Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 135847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
He held me and the lion in his arms for a long, long time.
He then told me the story cobbled together from bits and pieces of his memories of when he was very young when his father took him to a fair.
Our bedroom was an awesome, sophisticated, classy study of golds and browns and taupes and bronzes.
So when Hale laid that lion on the built-in unit that ran the length of the room and acted as a way to hide tech equipment and tuck clothing that was out of season, but also as a surface to put kickass décor…
It fit in perfectly.
Three months later…
“Hello, my wonderful watchers.”
As usual, I was looking right into the camera.
“We’re here today for my final show of this season of Elsa’s Exchange Exclusive Interviews. Imogen Swan and Hale Wheeler are here with me. And to discuss how our topic today affects athletes, Tom Pierce and Sampson Cooper are also here. We’ll be talking about something important, but tragic. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, and suicide.”
The camera tightened on me.
“Now, my watchers, I know you know that my family is with me for this episode, specifically my boyfriend is here to share something very difficult about the father he lost. I thank you for tuning in, but Hale and I first want you to know that if you’ve lost someone to suicide, you’re not alone, or if you find yourself in dark places too often, feeling there’s no way out, there’s help. And that’s why, at the bottom of the screen throughout this episode, we have phone numbers you can call if you’ve experienced the suicide of a loved one and need support, or if you need someone to listen.”
I took in a visible breath.
“Let’s get started.”
Then I swiveled in my chair toward my guests.
An hour later, cuddled up to Hale on our couch in New York, I hit pause on the remote and turned to my man.
“You okay?”
My phone buzzed.
So did his.
“Yeah,” he grunted, reaching to his phone.
“Hale,” I called, reaching to his arm to waylay him.
“It’s Genny,” he told me. “Probably checking in now that the episode has dropped.”
“I’m trying to check in too,” I pointed out.
He gave his full attention to me.
“We talked about this, baby. Half of me thinks I betrayed his trust by telling people what happened to him. Half of me knows it’s important, and if we can get one person to visit a neurologist because they’re experiencing symptoms, or one parent to reconsider enrolling their son in full-contact football, or one teacher or nurse to report it when a parent is abusing their child, or one person who’s rethinking the world would be better off without them, it’ll be worth it. And if I try real hard, I can talk myself into thinking Dad would agree.”
He bent to me, pressed his forehead hard against mine, then sat back.
“Now, I need to talk to Genny, let her know I’m okay, and see how she’s doing,” he finished.
“Okay, handsome,” I muttered.
He engaged his phone.
I reached to mine.
There were tons of texts, including one from Fliss that said, That was so good. You both did so well. Give Hale a hug from me.
And one from Carole that said, I know it was hard, but so incredibly important. You’re doing good work, babe. Love to Hale.
And one from Dad that said, I’m so proud of you. Bring Hale over tomorrow. I’m grilling. And I wouldn’t say no to him making his coleslaw.
There were two from Mom.
The first one said, You looked beautiful. So well done. My heart to Hale.
The second one said, Please consider a nude lip next time. The pink was a little too much.
I sighed at that one, then let it go and moved on to the text from Oskar that said, Fantastic. I know it was hard. But you both made the right choice. He ended it with a heart.
Further one from Gemma that said, Tough to watch, but important. You both should be proud. Big hugs to you and see you next week.
And one from Zoey that said, Shit is blowing up, sister! It’s the biggest reaction yet. Much, much love to Hale. He was great!
I ignored the rest, put my phone hand to my leg, and listened to him reassuring Genny he was okay.
My phone vibrated in my hand. I lifted it and turned it to face me.
It was a text from Samantha.
I opened it and it read, Very proud of you both. I can’t get through to Hale to tell him myself. Let him know I’d love to hear from him when he’s ready.
Nugget of news: I’d become their go-between. Not because Hale blew off his mother, just that she wanted attention when she wanted attention, and she used every avenue at her disposal to get it. This mildly annoyed Hale, but I assured him I didn’t mind. I was a dab hand at motherly manipulation.