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He supposed he should be thankful for Mrs. Roth’s tact and discretion. And he would be, if it hadn’t meant he now had to admit it all to his mother. “Look, Mom, it’s—”

“If you’re going to say complicated, don’t. This is no time for clichés, Cody.”

That Mom mind-reading thing again. Knowing he had little choice, he told her the whole story, making sure she knew Chance had been trying to help.

“Of course he was trying to help,” she said dismissively. “So the question is, what are you going to do now?”

“Aren’t you going to chew me out for not telling her sooner?” he asked in genuine surprise as he slowed the SUV to make the lane shift to avoid Austin.

“Triple B, twenty-eight years of squabbling and bickering got turned on its head in a day. There’s bound to be some confusion and uncertainty.”

The simple understanding in her words and the love that rang in her voice made his throat tighten. He should have known she would see his side of it.

“That girl needs to grow a longer fuse, though,” Mom said. “You can help her with that.”

“What?”

“Just you being you will show her how. The way you go slow, analyze everything, make sure you know all you can before you decide how you feel about something.”

“Mom, she doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“Does she know why you didn’t tell her right off? Did you explain it as you just did to me?”

“I…no. She didn’t want to hear it. She just wanted me gone.”

“Then, perhaps, when her feelings were hurt, and she’s in pain anyway, and worried about her future, both physically and on the circuit, and she reacted out of pure worry and emotion. We women do that, you know,” she added, her tone wry.

“I hadn’t noticed,” he said dryly.

But he had to admit he hadn’t thought enough about where Britt had been coming from. He’d been so blindsided by her reaction that he hadn’t really thought about all the factors that had probably caused it.

“Now that she’s calmed down, had time to think…she’s a smart girl, Cody. Too smart not to see what a prize you are. She’ll come around.” He didn’t know what to say to that compliment, and was glad when she asked, “Where are you?”

“Just clearing Austin.”

“Always good news,” she said tartly. “You’ll make the hospital by five thirty?”

“Should.” He hesitated, then, “Mom?”

“What?”

“Do you think…is it right? Britt I mean. Britt and me.”

“I think it was meant to be. I always have.”

“You never said.”

“Because I believe my boys needed to find their own way. And—” her voice broke, something so rare it made him almost tear up himself “—now they have. Kyle would be so proud, and happy for all of you.”

“Geeze, Mom, make me drive off the road why don’t you?” He could barely get the words out.

“Don’t,” she ordered, back in control. “Just get here. Work it out. It’ll be fine.”

He took a deep breath. Searched for words. Finally settled on the ones that said it all. “I love you, Mom.”

“And I you, Triple B.”

For the rest of the drive, he carried her words, and her confidence in him. It would work out. It had to. Because a weekend with Britt, as they’d been, wasn’t enough.