Page 11

“Karen, do you want some coffee? Lunch won’t be ready for an hour or so, but we have time to chat,” Joy said from nearby, disrupting the moment and breaking the spell as she dragged her eyes away from Jett to look at her new mother-in-law.

“I’d love some coffee – thank you,” Karen murmured before looking back over her shoulder at Jett, who was now wrestling with his younger brother, Elton.

Jett was right; the boy did not fit the old-fashioned name in the slightest, and it would be easier for her to call him ‘E.J.’ or something of the sort.

“Elton John was the first concert I saw,” Joy volunteered, whispering beside her as Karen jumped slightly before accepting the cup of coffee.

“I was pregnant with Jett, and his father was working as a cook in a diner during the day while trying to learn how to play guitar at night. He always wanted to be a musician and dreamed of greater things…”

Karen listened, fascinated, taking in and appreciating this openness that Joy seemed to offer with little hesitance.

She just spoke like they were a couple of old friends becoming reacquainted.

“But I’m sure you’ve heard all of this from my son…

” Joy chuckled softly, putting a hand on Karen’s arm, rolling her eyes with an embarrassed look on her face. “I love my boys, and it’s easy to…”

“Please continue,” Karen interrupted softly, needing this information almost as much as the woman needed to share it.

“I love hearing about Jett...” – And realized it was true.

She knew nothing about this man she’d married, and perhaps she could learn something from the person who raised him from a child.

“There’s not a lot to tell,” Joy flushed nervously.

“I worked so much when he was growing up that I missed a lot of Jett’s childhood – except his hockey games.

The boy was a child prodigy on the ice, and I was so glad that he had those moments to keep him happy, keep him grounded while at the same time giving him a direction to grow. ”

Karen looked at Joy, waiting patiently as the woman stared at the two males still wrestling and playing in the middle of the living room like they were both children – not just E.J….

“His father left when Jett was six or seven,” Joy whispered, her face pained at the memories locked away in her mind.

“Things hadn’t been good. We never got married and constantly argued about money when one day Rodney never returned.

He never came home the next day or the following week.

He’d quit his job with no notice and left with some red-headed woman in a van, according to his boss, and I had to explain it to Jett. ”

“Oh Joy…” Karen’s heart was breaking for the two of them, realizing so much in that statement.

He’d grown up alone and found himself in hockey – which must mean the world to him – and also only had his mother to rely on.

A woman who worked to provide what her son needed so he could someday become this man.

No wonder Jett was protective and worried, he didn’t want his mother to be hurt from his lies.

“Jett is such a good man. You’ve raised him well… ”

She didn’t know what else to say – and hoped that was the right thing to tell her. It must have been because the woman laid her head on Karen’s shoulder and gave her a little squeeze of a hug before smiling at her.

“I’m so glad he has you,” Joy said softly, like she was imparting some grand secret. “I am so proud of my son, but I also see the boy inside of him… and I don’t want him to be alone again. He spent enough time alone while I was trying to scrape out a living for us.”

“Where do you work?”

“I don’t,” she chuckled. “I used to work as a waitress, but when Jett got his contract, he made me quit my job and enrolled me in an adult macrame class. Me? Macrame?”

“You don’t like macrame?”

“It’s not my thing, but I know why he did it.”

“Oh?”

“I’ll never forget the day,” Joy smiled proudly.

“Jett came over for dinner, walked in carrying some takeout containers, and told me that he wanted me to have a chance to live my life now that I was done raising him.” She chuckled softly and met Karen’s eyes.

“Foolish boy doesn’t realize that you never quit raising your children – not when they hold a big piece of your heart inside.

You always protect them… and you’ll see someday. ”

Karen swallowed simply to keep the immediate denial from her lips.

“I met my boyfriend taking one of these silly classes,” Joy winked, smirking and looking like Jett. “Roger teaches painting and will be here later. He’s Elton’s father and my best friend. We’ve been married for eight years now.”

“Oh?”

“Acton is my maiden name – which is why Jett has it. Elton has Roger’s name, and when I got pregnant, he insisted on marrying me. I thought it was menopause. Boy, were we both surprised.”

“Oh my gosh… I bet you were stunned.”

“I was horrified at first,” Joy laughed openly. “My Jett was grown and on his own. I’d been seeing Roger for six months – and boom.”

“That’s a heckuva ‘boom’.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Joy whispered and smiled, looking at the two guys who obviously had it out of their system now.

They were no longer wrestling around on the floor, but both were sitting down, backs against the couch feet planted in front of them, knees bent, and holding game controllers, staring at the screen…

only for Jett to look up briefly, smile at her, and wink.

Karen tensed – and Jett looked away as his mother whispered.

“Jett always surprises me,” Joy began. “When I told him about the pregnancy and Roger’s proposal, he smiled and said ‘ You gave me my life – share this second part of your life with him but only if he makes you happy, Ma. You’ll get a chance to relive all those things you regretted but never said… just be happy. ’”

“What?” Karen whispered, looking from Jett to Joy in surprise.

“I never once complained about our life, never said a thing of regret, but somehow he knew and just wanted me to be happy,” Joy whispered and hugged her again. “That’s the boy I raised – and the man you married. Just make him happy, and it’s enough for me.”

“I love you in pink, Nutella…”

Jett’s voice came out of nowhere and caused Karen to do a doubletake as Joy chuckled, hugging her again before walking into the kitchen to check on whatever was cooking in the oven. Karen looked at Jett, realizing he was talking to her, addressing her as ‘Nutella’ again.

“Pink is your color,” he said, ignoring E.J.’s groan of dismay and how the boy rolled his eyes mockingly, making faces. No, her new husband, this stranger, was watching her – waiting – and more unbelievably… admiring her.

“You’re sweet,” Karen said nervously, unsure what else to say without giving anyone the idea that they weren’t madly in love. “Play your video game with your brother.”

Jett turned in a quick, confrontational motion, putting his face almost directly in E.J.’s surprised one as the boy reared back. “You hear that? My wife just gave me permission to ‘school’ you, Twerp. Prepare to lose.” – and before Karen could comment, she saw his brother do the same.

E.J. shoved his face forward, nearly touching Jett’s nose, causing a proud smile to appear on her husband’s face at the way E.J.

mimicked him. “Don’t start none, won’t be none…

and who are you calling ‘Twerp,’ Twerp. Are you trying to show off for your girl?

I assure you, she already knows what a loser you are… ”

“Whoa there…” Karen exclaimed, stunned as Jett laughed openly. “That was a little hostile, don’t you think?”

“Good job, Biggie-E,” Jett praised and high-fived the boy. “Just like that. Don’t show any fear when someone pushes your buttons, and speak up for yourself. Now, what’s the rule?”

“Speak up for myself, put on a show so they back down, and if I have to protect myself – make sure if I hit someone that they don’t get back up,” the boy parroted dutifully, and Karen didn’t know if she should be proud or horrified that he was teaching his younger brother these things.

“And if they get up?” Jett prompted softly, looking at the scrawny boy who looked so much like him – more than Karen realized, making her wonder if he’d dealt with this as a child.

“Get my phone out and call 9-1-1 before they land a punch,” E.J. replied with a frown. “I don’t like that part, but it’s good to know.”

“The police will stop anything that is happening – or the ambulance will be there. Kids are mean, and it can be tough sometimes. There is always a leader in the crowd who is afraid to be taken down by another, which is why that guy is usually the bully. He’s afraid to lose face, but by standing up to him and making a stand for yourself, they will usually make some smart remark and brush it off so they can save face.

You never hit someone unless it’s the last option. ”

“I know… I know…”

“I’m only going to be a phone call away – and you can still tell me anything, even if I’m at work.”

Karen stood just a few feet away, watching the exchange unfold between the two brothers.

Something about Jett's voice made her chest tighten—it was steady, but there was a weight behind the words, a kind of quiet insistence that went deeper than just reassurance. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, not really, but when she saw Jett leaning toward E.J.

, his broad frame slightly hunched as he tried to make his younger brother understand… it had stopped her in her tracks.

And then, all at once, everything began to slide into place.