Page 147 of Crash Course
"How do you think he got into the repo business? For him, it was the legal way to steal. It gave him the adrenaline rush he needed. As long as it was legal, I didn’t care. I loved him and saw beyond the not-so-good stuff. I promised him that if he stayed straight, I’d love him forever. Meant it, too. Then we had you boys and he didn’t want any of you ending up like him. He wanted our boys to be solid citizens. And then you started acting out. Fighting and staying out past curfew and your father panicked."
Holy, holy shit.Suddenly, the whole of Cruz’s childhood came into sharper focus. Like a filter had been lifted and everything appeared in full, vibrant color. All the smacks on the head and yelling. Mom intervening and sending a pissed-off Cruz to his room to cool down while Mom tore into Dad one floor below for being too tough.
"Wow," Cruz said. "That’s why he was so hard on me."
Mom nodded. "Like I said, he recognized your fire. None of the other boys had it. Sure, they played rough, but you? You had that mean streak and he wanted it gone. He did it the only way he knew how."
Fairly gobsmacked, Cruz sat back, studying his mother’s puffy eyes. Had he made her cry? Ack. That took the whole thing to another level of craptastic. "Mom, I’m sorry I disappointed you."
"You did. I’ll get over it. You disappointed yourself, too, and I think that might be worse."
No kidding.
Mom shook her head. "What about Priscilla? If her father is bent on pressing charges, you could go to prison. I don’t think Ash can help you out of this one."
"I wouldn’t ask him to."
"Maybe Priscilla can help."
He shrugged. "I haven’t thought that far ahead. She needs to rest now. She found me a lawyer. He said he’d talk to the DA about dropping the charges. Extenuating circumstances. What with her father blowing up her car."
"I imagine he’d want this dealt with as quietly as possible. Obviously, you care about her enough to take on a man like Darren Randolph."
This part was simple. He nodded. "I like her. A whole lot."
"I see. Do you think beating up her father is endearing?"
Having had just about enough of this flogging, Cruz held his hands up. She might be his mom, but he was also a grown-ass man. "I didn’tbeat him up. I punched him. Once. After he pushed me.Threetimes."
Mom shook her head again. One of those slow torturous ones. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. "I don’t know what’s worse. You being foolish enough to allow yourself to be lured into that trap or you actually hitting the man. How could you not see he was baiting you?"
"I was a little distracted after we almost got blown up. I mean, she could have been killed. And the idea of losing her? After finally finding someone who makes me laugh and doesn’t get insulted when I’m at my unfiltered best, well, that's a gift, Mom. A freaking truckload of gifts. And I could have lost her."
Mom cocked her head, then twisted her lips, fighting a smile. Great. Now she was having fun? Seriously?
Yes, let’s make this as painful as possible for Cruz and then wallow in the enjoyment.
"Cruz Blackwell," she said, "are you in love?"
Love. There was that word again. Somehow, the second time around, it didn’t terrify him as much. Didn’t make him feel so . . . unnerved. This time, it gave him a buzz. A swarming, weird happiness that washed over him.
"I think so. It’s kinda scary, but in a good way."
"Yes, it is. It’s what happens when you let yourself be vulnerable. You’re not that sort. Believe me. I was married to your father. I understand men with an aversion to vulnerability. Some never allow themselves to acknowledge it. It makes me proud that you’re not one of them. I’m also thrilled for you."
Mom walked around the island. Instinctively, he swiveled to face her. She set both hands on his cheeks. "You’re my son and I love you. If you ever get arrested again, I’ll kill you myself. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good." With that, she dropped her hands, smacked a kiss on his cheek and stepped back. "Now, who’s this lawyer helping you?"
Cruz shrugged. "Some guy Cilla knows. She said he’s good. She’s gonna talk to her father. Get him to drop the charges."
"Oh, that’ll be fun, I’m sure. Send me her number, please. I’d like to thank her."
Cruz slipped his phone from his pocket, sent Mom the number, then set the phone down on the island, spinning it round and round and round a few times before looking back at Mom. "So, about Dad. Are Ash and I the only ones who know?"
"That he was in prison? Yes. Since he wasn’t from around here, we put it behind us."
