“I have no idea,” I admitted. “It’s hidden away in a safe place. What about you? Was toilet paper really the best gift you’ve ever received?”
Sloane pointed at the screen. “No. It was the Barbie Townhouse. I wanted the Dream House, but my mother nixed that idea.”
“So you were a Barbie girl?”
“Absolutely. I had so many dolls. I must’ve played with them for hours every day, thinking of elaborate stories. Ken and Barbie used to get busy often.”
I barked out a laugh. “What?”
“Yes. Ken didn’t have a dick, but I pretended it was there.”
This woman was… Everything. I could spend hours just listening to her talk. “You’re silly.”
She shrugged. “I can only be me.” We didn’t talk for a few minutes while she finished wrapping her second gift. When she was done, she looked at me. “Are you okay?”
I could’ve lied and said I was good. But I didn’t want to start a trend of hiding my feelings with her. Especially since she’d been honest with me. “I’m trying to be.”
“It’s okay if you’re not.”
I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I know she’s in a better place, but I hate that she’s not here.”
“I can’t pretend to know what you’re going through. But I do know one thing. Your motherishere, Maddox. She’s in that camera she bought you for Christmas. She’s in the cards she gave you for your birthdays. She’s in her pound cake recipe. She lives in you. She has a permanent place in your heart, and no one can take that away from you.”
Tears burned my eyes. Sloane was right. My mother believed wholeheartedly that God didn’t make mistakes. And she’d trusted Him. Now, it was time for me to do the same. “Thanks, Sloane.”
“Anytime.”
“Does this mean, I can always call you in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep?”
She snorted. “Don’t get carried away. I need my beauty sleep. I get so mean if I don’t get it in.”
“What else is new?” I joked.
Her mouth fell open. “I wish I was next to you because I would thump you.”
“What? You said you wouldhumpme if you were here?”
Her head fell back as she laughed. “You’re stupid. Stop making me laugh. It’s too late for this shit. Full disclosure, though. I probablywouldhump you if I was there.” My eyes felt heavy, but I didn’t want to hang up. “Maddox?”
“Huh?”
“You should get some sleep. You look tired.”
“I’m not sleepy. Just resting for a minute.”
She giggled. “Yes, you are. And that’s perfectly okay.”
“I wanted to hear about your favorite Christmas movie.”
“I’ll tell you tomorrow when you come over for dessert.”
I yawned. “I could always come tuck you in tonight.”
She flashed a wicked smirk. “Careful. I might just let you.”
I closed my eyes. “Just say the word.”
“I only have two words for you, Mr. Cross. Good night.”
