“Wait, let’s backtrack a bit. You talked to Jessie?” Tally’s eyes fill with tears.
I squeeze her hand gently, saying, “I did. She’s all right, just worried about Lio.”
“Oh my God,” Tally exclaims before quickly covering her mouth with her hand.
“I’m sorry, Sloan. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s pretty hard to believe. I mean, it sounds fake,” Tim admits apologetically, and I love him for it.
A chill runs down my neck, and I raise my gaze to Shannon, who stands in the corner of the room with her tattooed arms crossed over her chest, her light blue eyes fixed on mine. Andit’s the first time there isn’t a glimmer of her that feels hostile toward me.
“You can tell them I’m here, girl,” Shannon tells me, her voice softening. “You don’t deserve all this, and I think I’d like her to know I’m by her side after all.” She directs her gaze at Tally, and I follow suit, looking into Tally’s watery eyes and taking both of her hands in mine.
“Your mom thinks you’re doing an amazing job looking out for your little shrimp,” I relay what Shannon once told her.
Tally pulls her hands away from mine and gasps, her eyes wide. “She always called the baby shrimp. I hated it,” she whispers, looking over at her husband. Tim stands and pulls Tally into his chest.
“I would have told you sooner, but Shannon was worried about upsetting you and that it wouldn’t be good for the baby. So please, breathe, Tally,” I command, standing as well and reaching out to touch her forearm.
“She’s here? She’s really here?” Tally asks, tears streaming down her face, but her breathing is slowly coming under control.
“She’s always with you. But right now, she’s standing right there,” I tell her, pointing to the corner of the room.
“Mom,” Tally sobs out, and Tim has to hold her up.
“I swear, Sloan, I love you, but I will kick your ass if you hurt Tally with all of this,” Tim grunts out over his shoulder at me.
“I would never want to hurt her, or you, for that matter,” I assure him, my gaze still fixed on Shannon. She’s singing while slowly approaching Tally, stopping just a few feet in front of her.
“She’s singing a silly song. Something about the queen, the rulah, Tallulah.”
Tally gasps, turns, and buries her face into Tim’s chest while he holds her close with a hand on the back of her head. She sobs into his shirt, and I can see Tim’s worry when he mutters, “That’sthe song Tally got her name from. “I’ll Take Tallulah.” Shannon was a big Sinatra fan.”
“I was his biggest fan, boy,” Shannon chides Tim before smiling warmly.
“I don’t want to be a dick, but that’s all stuff you could have found out elsewhere. That Tally was named after that song isn’t a secret, and the shrimp could have just been luck,” Tim points out.
“It’s not.” Tally cries, her voice muffled against Tim’s chest as he continues to comfort her.
“I want to believe you, I truly do, but I need a bit more,” Tim tells me, his gaze filled with sadness.
“Tell him about the day I found his sorry, broken ass in our front yard. They were in their last year of high school, two months away from graduation, and already a few months together, but I said he wasn’t allowed to sleep over until they finished school. One ice-cold morning, I got out of the house to get the newspaper when I found him sitting before Tallulah’s window on the first floor, looking pained. He wanted to sneak out of her window on the rain gutter, the way he went up there the evening before, but he fell on his butt while doing it, breaking his tailbone. I was the one who picked him up and drove him to the hospital. We told everyone he fell on the ice, but from that day on, he was allowed to sleep over. That kind of dedication needed to be rewarded.” She laughs heartily.
A grin tugs at the corner of my lips as I look back at Tim, hoping this anecdote might help him believe.
“What?” Tim asks, confused by my sudden smile.
“She just told me the story of how you broke your ass,” I tease, injecting a bit of lightness to ease the tension in the room.
“Holy shit,” Tim sputters, his eyes wide. “Shan?” he asks, looking up at the ceiling.
“I’m standing right in front of you, you flounder.” Shannon huffs with a laugh and rolls her eyes.
“She’s right here with us,” I tell both of them. When Tally lifts her face from Tim’s chest to look over at her, I recount what Shannon told me. “Tally, your mom is still here because she promised to be by your side throughout your pregnancy. She’ll stay until you have your baby in your arms. You’re not alone in all of this.”
“Mom.” Tally’s voice is weak, her eyes red from crying, and the tears keep flowing. “I miss you so much. I can’t do all of this alone.”
Shannon reaches out to stroke Tally’s cheek and reassures her. “My poor little Tallulah, I’m so sorry I couldn’t stay. You know I would have if I could. I would have never left you. You’re my heart. I know you think you have to keep the restaurant, but you don’t. The café is what makes you happy. And you have our little shrimp on the way. Give that place away. Sell it. Let someone else rent it. I don’t care. I care about you.”
My heart aches as I listen to Shannon’s words, feeling the love and longing in her voice that I could never convey to her daughter in the same way.
