“It’s impressive that you could sleep that long without waking up. I’d pay good money for the ability to pass out that well on a plane,” I tease as I drive us home from the airport.
We just landed in Denver after flying back from Coach Porter and Abby’s wedding in France.
“That’s the one thing my body is good at. Sleeping,” she says. “Maybe it’s to make up for how terrible at handling everything else, like food allergies and migraines.”
I glance over at her. “How have you been feeling lately? Still good?”
She flashes a warm smile. “Yeah. Really good. Now that I’m working a less stressful schedule and I’m getting my meds every month without issue, I haven’t had a single migraine.”
I grin, happy that she’s healthy and feeling good after so many years of struggling.
I turn into my neighborhood and head for my street. When my driveway comes into view, I spot a small gray SUV parked in front.
“Whose car is that?” Ellie asks.
My stomach sinks. “Shit.”
She turns to me. “What’s wrong?”
“My mom’s here.” I huff out a heavy breath and pull into the driveway next to her, then kill the engine.
“Why’s it bad that your mom’s here?” Ellie asks. “She was really nice when I was a kid.”
“She’s gonna be pissed about not being invited to the wedding.”
Ellie frowns like she’s confused. “But I thought you talked to her about it?”
“Actually, I just left a message on her phone.”
Ellie’s mouth falls open. “Seriously?”
I nod, annoyed at myself that I didn’t see this coming. Of course my mom would travel all the way from Alaska to Denver to chew my ass out for not inviting her to my wedding once she found out.
“Camden, you shouldn’t have told her about us getting married in a voicemail,” Ellie says gently.
“I know. But she spent this summer in Alaska helping my aunt and uncle manage these off-grid cabins they own. They don’t have electricity or cell service. There was no way I could get a hold of her to explain.” I tug a hand through my hair and exhale sharply.
I unbuckle my seatbelt and turn to Ellie. “I’ll go in there by myself first and deal with her. She’s gonna be pretty pissed.”
Ellie shakes her head and grabs my hand. “We’ll go together. That’s part of being married, right? Dealing with the hard stuff as a team.”
I let a small smile slip at how sweet it is that she wants to support me.
“You sure?” I ask.
She nods once. “Positive.”
We step out of the car and head inside the front door.
“Mom?” I call out. I kick my shoes off and head inside.
When I walk into the kitchen, I see my mom at the stove cooking. When she turns around and sees me standing there with Ellie, I brace myself for her to go off on me.
But she just smiles and runs over to us.
“There’s my son and daughter-in-law!”
She pulls me into a hug, then smacks my shoulder.
