it. Was a nice break from my house. This was real. I used to think mine was real, but now that I know what a complete façade it is, I can appreciate the real thing.”

“Have you thought about how to handle it? Are you going to confront your dad or tell your mom?”

He sighed and ran a hand through his already messy dark hair. “Yeah, and I don’t know. I have to confront him, and I have to tell my mom. Both I need to do. But the idea of how much pain she’s going to be in kills me.”

I wondered about Maggie. How all this would affect her. She had found happiness in their home. Now this was about to explode.

“Are you going to wait until after the championship?”

He shrugged, then shook his head. “No. I can’t. This is more important than football. My mother gets in bed with that asshole every night. Hell, he could be giving her a damn STD.”

I hadn’t thought of that. But I doubted that would happen.

“She’s married, so that’s unlikely. It seems to be an affair for both of them.”

“She’s a whore. She could be having an affair with several men. And I hate to say this, but he could be doing the same. Who’s to say she’s the only one?”

Good point. I didn’t argue that. My stomach twisted at the thought. Just when I thought I couldn’t get any sicker.

We sat there awhile staring out at the stars with our thoughts.

Gunner was okay with me and Brady. His girlfriend wanted to be my friend. This should all make me happy. But the way Brady was hurting, nothing could make me happy. His world was being ripped apart. There was nothing I could rejoice over at this point. Nothing that would fix that.

“I’m worried about Maggie. She’s just now settling in and living life. She’s found security, and I’m about to blow that shit up in her face. With me, I’ve never had tragedy to face. Life has been easy. So fucking easy I am soft. For Maggie, she’s been through so much already. Now the only family she has left is about to explode in front of her. Her mother was my dad’s sister, so does that mean she has to go with my dad when he leaves? Because he will leave. My mom won’t have to go anywhere. I’ll make sure of that. But Maggie should get to stay with my mom. Fuck,” he muttered, dropping his head into his hands. “This is so hard. How do I figure out the right thing to do in all this? So many people’s lives are going to be affected. Not just mine. How do I protect them?”

He was just seventeen. He shouldn’t be having to protect his mother and cousin from this. It was too much responsibility, and it was unfair. I reached over and linked my hand with his. It wasn’t much, but it was all I had. In life, sometimes there was nothing that could comfort you. Nothing to take the pain from your chest. But a simple reminder that you weren’t alone helped. If just a little.

“Do you think he even considered us for a moment? Me, mom, and Maggie? Or did he just think about himself?”

People were generally selfish. People who cheated on their spouses were the most selfish people I could think of. Yet it happened all the time. It seemed to be the norm now. Maybe we as humans were getting more selfish.

“I think if he’d taken a moment to consider who all he was hurting, he would never have done it.”

Brady nodded. “So he’s a selfish bastard.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. Because the truth was the truth.

“I can’t remember if football was my dream or my dad’s. All I can remember was having a football in my hands since I could walk. But did I choose that or was it forced upon me?”

He was questioning everything now. I didn’t blame him. He hated his father because he was hurt. Wanting to rid yourself of everything to do with the person who’d hurt you was common. It made sense.

“Do you love football? Does being on the field fulfill something inside you? Does throwing a pass and seeing it land in the receiver’s hands make you feel like you accomplished something?”

He didn’t reply right away. I waited in the quiet for him to think about it. Finally he sighed. “Yeah.”