I take my bag and suitcase from him, then place my hand on his chest. “I’ll miss you.”
He sighs heavily. “Miss you too, baby. I’ll see you in California.”
I kiss him gently. “See you in California.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
HALSEY
I stare down at my phone and take a deep breath.
You can do this.
Holden would want you to do this.
But fuck am I nervous.
I drop my phone on my hotel bed, and for the second time in thirty seconds, I pace my hotel room.
We arrived in Vegas about an hour ago. Blakely is in training, but we don’t have to report in for training until tomorrow. If I’m ever going to do this, now is the time.
But what the hell do I say?
Hey, it’s been a long time, but it’s good to hear your voice?
Oh hey, yeah, it’s your son, the one who didn’t die?
You know, the last time I heard from you was at Holden’s funeral, pretty sad day, wasn’t it?
“Jesus,” I mutter as I rub my eyes. “Just fucking call him.”
I sit down on my bed, grab my phone again, and pull up my dad’s name in the contacts.
On a deep breath, I call him, and then put the phone on speaker.
Nausea and nerves roll through me as I stand, waiting for the phone to ring.
But it never does.
Instead, I hear, “We’re sorry, but the number you’re trying to reach is no longer in service.”
My brow creases as I hang up.
Does he not have that phone number anymore?
Just because I need to double-check, I try calling it again, and the same response plays.
I scratch the back of my head and hang up.
Maybe . . . maybe my mom would know.
My teeth roll over the corner of my lip, and I contemplate whether this is worth it.
I want to mend things with my family. I know Holden would hate that it’s gone on this long. He’d be so mad at us. And now with Blakely in my life, I want . . . I want this off my chest. I love her, I want to marry her, and I want to start a family. Deep down, I know I need to make things right with my family first. They need to know that I’m okay, and I need to know they’re okay. And maybe, if we can, perhaps we can be in each other’s lives once more.
And because of that, I find myself searching through my phone for my mom’s home number.
When I find it, I don’t even think twice and press the call button.
