Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 121054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
“Your equilibrium is punishing you worse than I ever could,” I chirped happily.
There was a knock at the door, and Michael asked, “Mr. Elwood, can I speak to you?”
“Come in,” Neil called, straightening his shirt and combing his fingers through his mussed hair.
Michael entered and quietly closed the door, but he kept his hand on the handle. “Are you a little more together now?”
“Yes. And thank you, Michael, for helping Sophie—”
“I wasn’t helping Sophie,” Michael interrupted. It took me a second to figure out what was off about him. Michael was angry. We’d never seen it before.
I wondered if Neil even recognized it yet.
“I was helping you,” Michael went on, with the calm, controlled anger of Tom Cruise learning he’s been betrayed in a movie. “I was helping you so that your daughter, my wife, who is carrying the baby we worked incredibly hard to conceive, isn’t subjected to any more stress than she’s already under from the death of her grandmother.”
Neil said nothing. Though his face didn’t give it away, I knew he had to be shocked at this, coming from Michael.
After his initial outburst, he was much more subdued. “Look, I understand you’re hurting. And I’m probably being overprotective—”
“Neil wouldn’t know anything about that,” I said, forcing a laugh that earned me two very terse looks. If Neil could have sent me a mental message, it would have been something like, “Sophie, now is not the time.”
I was pretty sure those were the exact words in his head at that moment.
Michael went on. “If I’m being overprotective, it’s because I love her. And she’s been disappointed so many times. I couldn’t take it if—”
“It’s understood,” Neil said uncomfortably. “And you’re right. I’ve acted very selfishly.”
“Emma’s going to be fine,” I assured both of them. “God, you guys treat pregnant women like they’re made out of glass. We don’t have to lie to her about this. If she asks what’s going on, we’ll tell her.”
“No, we won’t,” Neil said firmly.
“So, we’re just going to keep it this weird family secret, then? The time Daddy almost ODed at Grandma’s funeral? That sounds like a really bad country song.” I looked to Michael. “You don’t have to march in there, right now, and wake her up and tell her all this. Neil’s going to get treatment, and he can tell Emma, then. He’s going to need support, and she’s going to need to know what’s up with her dad. Under no circumstances are the two of you to conspire to keep her in the dark because of your crazy, overprotective man-vibes.”
“I think Sophie’s solution sounds pretty sensible, don’t you?” Michael asked Neil.
“Yes, well, Sophie is often sensible,” he grumbled in reply. “Yes, fine. When we get back to New York, I’ll sit down with her and discuss it.”
“At least you can see that you have a problem,” Michael said with a look of empathy. “You hid it really well.”
“You hid it really well from me,” I added softly.
“I’m sorry we had to have this conversation.” Michael stuck his hand out, and when Neil took the bait, tall, lanky Michael went in for an inescapable hug. He clapped Neil on the back and said, “I have nothing but respect for you, Mr. Elwood.”
Neil cleared his throat. “Best you should go check on Emma.”
“Right.” Michael turned to me. “Sophie, sorry.”
“It’s fine,” I said breezily, and instantly felt like a weirdo. “It’s fine,” like my steak was slightly overcooked or something. When he’d gone, I looked up at Neil and sing-songed, “Awkward.”
Neil checked his watch and winced. “Now I’ve done it. I’m supposed to be at the funeral director’s in forty minutes. Can you call for the car while I wash up?”
“Yeah, no problem.” I paused. “Do you want me to go with you?”
“If you wouldn’t mind?” He asked as though he were asking whether or not I minded going to a particular restaurant. “I think it would be…easier if you were there.”
“Of course I’ll go. I just didn’t want to crowd you during all of this. I can stick to you like glue, if you want, and then, if you need to, you can tell me to take a hike.” I reached for the phone on the nightstand.
“Thank you, Sophie. I’d like that.” He smiled, despite the dark circles under his eyes. He held my gaze for a long time. “Stuck to me like glue. As if I could ever doubt that.”
There are times when I see another facet of Neil I hadn’t known before, and it overwhelms me. My chest feels like it’ll collapse under the weight of the sweet ache there. And, in those moments, I can’t say what I want to say because I feel too much.
So, this time, I said, “Go get cleaned up, dummy,” and smiled at him, and he smiled back, and we both knew how we felt.