“I don’t need a man to be complete.”
Sadie nods. “Of course you don’t. But you also can be successful and have a man in your life. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.”
“Not this man. He’s a fun time, but that’s all,” I reply. They both look completely unconvinced, but I don’t want to debate this anymore, mostly because I know I can be easily defeated. If they push me just a little bit more I’ll break down and call him, like I’ve wanted to since I woke up this morning. I decide to change the subject. “Are you finally going to break up with Tyson now that you live here?”
“I don’t live here,” Winnie corrects. Her gray eyes, the exact same shade as my mom’s, hold a stern glint, and I can tell she’s not just trying to convince me of this. “It’s a temporary situation. Tyson will adapt, and I’ll move home eventually.”
“Or he can move here when we all decide to stay,” Sadie mutters under her breath, but Winnie still catches it.
“He’s not dual like us,” she replies. “He can’t just move to the US.”
“Unless you marry him,” I add in a perky, helpful tone I know is anything but helpful. They’ve been together almost ten years now, and somehow she thinks we’re the ridiculous ones for bringing it up.
“I’m not marrying him right now,” Winnie says flatly. “I’m scared to plan it and then something happens to Dad and…I just don’t want to at this time. And he’s too needy right now. Could you imagine how needy he’ll be if we get married?”
She stomps out of the kitchen. Sadie rolls her eyes. I point in the general direction Winnie just went. “That is exactly why I don’t want a relationship right now. Winnie is miserable trying to be what Tyson wants and deal with all this family stuff. Better to just stay single.”
Sadie shrugs. “Maybe. But Jude and Zoey make it work.”
“Yeah, but Jude is different. He always defies the odds.”
“You do too,” Sadie replies and smiles.
“Whatever. The fling with my goalie was perfect. Fun, satisfying and all the sadness and stuff about Dad doesn’t have to be his problem.” I walk over to the front door, just across from the kitchen, and grab my purse, which I dumped there when I was schlepping the luggage up.
“He doesn’t know about Dad?” Sadie questions.
I shrug. “He probably does, because the team knows, but he didn’t bring it up and I wasn’t about to,” I explain to her. “It’s nice to be with someone who doesn’t talk about it, you know?”
I watch her nod as I instinctively grab my phone out of the front flap and start to check my emails. The team is flying out for a road trip today, so things should be relatively quiet at work.
“Jude! You need to get to the airport, like five minutes ago!” I yell and notice I have a message.
It’s Elijah. My heart instantly flutters even before I read it, and then when I read it, my heart adds flipping to the fluttering. It’s another cheesy pickup line, but it’s about hooking up again. “Can I crash at your place?” Is he serious?
I must be biting my lip when Jude walks into the hallway because he chuckles at me. “You look like you’re trying to solve a math problem.”
“Get your ass to the airport,” I reply, my eyes never leaving Elijah’s text. “They aren’t going to hold the plane, golden boy.”
“Are you okay?”
I move my phone to my chest so he can’t see the screen, then look up at him. I know instantly he’s talking about Dad. “Why didn’t anyone tell me he wasn’t walking at all anymore?”
“I didn’t know until last night. Mom called me to warn me,” Jude replies. “And I couldn’t exactly break it to you at work last night. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I sigh. Our eyes meet, and my pain is reflected back in his. “Now go. I’ll come over every night to help them settle in and make sure Zoey isn’t overexerting herself.”
He reaches out and hugs me. “Okay. Thanks. Call if you need anything.”
“I will.” I give him a quick squeeze and then pull back and shove him. “Go.”
“Guys!” Jude calls out. “I’m heading out.”
Our sisters call out good-byes and our mom comes scurrying down the hall to give him a hug. I take the opportunity to reread Eli’s text. As I’m reading another one pops up.
I want to see you again. Tonight. You free?
I’m smiling so large it distracts my mom from the waving she’s doing as Jude heads out the door and down the stairs. She looks at me, perplexed. “You could light the sky with that smile, Dixie. What’s causing it?”
