Chapter Twenty-Four
Damn, Win was angry as hell. Not over what Elliot’s mother said to him—she had no way of knowing, and the pointed barb she threw at him sailed by harmlessly. It was the insanely distant, unloving attitude she’d shown toward Elliot. When Elliot had told him the story of his birth and his sister’s passing, he’d chalked up Elliot’s attitude toward his parents as perhaps a bit dramatic, but after meeting Elliot’s mother, not anymore. There’d been no smiles, no hugged greeting, not even a kiss on the cheek. Granted, Elliot hadn’t made a move either, but his mother had remained stiff and unyielding next to her suitcase on the opposite side of the kitchen. Not the most approachable figure.
Win’s confession, however, got a reaction. Her mouth opened in a soundless O, and her thick brows flew up under her silvery-gray bangs. He could see the resemblance in the shape of their faces and the tilt of stubbornness in their chins, as well as the wide, dark-blue eyes.
“I’m very sorry for your loss.” Her eyes clouded with pain, and Win struggled between wanting to dislike her for how she treated Elliot versus the brutal fact that she’d lost a child.
“You had no way of knowing.” With their plans for spending the day in bed now thwarted, Win hoped Elliot and his mother would take the time and hash out their problems. Perhaps all that was needed was for Elliot to talk to her and tell her how he felt. “Why don’t you and Elliot sit and catch up, and I can take your suitcase upstairs?”
“Thank you. Elliot, I assume I’ll sleep in the master?” She cocked her head.
“Uh, sure. Okay. Just let me change the sheets.”
Win had begun walking down the hallway from the kitchen to the staircase, and hearing Elliot scrambling after him, he waited for him.
“I can’t believe this,” Elliot mumbled when they were out of earshot. “What the hell.”
He looked as disappointed as a kid who’d received a pair of socks for Christmas instead of the hoped-for video game, and Win couldn’t help but laugh and kiss his cheek.
“It’s okay. Use the time to talk to her. Tell her how you feel.”
Horrified didn’t begin to describe Elliot’s expression. “Are you crazy? I can’t do that.”
They spoke as they ascended the steps, and Win brought the suitcase into the bedroom, while Elliot stopped by the linen closet to take out fresh sheets. Within minutes they’d stripped the bed and remade it, while Elliot gathered his things and brought Win to his childhood bedroom he now used as an office. Surveying the twin bed and childhood mementos, Win smiled wryly.
“Guess we’ll be staying at my place for a few days.”
Elliot dragged his feet to stand before him. “This isn’t how I wanted us to spend our time today.”
Win nuzzled his jaw, and hearing footsteps on the stairs, gave Elliot a hurried kiss. “It’s okay. We’ll have plenty of time to make up for it.”
“Elliot? Where are you?”
“In my old room.” He left Win’s side to stick his head out the door. “Everything’s set up for you. I’ll just have to go into the bathroom and take my shaving stuff out and put it in the other bathroom.”
“You didn’t change anything else but you moving into the master, right? You left Claire’s room alone, like I asked?” Without waiting for him to answer, she brushed past him to open the door facing Elliot’s. She walked inside and closed the door in their faces.
Shaking his head, Elliot huffed out a sigh and trudged back into his room. Win hesitated, then trod silently across the hall to stand by the closed door. He didn’t have to wait long to hear her soft weeping. Leaving her to her grief, Win joined Elliot on his bed.
“Your mother needs help.”
“She won’t admit it. She tried when Claire died—went to grief counseling, but she couldn’t accept it. Still doesn’t. It’s why she insists on talking about Claire in the present tense and calling our going to the cemetery ‘visiting Claire.’ It’s horrible.”
Win took his hand, and his thumb played lightly over Elliot’s palm. “It’s very sad. I understand her helplessness, but after all these years, she needs to move past it and build a relationship with you. It took me five years to pick up the pieces, and then it was only because I met you.”
“I’m not trying to be mean, but I don’t think she wants to. Keeping Claire alive is all she cares about.”
The door across the hall opened, and without stopping to say hello or acknowledge them at all, she walked with her head down to the master bedroom.
“You know, I think we should spend tonight with her.”
“Win, come on. You don’t need to do that.”
Oh, yes I do.Not only because he had a few things to say to Elliot’s mother, but because Elliot deserved to have the support of someone who only had his best interests at heart. Someone who loved him.
“I never said I needed to. I want to. Because I love you. And when you love someone, you stand up for them. With them. By their side.”
Elliot left him to stand by the window, but Win spied the wetness in his eyes. Elliot pressed his cheek to the glass. “Do you know, when I was a kid, I used to stare out into the darkness after I was supposed to be asleep, and I would think: Somewhere out there is the guy I’m going to meet one day, looking at the sky. I wasn’t sure we’d ever meet.”
