But at the same time, I didn’t give enough of a shit about what this lady could possibly think of me. Because I knew the truth. And Jonah knew the truth.

But…

She was going to be in my life for a long time. And she was just worried about him even though he was a grown man. Would I ever stop worrying or caring about Mo even when she was old enough?

Probably not.

“I’d like for you to apologize to her,” Jonah said, still using that hard-ass voice that got me going. Then he added “Please,” and I swear my ovaries just about exploded.

Well, it wasn’t like I didn’t know I had issues.

No one said anything for about three seconds too long, and I could feel the tension coming off him, until finally, his mom sniffed, sat up even straighter, and said very carefully, “My apologies for what I said, Elena.”

We were going with Elena then. How the hell had she even found out my real name?

The man beside me groaned, more than likely, for the same reason.

I decided to be nice because that would be more annoying. “Apology accepted,” I told her, keeping myself from smiling because that was a little much. “I know you’re just watching out for him to make sure I’m not taking advantage of him.”

That was definitely a groan from the man beside me, and if Sarah’s eyes went a little wide… too bad.

“But I’m not,” I told her, giving her a smile then and making sure not to break eye contact. “I had no idea who he was when we met. He made it seem like he was on vacation for the first few days after we met, but even if I had known who he was, it wouldn’t have mattered because I don’t know anything about rugby. And I don’t need his money. Kids really had never been in my life plan, even with this much of a stud muffin.“

Jonah choked right then, but I was on a roll and didn’t want this awkward shit hanging over us, so I needed his mom to understand me. I just wanted her to suffer a little when I called her baby boy a stud muffin.

“I know I’m not that pretty, and I’m not fancy or that well-educated, but”—I looked right at her; I wanted her to know I meant the words coming out of my mouth—“I’m a decent person, and Jonah could have had a baby with someone a lot worse than me.”

The other woman stared, and beside me, Jonah was still trying to stop choking.

I smiled at her even more sweetly. “Some people might even say I’m a catch. My grandfather won four world championships in boxing. My dad won a gold medal and a silver medal in boxing in the Olympics. I don’t really know about my mom or her family because I never met her and my grandpa barely knew her, but I am….” I swallowed that word and blinked. “I was… a world champion judoka. I was undefeated for years in this country, and when I did lose, it was because I was injured. I’ve won multiple national championships in the junior and senior levels. I’ve won more Pan-American games than any other woman. The only reason I didn’t compete in the Olympics was because I was injured each time, but I’ve beat the players who did win. And, most importantly, because none of that really matters anymore, I will work my ass off to be a good mom to your granddaughter. I don’t know how to not try my best at anything, Sarah, so….”

I raised my eyebrows at her as I folded my hands on top of the table and gave her a long look.

And she…

She didn’t say anything.

My job was done.

I peeked to my right and found that Sarah wasn’t the only one watching me silently. The difference was, I winked at the one to my right, all exaggerated and everything. Goddamn, Grandpa Gus would be proud. I was going to have to tell him everything later. Maybe.

That was my cue to pee. I stood up and patted Jonah on the shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

That definitely could have gone better, but it definitely could have gone worse.

I made it to the bathroom and back out in no time. I spotted an elderly man approaching the table where Jonah, his mom, and Mo were at on the way. It wasn’t until I was only a few feet away that I finally heard what the older man was saying and how Jonah was responding.

“You aren’t?” the older man asked, frowning and wringing his hands.

Jonah shook his head solemnly. “No, sir. I’m a rugby player. Never played a day of American football in my life.”

Holy shit. Was this really happening?

The older man looked pretty damn dubious as he squinted from beneath his glasses. “Rugby?”

My daughter’s father nodded. “Yeh.”

His squint got a little more intense, and even I could see the way his shoulders dropped. The man muttered his apologies before backing away, muttering under his breath, “Rugby?”

And the second he was a few feet away, Jonah turned to look at me with the fucking funniest face I’d ever seen.

But I beat him to it.

I was already grinning. “Who did he think you were?”

The funny face didn’t go anywhere, but one of his hands went for his back pocket.

I opened my mouth just as he opened his wallet and thrust a five-dollar bill at me.

“A football player,” he mumbled as he shoved his wallet back into his shorts just as I started fucking laughing.

Chapter 16

5:51 p.m

Please call me back.

“You invited her?” Grandpa Gus didn’t look up from shaking out the bag of baked chips into the one and only bowl he would be putting out that night. “Why?”

Holding Mo as she tried to stand on my thighs with her hands clutching my cheeks, I rolled my eyes at the man across the island from me. “Because she’s Mo’s grandma.”

Those gray eyes flicked up to me as he started rolling up the bag, lips flat.

I made my lips go flat too as I took a quick sniff of the baby on top of me. Jonah had helped me give her a bath last night, and she still smelled good. “And it’s more fun to be nice when you know someone doesn’t like you since it’ll just make them feel like they’re the bad person, okay? Mind Games 101. You taught that class.”

Grandpa Gus smirked, and I could see him trying to fight back a smile.

“She’s your co-grandparent. You’re gonna need to suck it up too.”

That had him sneering, but before he could argue something about him and Peter being the only grandparents that mattered, I beat him to it.

“I think I impressed her by telling her about your world championships and Marcus’s medals. Don’t be surprised if she asks you to see them.”

His back was to me as he hid the remaining chips in the cupboard. It wasn’t until he moved toward the sink, back still to me, that he said, “I cleaned them a few days ago.”

He cleaned them every other week like clockwork. He’d told me before that Marcus, my dad, had been meticulous about it. He’d been so proud of them.

“Jasper is coming tonight too, I’m guessing? I have to spend another night watching him ooh and aah over Mo?”

Speaking of, Mo decided to fart right then, and we laughed. The doorbell rang but neither one of us made a move to go answer it.

“You know… I think it’s about time you started being nicer to Jonah, and I think you know that.”