Page 101 of Mending Hearts
Heavy silence slams into the room. Rafe’s mom goes very still.
His dad’s jaw ticks. “They disowned you?” he asks quietly.
I nod once. I don’t dress it up. Don’t soften it. It is what it is.
For a second, no one moves. Then his mom stands. I barely have time to register it before she crosses the space between us and pulls me to my feet.
She’s tiny. I’m not. Yet she wraps her arms around me with a fierceness that makes my vision blur.
“No,” she says firmly, against my chest. “No.” Her hands press flat against my back. “You are family now.”
Something inside me fractures.
Rafe’s dad stands, too, coming closer, one hand landing solidly on my shoulder.
“You are family,” he repeats.
I swallow hard. Harder than I’ve swallowed in years.
My grandma used to say something similar. That blood is not the only thing that makes a family. I didn’t realize how much I still needed to hear it.
I blink fast, but it’s useless. My eyes burn.
Rafe watches us like he doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
His mom pulls back just enough to cup my face, studying me. “Anyone who throws away a son for loving….” She shakes her head. “That is their loss.”
Her words settle deep. Then she turns, swift as a whip, and smacks Rafe lightly on the arm. “And you,” she says sharply. “Why did you not tell us?”
Rafe blinks. “I was trying to protect you.”
“From what?” she demands.
“From headlines. From pressure. From?—”
“From happiness?” she cuts in.
His dad huffs a quiet laugh behind her.
Rafe runs a hand through his hair, looking caught between sheepish and emotional. “It wasn’t that simple.”
His mom folds her arms. “It never is.” There’s affection in it now. Exasperation, yes—but not anger.
Rafe exhales slowly. “We were young,” he says. “There were no out players in the League. Not one.”
His dad nods slowly.
“The pressure was insane,” Rafe continues. “Media, contracts, sponsorships. Ollie’s career was just starting. If it got out?—”
“It would have exploded,” I finish quietly.
Rafe glances at me, gratitude in his eyes.
His mom listens carefully now.
“We thought we were protecting everything,” Rafe says. “His career. The team. Our families.”
“And us,” I add, voice steady.
