She stares at me, brow furrowed, her hand covering her mouth.
“So . . . you should probably say something before I—”
“I got the job,” she blurts out.
That’s not what I expected her to say. “You did?”
“Yes.” There are tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. My heart swells. “It’s my dream job, babe—health insurance, flexible schedule, and the pay is . . .generous. For me, at least. Enough to afford my own place and have enough left over to pay down my debt. It’s going to be a learning curve and a lot of work, but it’s as close to perfect as possible.”
This is everything she’s wanted. “I’m so happy for you.”
“And, babe. I didn’t tell you this before because I didn’t want to jinx it, but the job isn’t here. It’s in San Francisco.”
It takes me a moment to piece together what she’s saying. Her dream coming true leads to mine coming true as well. If that’s not destiny, I don’t know what is. “What are you saying?”
She takes a breath as if steeling herself for her next words. “I was going to ask if you still wanted to move there. You can stay with me while you find a new job. Or . . . just stay. Call it payback for Brooklyn.”
Myfuck yesis implied. “I love you so much.”
“I always felt like I was behind in life, but you’re right. What I need—what I’ve always needed—is to be happy wherever I am. Tolive,” she says. And that is everythingI’vewanted forher. “Even though life will always be a struggle for me, I still deserve to be happy. I deserve someone as perfect as you. I’m tired of the distance and the hesitation and the excuses. I’m in love with you, and if we wait for everything to be perfect, we will be waiting forever.”
Now we’re both in tears. “Well, fuck,” I say with a laugh. “I thought I was the one with the practiced speech.”
“Twinnem.”
I wipe my smiling cheeks and feel confident in my decision. “I’m on my way to you. I’ll call you when I land.”
“Good,” she says. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“See you soon, Hoodie.”
We end the call, and I’m not sure I’ve ever been this euphoric before. I’m buzzing, filled with love and light. If I could leave my seat, I wouldn’t walk but float.
My phone rings. Thinking it’s Bri again, I whip it out, only to find an unexpected number instead. Why is Natalie’s mom calling me?
“Hello?”
“Liem?”
“Hi, Mrs. Phong. Why are you—what did . . . Do you need something?” I’m not sure what to say to her. We spoke maybe twice the whole time I was with her daughter.
“Natalie is having a really rough time,” she explains. “You know how she is. Too proud to ask for help.”
I know that quite well. That’s one of the many reasons we’re not together. “Right.”
“She’s been feeling very down, and I can’t be here as much as she needs. She may have told you she doesn’t need help with the baby, but she does.”
I would have thought I’d died and dropped into an icy hell if my heart wasn’t pounding. “What do you—What do you mean ‘baby’?”
She mutters a disapproving sentence of understanding. “Did she not tell you she had the baby either?”
My heart tries to beat out of my chest. “Ma’am. What baby are you talking about?”
She says it as if telling me the sky is blue. “Your son.”
Thirty-eight
