“I talked to my mom.”
“And…” Seriously. Getting blood out of a stone was easier.
“I’m going back to Texas for a while.”
“Oh.”
“She’s going to help me with Cassie and… and I think I need her too,” she admitted, looking up at me from where she was on her knees hunched over the suitcase.
“I think you do too,” I agreed, while inside I was doing a happy dance.
“You can stay here as long as you need—” Kellie started to offer but I cut her off and explained I was leaving tomorrow anyway. “Looks like it’s good timing all around.”
“Yeah. But, Kel, are you going to be okay to get to Texas? I mean, you just had a baby. How are you going to carry everything and Cassie through the airport and—”
“Mom’s flying in in the morning, then we will fly back with her the next day. My mom's pretty damn awesome when I think about it. To drop everything and come help me.”
“You’d do the same for Cassie if she ever called. It’s what moms do,” I offered, unsure if mine actually would. I’d like to think so, but when push came to shove, I hated that I wasn’t sure.
“You’re right.”
“So, come eat your burger, then I’ll give you a hand packing.”
“That’d be great actually. My back’s aching.”
Even though my flight wasn’t until the afternoon, when Kellie left to go to the airport to pick up her mom, I’d made myself scarce, not wanting to intrude. They had enough to deal with and sort through without adding my drama to the mix. So I’d hugged Kellie and promised I was only ever a phone call away, then snuggled with Cassie, breathing in her innocent baby smell one last time before heading out.
As my plane taxied down the runway, the nerves that had been festering away started increasing. Grabbing the napkin in front of me, the one I’d covered in scribble during the flight, I stuffed it in my pocket as I tried to prepare myself for Hayden to tell me to fuck off.
It took almost two hours from the time the wheels touched the tarmac to the moment I was standing in front of Hayden’s front door. Two tortuous hours where I second-guessed my decision to come here a million and one times while reciting my speech in my head. I knew what I wanted to say. I knew how I wanted to say it. I even knew what I wanted the outcome to be. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t as nervous as hell about Hayden’s reaction.
Setting my bag down, I wiped my hands on my butt, straightened my top, double-checking to make sure all the buttons were still done up before running my fingers through my hair, fluffing it up and trying to make myself look at least half presentable.
With a deep breath, I told myself no matter what happened next, I’d be okay, so I knocked and waited.
And waited some more.
On the other side of the door, I couldn’t hear anything. Maybe he was asleep.
I tried again, this time a little harder, then stepped back.
Scolding myself, I probably should’ve let him know what time I was due in, but in my case it wouldn’t have mattered. A delayed flight, a wait to disembark, then the heaviest traffic meant I was three hours later than I should’ve been here anyway.
Digging my cell from my purse, I sent him a text.
I could go find a coffee shop and wait there, but I wasn’t keen on lugging all my crap back downstairs again.
Skye:At your place now
My phone remained silent, although I could see he’d read my message. It was a feature I both loved and loathed. Knowing someone had seen your message but hadn’t bothered to reply bugged the crap out of me.
Two minutes passed.
Then three.
When it hit five, I sat on the top of my suitcase, unzipping my boot and kicking it off before massaging the ball off my foot making the decision that if he didn’t show up in the next five minutes, I was going to go find a slice of pie and a decent cup of coffee, something I’d been craving since I left Chicago. That shit Kellie passed off as coffee might as well have been dirty dish water.
I was just starting to drag my suitcase down the hall, ready to take on the stairs again, praying I didn’t fall on my face when a puffed Hayden appeared at the top of the landing.
