we’ll get this all sorted out, okay.”
“Okay. Are Griffin and Lily all right?”
“They’re fine, you just concentrate on you. I’m going to bring you home. We’re all going to bring you home. Stay strong and know we all love you.” I didn’t get a reply because the phone was cut off. I hadn’t registered what I said until I looked up and everyone was looking at me and smiling. I mean, what the fuck was there to smile about?
“You love him?” Shit. I had said that. I hadn’t meant it as a declaration at the time, but thinking about it, yes. Yes, I did love him. I knew it was quick and the drama we’d faced since meeting was of epic proportions. None of that mattered, though. I just knew that he was mine and I was his.
“Yes. I do.” Hayley quickly went from smiling to crying. She jumped up from the sofa and threw herself at me.
“I always wanted this for him. But not like this. I just want him to be happy. Why does he always have shit thrown at him?” Her tears were soaking through my shirt and her sobs were breaking my heart. She loved her brother so much. All of a sudden, she jumped back and looked down at her boobs. “Fuck, I’m leaking all over you. I am so sorry.” Looking at my t-shirt, I saw the two wet patches she had left behind and couldn’t help my laughter. I’m sure that I looked a little hysterical but this was a crazy situation. I was sitting with my boyfriend’s family, having just spoken to him from jail, and was now covered in breast milk. Yeah, it was official. I was losing my marbles.
“Don’t stress,” I said, still chuckling. My phone ringing again stopped all the chatter. Without looking, I answered the call. Realistically I knew that it couldn’t be Fear again, but that didn’t stop the hope that it was.
“Hello.”
“Alfred Kaleb McKenzie, what trouble have you gotten yourself into that I just had a call from my lawyer saying he got a call asking for him to recommend a local criminal attorney for you?” Great just great. Just what I didn’t need. My mother sticking her beak in. I loved her dearly, but things were about to reach a whole new level of crazy. The thing with my mum is that she’s not a typical mother. I mean she is now, but twenty-five years ago, she was kind of famous. She liked to say that was another life and now she was a mother, wife and professional homemaker. It was obvious that I got my crazy from her.
“Are you listening to me young man?” No, I wasn’t. I was too caught up in my head.
“Mum, okay, a lot has happened since we last spoke. How do you want it? Quick and to the point or gentle and around the houses?” She hated when I tried to ease her into things. She liked things all at once so she could jump right in to try and fix it.
“Don’t make me fly there just to kick your arse, Alfred!”
“Okay, here it is. One, I met someone. Two, his sister just had a baby two days ago and her husband is overseas with the military. Three, his mother died, worse, she was murdered. Four, he’s been arrested as the lead suspect, or so we’re guessing. We really don’t know anything and I need to get him a lawyer ASAP. Five, I love him. The end.
“Right. I already sent Mr. Curtis to the address you gave Marcus. He should be there any time now. I’m booking a flight as we speak. It is clear that you need your mother. Too much time unsupervised and look what happens.”
“Mum…,” I tried to interrupt, but she just continued to talk over me. She was definitely on a roll.
“I should be able to get there sometime tonight if not first thing in the morning. Now tell me about this person you have up and fallen in love with,” she said. I could hear the smile in her voice and knew that she was trying to do the same “distract him with humor” thing that I do. Yet another thing I inherited from my mother.
I realized, rather humiliatingly, that everyone in the room had been listening to the whole conversation. I tried to end it.
“Okay. Are Griffin and Lily all right?”
“They’re fine, you just concentrate on you. I’m going to bring you home. We’re all going to bring you home. Stay strong and know we all love you.” I didn’t get a reply because the phone was cut off. I hadn’t registered what I said until I looked up and everyone was looking at me and smiling. I mean, what the fuck was there to smile about?
“You love him?” Shit. I had said that. I hadn’t meant it as a declaration at the time, but thinking about it, yes. Yes, I did love him. I knew it was quick and the drama we’d faced since meeting was of epic proportions. None of that mattered, though. I just knew that he was mine and I was his.
“Yes. I do.” Hayley quickly went from smiling to crying. She jumped up from the sofa and threw herself at me.
“I always wanted this for him. But not like this. I just want him to be happy. Why does he always have shit thrown at him?” Her tears were soaking through my shirt and her sobs were breaking my heart. She loved her brother so much. All of a sudden, she jumped back and looked down at her boobs. “Fuck, I’m leaking all over you. I am so sorry.” Looking at my t-shirt, I saw the two wet patches she had left behind and couldn’t help my laughter. I’m sure that I looked a little hysterical but this was a crazy situation. I was sitting with my boyfriend’s family, having just spoken to him from jail, and was now covered in breast milk. Yeah, it was official. I was losing my marbles.
“Don’t stress,” I said, still chuckling. My phone ringing again stopped all the chatter. Without looking, I answered the call. Realistically I knew that it couldn’t be Fear again, but that didn’t stop the hope that it was.
“Hello.”
“Alfred Kaleb McKenzie, what trouble have you gotten yourself into that I just had a call from my lawyer saying he got a call asking for him to recommend a local criminal attorney for you?” Great just great. Just what I didn’t need. My mother sticking her beak in. I loved her dearly, but things were about to reach a whole new level of crazy. The thing with my mum is that she’s not a typical mother. I mean she is now, but twenty-five years ago, she was kind of famous. She liked to say that was another life and now she was a mother, wife and professional homemaker. It was obvious that I got my crazy from her.
“Are you listening to me young man?” No, I wasn’t. I was too caught up in my head.
“Mum, okay, a lot has happened since we last spoke. How do you want it? Quick and to the point or gentle and around the houses?” She hated when I tried to ease her into things. She liked things all at once so she could jump right in to try and fix it.
“Don’t make me fly there just to kick your arse, Alfred!”
“Okay, here it is. One, I met someone. Two, his sister just had a baby two days ago and her husband is overseas with the military. Three, his mother died, worse, she was murdered. Four, he’s been arrested as the lead suspect, or so we’re guessing. We really don’t know anything and I need to get him a lawyer ASAP. Five, I love him. The end.
“Right. I already sent Mr. Curtis to the address you gave Marcus. He should be there any time now. I’m booking a flight as we speak. It is clear that you need your mother. Too much time unsupervised and look what happens.”
“Mum…,” I tried to interrupt, but she just continued to talk over me. She was definitely on a roll.
“I should be able to get there sometime tonight if not first thing in the morning. Now tell me about this person you have up and fallen in love with,” she said. I could hear the smile in her voice and knew that she was trying to do the same “distract him with humor” thing that I do. Yet another thing I inherited from my mother.
I realized, rather humiliatingly, that everyone in the room had been listening to the whole conversation. I tried to end it.
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