“No.” Her head shakes. “He didn’t call me.”
I turn to face her directly. “Ever?”
Her eyes lock on mine. “When Rush or Case … when he walked into Sweet Bluebells last week, it was the first time I’d seen him since the day Apollo died.”
Frustration taints her tone. I don’t blame her. I can’t blame her.
A little boy with blond curls runs past us. He resembles Mickey, but he’s shorter, and his eyes are a deep brown.
Delaney must spot the resemblance too because the next words out of her mouth are about her son. “Rush doesn’t know about Mickey. When I saw him at Sweet Bluebells, I didn’t tell him that Apollo has a son.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
Emma
I tryCase’s number again, but the call goes immediately to voicemail for the third time. I curse under my breath before I leave yet another message that’s exactly the same as the two I just left him.
“Please call me Case as soon as you can. It’s an emergency.”
“He’s still not answering?” Delaney is pacing the patch of grass in front of the bench. “Why do you think he’s not answering?”
A few hours ago, I would have thought it’s because he doesn’t love me, but I know that he does.
He said it when he was in Sweet Bluebells a week ago.
After he spoke to Delaney, guilt settled over him, and it drove him back to California.
“I messed this up so badly.” Delaney rakes a hand through her hair. “I should have told him about Mickey. I shouldn’t have yelled at him. I screamed at him, Emma.”
I stand to take her shaking hands in mine. “You have been holding this in for years. You were angry with him.”
“I was so pissed that he never bothered to call me back.” She looks up at the blue sky. “I didn’t want him to be happy if I couldn’t be.”
I want to tell her that she can be happy. She can open her heart back up to love.
She can move to California and teach her son how to surf because she has a built-in family there. She has Case and his grandfather.
I glance down at my phone’s screen. “I wish he’d call me back.”
Her finger flies in the air. “Text him. Maybe try and text him.”
It’s worth a shot, so I type out a quick message to him.
Emma: Case, please get in touch with me immediately. It’s very important!
I stare at the screen waiting for the delivered message notification, but it doesn’t come.
“What’s wrong?” Delaney cranes her neck to get a better look.
“It’s not delivering the message.”
“His phone is off.” Delaney shakes her head. “Maybe he’s in a meeting? Can you call someone else there to get a message to Rush…I mean Case?”
I smile. “I call him Rush too.”
Her gaze drops to her phone when it buzzes. “Mickey’s sitter is taking him for a walk. I’m going to tell them to swing by here to sayhito us. Is that okay with you?”
My hand darts to my mouth. “He’s Case’s nephew.”
