Page 90 of Neo

“I’m sure the athletic department’s medical team will want to keep a close eye on him. That might be hard from Valencia City.”

“I guess that’s a good point.”

We stand in an awkward silence and watch as Neo approaches us.

“You ready to meet, Jake?” He reaches his hand out for mine.

“I’m ready.”

“Ma?”

“Let’s introduce them,” she concurs, her lips slightly quivering.

At the grave, Neo kneels, placing the colorful bouquet of roses and snapdragons his mother brought gently on the well-tended plot. “Hey, Jake,” he whispers. “I want you to meet Violet. She’s amazing. You would have made her laugh so hard with your snarky one-liners, and then I would of had to punch you in the mouth.”

Tears prick my eyes as I watch him talk to his brother, sharing news and memories of his escapades on the ice. It’s a side of Neo I’ve never seen, raw and vulnerable. When he’s finished, it’s our turn to step away so that Neo’s mom can have her private time with Jake.

“Does your father visit here too?” I ask. He’s the last piece of Neo’s family puzzle. The man I’ve seen pictures of on social media but never in person. It would be interesting to meet the man who wields so much dominance over this family.

“He doesn’t believe in visiting graves. If it were up to him, Jake would have been cremated and his ashes spread over the Scioto River. But even though we weren’t raised to be hugely religious, my mom is Catholic, and wanted him to have a proper burial. So here he is. I don’t mind it. I like that I have somewhere to visit and hope that he can hear me.”

I slide my arm around Neo’s.

“I’m sure he can.”

“And what about you, baby? How are you coping?”

“I’m still processing things. I’m not ready for gravesite visits.”

Neo nods his head in understanding. “Remember what I told you. You’ll get there, Grinch.”

When we return to the house and settle in the kitchen for dessert, Ms. Major takes Neo’s hands in hers, her eyes full of emotion. “I’m so glad you came home to visit and I’m super proud of the hard decisions you’ve made lately. You’re going to do big things in this world, sweetie.”

“Thanks, Mami.”

“Violet, Jake would have loved you,” she says softly. “Thank you for being a soft place for my boy to land. I can see it in your eyes and his, in the way you are together. You two are going to make it.”

Neo looks at me, his eyes filled with emotion. “I know, Mami. I know.”

That night, as we lie in bed in the guest room, Neo pulls me close. “Thank you for being here, for being part of this,” he whispers.

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” I reply, my heart full. “But you know you can’t stay in here, right?”

“What are you talking about?”

“We are in your childhood home. You have a bedroom right down that hall.”

“And you think I’m going to sleep in it when your sweet, luscious ass is twelve feet away?”

He rubs my butt with the palm of his hand, attempting to slide a few of his fingers underneath the waistband of my jeans.

“Your mother is here!” I protest, pushing him away.

“Should I tell you about the time my mom caught me with the girl down the street when I was sixteen?”

“No, you shouldn’t.” I roll my eyes.

“She knows I have sex, Violet.” He laughs hysterically.