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He inclined his head. “A long time ago,” he added.

“Mikko flew me here,” my mother went on, squeezing his hand. “Private jet. Very dramatic. I told him it was unnecessary, but he insisted he wanted to come with me when we tell you face-to-face.”

I stared at her, my brain still catching up. “Tell me what? Why are you here, Mom? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I promise,” she said quickly. “I went to your hotel first, but they told me you’d checked out, so I came here instead. I’m sorry to spring this on you at work, but your coach is a wonderful man. So kind.”

“Mom, you're scaring me.”

She leaned forward slightly, her hand still in my hair, thumb brushing my temple. “I'm free of your father, Jari, the divorce papers will be delivered tomorrow, and I didn’t want you hearing it over the phone,” she added.

Something inside my chest cracked open—fear, relief, grief, all tangled together. Was this why Dad had been hassling me, demanding money? Had he realized he was losing his grip on one of his possessions and decided to tighten it on me instead?

“Okay. We can do this,” I said, more to myself than her. “You can stay with me, I'll find you somewhere to get help…” Panic struck me. How was I supposed to do anything? Maybe Cam would let her live in the pool house. After all, I spent most nights in his big bedroom with him. I needed to get myself together.

I'm a grown fucking man; I can fix this. I can tell my mom I'm with Cam. Tell her I'm gay.

“I won't stay here in the US, sweetheart, my Mikko has a home in Oulu, right by the water.”

“Why do you keep saying ‘my Mikko’?”

“Mikko is my…” She glanced up at him, her lips curving soft and sure, and the way he looked back at her—open, unguarded—hit me harder than anything else in the room.

“Boyfriend,” he said easily. “Now the paperwork is done, soon-to-be fiancé, I hope. Husband, if I’m very lucky and her son approves.” He bent and kissed Mom's forehead with quiet reverence. “Rakkaani,” he murmured. He called her My love and my heart melted.

They smiled at each other as if the rest of the world had already fallen away, and my heart hurt. It was the same as when Cam gazed at me, that quiet devotion that meant everything.

“How, I mean… when… I… does Aarni know about Mikko? Is he fighting this?”

Mom nodded. “Yes.” She glanced up at Mikko, who stared back at her steadily. “But he will not win, because he has nothing to contest, and I asked for nothing.”

“I will give your mother everything I have,” Mikko said. “The best care, love, vacations, happiness. If that is okay with you,” he added, and I took a moment to stand up and brush my pants, aware I was still sweaty from practice.

“Mom?” I asked gently, needing the word to anchor me. I knew Mikko by hockey reputation alone, and he and my father had knocked heads more than once. Mikko Salonen had been everything my dad wasn't—a national hero, someone who’d come from money and had discipline and respect. I should have felt relief at that alone.

But none of it mattered if Mom wasn’t happy.

“Can we have a few minutes?” I asked him, forcing the words out.

Mikko studied my face for a beat, then nodded without hesitation. He bent once more, kissed my mother’s head, murmured something soft in Finnish I couldn’t quite catch, and stepped out, closing the door quietly behind him.

I turned back to her, my chest tight. “Mom?” I said again, my voice barely holding. “Are you happy? Are you doing this to get away from Aarni… I can help, I can look after you… If Aarni’s asking for money because of what he paid… I'll come home…”

“Shhh,” she said tenderly, and tugged me to crouch next to her, hugging me close.

“He is everything Aarni isn’t. He’s life and love and happiness.” She cupped my face, thumbs warm against my cheeks, forcing me to really regard her. “I’m sorry, Jari,” she said, the words plain and devastating. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more. I’m sorry I couldn't protect you the way I should have. I thought endurance was love, and it wasn’t. It was survival.”

Her eyes shone, but she didn’t look away.

“Mom, it’s okay⁠—”

“I want to start over,” she said. “I want to enjoy the rest of my life. I want a love that means something. And I know you’ve suffered because of the choices I made.”

“No, Mom, choices we had no choice but to make. There's a difference.”

She drew a shaky breath and pressed her forehead to mine. “I wanted to come and tell you as soon as I could,” she whispered and pulled back just far enough to meet my eyes. “You could come home with Mikko and me,” she said. “Not to run away. Just… to be safe. To be loved. To breathe.”

I couldn’t leave Cam. The thought hit hard, a sharp refusal in my chest before I’d even finished processing her words. I loved him. Not in a distant, abstract way, but in the day-to-day, breathing-him-in, choosing-him way. I wanted him in my life. The realization steadied me. Did Mom feel that same certainty? That same pull?