Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“Right. I don’t buy it.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” I shake my head at the waiter again because I have no intention of staying much longer. “You know, I’ve been angry at you for most of my life. Angry because you were never there. You were a shitty mother, who had no real interest in loving and caring for Rome and me.”
“What in the hell are you talking about? I gave you the best nannies.”
“I was angry,” I continue, “because you were selfish and thoughtless, and you embarrassed me. Hell, you still embarrass me. Look at what you did the other night.”
“I didn’t know that you were hosting a party—”
“What I’m saying is, I’m letting the anger go. It’s too much weight to carry for a person who doesn’t care. I’m not angry anymore. In fact, I don’t feel much of anything, and that’s how I know it’s time I tell you this: I’m done. I don’t want any relationship with you anymore, no matter how that looks. Don’t send gifts for birthdays or holidays, and don’t call me when you’re feeling ignored. I don’t want to hear from you at all anymore.”
“You’re my daughter.”
I think of Brynna and all the aunts in Drew’s family, and I shake my head. “Not in any way that really matters, and I refuse to be your crutch. It’s mentally exhausting, and it isn’t fair. So, as of now, I’m finished, Mom. Go back to Europe with your husband and live your life. Or don’t. I don’t really care.”
With her mouth gaping, I stand, grab my purse, and walk away from the table, from the one woman who never loved me the way that she should have, and from all the guilt that I’ve carried because of her.
I’m shaking it all off and getting on with my life.
The lights are all on when I get home, which doesn’t surprise me. Drew and Caleb are still in the game room, with a few more plates of snacks, still racing.
“That was fast,” Drew says when he sees me walk in. “How was it?”
“Liberating.” I smile down at Caleb, who’s watching me warily. “What’s wrong?”
“Drew told me that you went to see Grandma Adelaide. Was it bad?”
“No, it wasn’t bad. For me, anyway. Who’s winning?”
“She wasn’t mean to you?”
I blink down at my son and then frown over at Drew.
“Kids hear more than we think.”
“She yells at you on the phone,” Caleb says softly. “And when she looks at you, her eyes are mean. I don’t like her.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about any of that anymore, because I just told her that I want her out of our lives for good. Pretty much for those exact reasons. Sticking up for yourself to people who don’t love you and who don’t have your best interests at heart is okay, my sweet boy. Even if those people are related to you.”
“You told her that?” Caleb demands, his eyes wide in surprise.
“Yep. I told her she doesn’t get to be mean to us anymore.”
“I’m really proud of you,” Caleb says and wiggles over to sit next to me and lay his head on my arm. And I know, in this moment, that I did the right thing.
“Thanks, buddy. Now, should I kick your butt at Mario Kart?”
“You don’t even know how to play.”
I scoff at that and pick up a controller. “Wanna bet?”
“Yeah,” Caleb says. “Let’s bet.”
“Okay, how much?”
“How about twenty bucks?”
“You’re on, little dude.”
Chapter 21
Drew
“Only you would move in the middle of a winter storm.” Liam glares at me as he carries a box from the condo to the truck. “And on New Year’s Eve.”
“I can’t control Mother Nature or the calendar,” I remind him. “At least we’re not hauling furniture. I’m leaving that here for Lucy.”
“You have a lot of shit for someone who hasn’t lived here long,” Keaton says, carrying two boxes stacked on top of each other. “We need to get finished before the roads ice up.”
“We have about three hours before that happens,” Hudson says.
“Who are you, the National Weather Service?” I demand and watch as Hud’s eyes fill with laughter.
“Maybe,” he replies. “Or I’m just old, like you, and I can feel it in my bones.”
“Funny.”
“It was pretty funny,” Liam says with a chuckle. “So, you’ve boxed everything up except the furniture. Even towels and shit?”
“Yeah, Lucy wants her own stuff, and I don’t blame her. And I’m taking all the workout equipment in the second bedroom.”
“Fuuuuuck,” Hudson groans as he walks by with another box.
“Think of it as a free workout,” I suggest, and suspect that if he had a free hand, Hudson would flip me off.
It takes the four of us about an hour to fill the moving truck with boxes, and then we’re on our way, driving in the sleet to the new-to-me house.