“Do you think there’ll be party games, Mom?” Josh asked. He was holding the gift she’d wrapped for Becca. A beautiful scarf she’d found at Laura’s Dress Shop in town. It was made
from the softest grey cashmere, with yellow birds printed all over. It suited Becca’s bright personality perfectly.
“Of course there won’t be party games, doofus,” Michael shook his head. “It’s an adult birthday. Grown ups don’t play games.”
“Michael.” Mia lifted a brow at him. “Don’t call your brother names.”
“Sorry.” He gave her a tight smile. She could tell from his expression he was nervous. She felt the same way. Gray Hartson was a big deal.
The door opened, and Mia immediately recognized Maddie, Gray’s partner. She was holding one of her twin boys in her arms, the other clinging to her leg. “You made it! Hi!” She grinned down at the boys. “I’m so glad you two are here. Gray has the Xbox out and they’re playing winner stays on, I’m hoping you guys can defeat him.”
An unexpected smile played at Michael’s lips. “What are they playing?”
“Some football game.” She glanced at Mia. “It’s all PG, I promise. Apart from the guys’ swearing. But you two can tell them off if they do that, right?”
Josh nodded, his face serious. “Mom makes us put money in a jar if we swear. I can be in charge of it.”
Maddie laughed. “That’s a great idea. You’ll probably make a million dollars. Come on inside, I’ll show you where the den is.” She grinned at Mia. “The girls are all in the kitchen. Grab a prosecco and join them.”
Carrying Becca’s gift, Mia walked into the kitchen, smiling as the aroma of pizza and cake wafted over her. Maybe adult birthdays weren’t so different to kids ones after all. Michael seemed to have cheered up as soon as the Xbox was mentioned, and Josh, as always, was excited to be out of the house.
“Mia!” Becca called out, running across the kitchen in her bare feet. She was holding a glass in her hand, and on her head was a huge plastic tiara with ‘Birthday Girl’ spelled out in silver. “I’m so happy you’re here. Everybody, you know Mia, right?”
A chorus of hellos echoed through the huge room.
Mia passed her the gift. “Happy birthday.”
Becca grinned, her eyes sparkling as she ripped the paper open, then squealed when she saw what was inside. “I love it!” she said, wrapping the scarf around her neck. “I saw this in the window of Laura’s the other day and had scarf envy.”
“I saw it and thought of you,” Mia said, smiling at her friend’s reaction.
“You know me so well already.” Becca hugged her tight. “Let’s go and join the others.” She passed a fresh glass of prosecco to Mia and led her over to a huge cream leather sofa. “You know Courtney, of course.”
Along with Courtney, there was Van, Tanner’s wife, as well as Courtney’s best friend, Lainey. As soon as Mia sat down with them, the conversation picked up, as they gossiped about work, Van and Tanner’s drive-in movie theater, and what movies they were planning to show that year. Then the talk turned to the brothers, as Maddie – who’d returned from the den – regaled them with a story of how Tanner wouldn’t accept that Gray had beaten him at the football game, and the two of them had ended up rolling on the floor, play fighting each other like kids.
“If only Cam was here,” Becca said, shaking her head. “He’d whoop all their asses in an instant.”
At the mention of Cam’s name, Mia found herself looking up. What would they think of her if they knew what was happening between them? Not that she’d ever say. Cam wasn’t planning on staying around for good, after all. Soon he’d be back at work, and she’d still be here.
“Logan’s been on edge all weekend,” Courtney said. “He’s so worried that Cam might want to play again.”
“Surely he wouldn’t do that.” Maddie frowned. “It could kill him.”
Mia’s head snapped up. What?
Courtney pressed her lips together. “I know. But Logan says that football is Cam’s life. He has no idea what to do when he’s off the field.”
“What’s wrong with Cam?” Mia found herself asking. “I thought he was taking a break because of a bad tackle.”
Becca sighed. “It’s a bit more than that.” She glanced around at the women sitting with them. “This goes no further than this house, okay?”
They all nodded.
“He has post concussion syndrome. Not just from the tackle he took a few weeks ago, but from the build up of brain trauma over the years. There are lesions on his brain that won’t ever heal, but he can still lead a normal life if he stops playing.” Becca’s voice was low.
“The problem is, if he carries on playing, it could make things worse. Much worse.” Courtney bit her lip. “Have you heard of CTE?”
Mia shook her head.