“Jesus.” I closed my eyes, resting my chin on top of her head. Even though it had been less than two weeks since I’d seen her last, she’d lost weight, and just holding her reinforced just how dangerous this thing might be.
After a moment I held her out in front of me, gripping her shoulders, and Macey sniffed.
“Listen to me,” I said firmly, and she shook her head, ready to breakdown again. “Listen to me,” I insisted. “You’re not alone in this, baby. Do you understand? I’m here for you. I’m here for you.”
Chapter 42
Macey
Jayce ended up talkingme into packing some more stuff and moving in temporarily with him. I continued to pay rent, though my savings was running out, and since I couldn’t work as much recently, I was going broke.
After I’d called and told my parents the news, successfully putting a dent in my mother’s happy, happy life, I told Hansen and Paisley too, and Hansen offered more than once to pay to Jayce while I was living there with him, anything to help. Jayce refused, of course, and any money I received from Hansen went straight to rent at the apartment. I tried to refuse any sort of payment from my uncle, of course, but he threatened to give it straight to Jayce if I didn’t use it well, so I thanked him and did everything I could to survive.
It was Monday morning a week later, and Jayce was at class while I paced slowly around the house, cell phone to my ear as my mother, who had been going on and on for the last forty-five minutes, continued to go on.
“Your father and I think you should move home,” she said, again. I could tell she was trying to keep herself composed and not lose it from fifteen hundred miles away, and I wanted to give her props for it. She’d kept a relatively cool head so far, which wasn’t her usual demeanor.
“Thanks for the offer, Mom, but I’m not moving home.” I took a seat on Jayce’s couch as my legs grew tired and sore (my entire body felt tired and sore lately, and the astonishing purple and blue shade my skin could turn every time I got a bruise would get anybody’s head spinning), burrowing down into the cushion as I draped the throw over my legs. Along with being tired and sore all the time, I was also cold a lot. Freezing, actually, despite the fact that the semester only had less than a single month left before summer break.
“Macey, we want you to take this seriously,” Mom said. “And I cannot, in good faith, let you do this alone from across the country.”
The front door opened then and Jayce came in, carrying his gym bag over one shoulder. He kicked off his sneakers near the door, dropped the bag, and went to the kitchen for a drink of water. He flashed a charming smile at me, one that made my knees weak, weaker than they already felt, and I smiled back.
“I’m not alone, Mom,” I said, and Jayce’s eyes stayed on me, listening. “Jayce has been taking care of me.”
“No one will be able to take care of you like a mother,” my mom huffed, and I barely had the energy to roll my eyes.
“Maybe you should come here then.” I’d meant it sarcastically, but the sudden silence on the other end of the line made me panic. “I was joking, Mom,” I said before she could get any bright ideas. “I’m fine, I promise.”
No, you’re not.
“You’re being dramatic.”
No, she’s not.
“I have to go,” I said, and pressed the End button on my phone before my mother could continue with whatever charade she was on.
