I turn a corner toward the Keswick District and stop in my path when I finally see her across the street. There’s a warm hand on my lower back—I don’t need to turn around to know who it is. I’m frozen in place. My feet won’t move, no matter how much I will them to take a step forward. I’m not sure I’ve even taken a breath since I saw her when Gabe finally speaks. “You don’t have to do this.” I want to argue with him, but the words won’t come out. “But I understand if you need to. So, let me go with you, please.” He takes my hand in his and guides me toward my mother. She’s sitting on the ground, leaning against a wall with a couple of other women—laughing like she doesn’t have a care in the world.
As we approach the group, she notices me and smiles. She tries to stand up, and I put my palm out toward her. “You don’t need to stand. This won’t take long.” She looks at Gabe and then back at me with confusion. “I only came here to tell you this.” I gather the strength to say the words, my boyfriend’s thumbs caressing my hand in support. “You were a really good mother.” Her eyes widen, and her lips separate, but I continue before she responds. “But you stopped being a good mother a very long time ago. You had the choice not to do the things you did—the things he brought into our lives. You had the choice to stop what he did to me. You had the choice to get better if you wanted to.”
My boyfriend’s arm wraps around my waist behind me, as if he knows I may lose the strength to even stand right now, the anxiety of the child within me creeping its way to the surface. “But you chose him over me. The drugs over me. Yourself over me.” Each word of unfiltered truth gives me more power to keep going. “So, please know this: don’t look for me. Don’t try to speak to me or contact me in any way. I won’t help you get better or give you a place to live. Ever. That’s the choice I’m making. For me. I found someone who loves me—more than I ever thought someone could after what you both put me through. And I won’t risk you ruining that. You’ve done enough damage.” Without a parting word, I turn with my Blue’s hand in mine and leave behind the woman who gave birth to the boy named Kyle—the broken person I laid to rest so many years ago—and walk away a man worthy of Gabe’s love.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I'm Taking Him Home With Me
Six months later
Gabe
“Connor, will you please help with something?” Ender complains to our friend who refuses to move furniture, let alone a box of any size.
“No. I won’t aid in your attempts to leave me.” Connor is being his usual self, sitting on the counter, eating chips while the rest of us move Ender’s belongings to the truck.
Ender turns to him with a look of frustration. “How many times do I have to tell you? I’m notleavingyou. I promised you we’d see each other multiple times a week. You can come to Gabe’s house…”
“Our house,” He smiles as I correct him.
“Our house whenever you want. Plus, Monday nights at The Garden. And we’re already planning another weekend getaway.”
“I’m not going. I’m disowning you.” Ender walks over and gives Connor the affection he thinks he needs.
“There’s going to be too much space. What am I supposed to do all by myself here?”
In my periphery, I see Austin’s hand cover his smile. I know this is a phony pity party Connor is having—Austin told me everything. We’ve become closer over the past few months, hanging out often with Luke since the incident with Kaden and Tyler. I plan on telling Ender as soon as we get home.
Home. Our home.
I didn’t think we’d end up here just under a year into our relationship, but I asked Ender to move in with me last month after thinking about it for an entire week. I hated being away from him for what feels like days at a time, since we only see each other at bedtime. With me being gone for ten hours a day, preparing to open our second restaurant, I’ve hardly been getting any time with him. He’s slept over almost every night anyway, so I didn’t see the point in him paying rent any longer. I told him months ago he was the one, and I meant it.
“You’ll find someone to live with you, Connor. And I will be paying my half of the rent until then.”
“Okay, guys. You can have a love fest tonight with food and drinks. Let’s get this couch moved.” Austin tries to get things moving again, since this is all just a farce.
“Sure, take my couch too,” Connor grumps, looking at me.
“Listen, it’s not my fault Ender loves his couch and wants it for his office. I told you I’d buy you any couch you want.”
“You better be prepared because I have expensive taste.” I shake my head, knowing whose furniture is moving in here next week.
“I’ll happily give you my credit card to go wild with.” I play along with our friend. You have to love him, even though he’s a brat half the time. He seems satisfied, jumping off the counter and picking up the smallest box he can find to put in the moving truck. The three of us share a look and continue to do the heavy lifting.
“I love how you all think I don’t know what’s going on.” Ender is looking right at Austin as he continues. “And don’t tell him I know.” They exchange affectionate glances. Ender knows he’s leaving his best friend in good hands.
Austin helps me with the couch as Ender grabs a big box and guides us out the doorway on his way out. Once we make it outside and head toward the freight elevator, our other friends finally decide to show up.
“Teamwork makes the dream work, baby. What do you need us to do?” Jackson claps his hands and rubs them together.
“Get somewhere on time. You both are starting to act like Kaden and Luke,” I joke with Jackson. He’s like a little brother to me at this point.
“Hey, I resent that remark,” Lanie gasps, like she’s shocked at the comparison. Both sets of siblings are more alike than they realize.
“Yeah, yeah. Just grab some boxes and follow us down.” Austin motions for us to start moving again. “This monster is getting heavy.”
We get to the elevator and wait just a minute for the doors to open. I didn’t realize Lanie and Jackson caught up to us until I hear her scream, “PIVOT!” and all four of us look at her, shaking our heads. Lanie’s obsession withFriendsis out of control.
