together?”
Shit. That’s not how I meant it and I hate the thought of dashing her hopes. The whole mess with Kacey taught me once and for all it’s better to be brutally honest even when the truth hurts.
I shake my head. “No, we’re nowhere near that yet, Mom. I meant she’s willing to stay tonight and will decide tomorrow if she’ll stay another.”
Her hopeful expression falls as her hand does. “Oh, of course. When is her next X-ray for her jaw? Not being able to open her mouth must be driving her crazy.”
I avoid telling her it’s probably in my favor that she can’t open her mouth. If she did, she’d probably do it to yell at me.
“Fifteen days,” I reply.
“Will they X-ray everywhere else as well?” she asks.
There’s a serious possibility that my mom wants Sydney out of all of her casts more than Sydney does. For some reason, my mom is certain Sydney will take me back, even after hearing what a mess I made.
“Not sure, Mom.”
“What are you going to do when you get back to your place?” she asks.
A chuckle has me lifting my gaze to look over at my dad. He’s sitting on the loveseat on the other side of the room, watching us and loving every minute of it.
I drag my hand over my face before saying, “How about we talk about you? How was your day? It’s sunny out. Do you want to move to the deck?”
“That’s my cue to stop bugging you, isn’t it?” she replies.
Stretching out my hand, I rest it above her elbow. “You’ll never bug me, Mom, no matter how hard you try.”
Her mouth gets tight in the way it does when she’s trying not to cry. “All I want is for you to be happy.”
My throat starts to clog. “I know that.”
She pats my hand with hers and smiles at me. “So, think you can talk her into coming to visit me?”
My dad doesn’t chuckle this time, he full on laughs.
Her head turns in his direction and she jokes, “I’m happy I’m amusing you over there.”
Then, she looks back at me. “Well?”
Now what?
My staring at Heath’s door isn’t going to bring my grandparents back. They aren’t going to suddenly rethink abandoning me with him, no matter how hard I wish they would.
At least Gigi had the decency to help me wash my hair while Heath went to see his mom. I’m ashamed to admit I had forgotten about how sick she was.
When Gigi told me he still visited her every day, in addition to driving all the way to see me, I felt something not unlike guilt at ignoring him. Here he was dealing with colossal crap and I was holding a grudge. Out of everyone I knew, other than Gigi and Pops, he was the only person who had visited me every single day. Even my parents only flew out and stayed for just over a week.
In their defense, it wasn’t like there was much they could do. My mom offered to fly back out to take care of me, but I told her not to. She’s a worrier and would have driven me crazy. Plus, she’d likely try to put weird crap like seaweed or bone broth in my smoothies. Last thing I want to do is feel like I have to vomit with my mouth wired shut.
Heath hadn’t even asked my permission. He’d come to see me whether I wanted him there or not. As much as it sucked to admit, there was a lot I needed to thank him for.
“Can I get you anything?”
I look from the door to his face, his light blue eyes gray in the darkening room. He needed to stop being so nice; it was putting a hitch in my whole hating him plan.
Distance would be helpful.
With a tilt of my head toward the hallway, I say, “I think I’ll go lie down.”
He stands. “Here, let me help you.”
Before I can argue, he’s behind me and pushing me to his spare bedroom.
“You don’t have to,” I murmur, my right hand gripping the arm of my chair.
If he heard me, he makes no indication. My head twists to the right as he passes the spare room, and wheels me into his room.
“This is your room,” I hiss.
“I know, the bed is bigger so you’ll be more
Shit. That’s not how I meant it and I hate the thought of dashing her hopes. The whole mess with Kacey taught me once and for all it’s better to be brutally honest even when the truth hurts.
I shake my head. “No, we’re nowhere near that yet, Mom. I meant she’s willing to stay tonight and will decide tomorrow if she’ll stay another.”
Her hopeful expression falls as her hand does. “Oh, of course. When is her next X-ray for her jaw? Not being able to open her mouth must be driving her crazy.”
I avoid telling her it’s probably in my favor that she can’t open her mouth. If she did, she’d probably do it to yell at me.
“Fifteen days,” I reply.
“Will they X-ray everywhere else as well?” she asks.
There’s a serious possibility that my mom wants Sydney out of all of her casts more than Sydney does. For some reason, my mom is certain Sydney will take me back, even after hearing what a mess I made.
“Not sure, Mom.”
“What are you going to do when you get back to your place?” she asks.
A chuckle has me lifting my gaze to look over at my dad. He’s sitting on the loveseat on the other side of the room, watching us and loving every minute of it.
I drag my hand over my face before saying, “How about we talk about you? How was your day? It’s sunny out. Do you want to move to the deck?”
“That’s my cue to stop bugging you, isn’t it?” she replies.
Stretching out my hand, I rest it above her elbow. “You’ll never bug me, Mom, no matter how hard you try.”
Her mouth gets tight in the way it does when she’s trying not to cry. “All I want is for you to be happy.”
My throat starts to clog. “I know that.”
She pats my hand with hers and smiles at me. “So, think you can talk her into coming to visit me?”
My dad doesn’t chuckle this time, he full on laughs.
Her head turns in his direction and she jokes, “I’m happy I’m amusing you over there.”
Then, she looks back at me. “Well?”
Now what?
My staring at Heath’s door isn’t going to bring my grandparents back. They aren’t going to suddenly rethink abandoning me with him, no matter how hard I wish they would.
At least Gigi had the decency to help me wash my hair while Heath went to see his mom. I’m ashamed to admit I had forgotten about how sick she was.
When Gigi told me he still visited her every day, in addition to driving all the way to see me, I felt something not unlike guilt at ignoring him. Here he was dealing with colossal crap and I was holding a grudge. Out of everyone I knew, other than Gigi and Pops, he was the only person who had visited me every single day. Even my parents only flew out and stayed for just over a week.
In their defense, it wasn’t like there was much they could do. My mom offered to fly back out to take care of me, but I told her not to. She’s a worrier and would have driven me crazy. Plus, she’d likely try to put weird crap like seaweed or bone broth in my smoothies. Last thing I want to do is feel like I have to vomit with my mouth wired shut.
Heath hadn’t even asked my permission. He’d come to see me whether I wanted him there or not. As much as it sucked to admit, there was a lot I needed to thank him for.
“Can I get you anything?”
I look from the door to his face, his light blue eyes gray in the darkening room. He needed to stop being so nice; it was putting a hitch in my whole hating him plan.
Distance would be helpful.
With a tilt of my head toward the hallway, I say, “I think I’ll go lie down.”
He stands. “Here, let me help you.”
Before I can argue, he’s behind me and pushing me to his spare bedroom.
“You don’t have to,” I murmur, my right hand gripping the arm of my chair.
If he heard me, he makes no indication. My head twists to the right as he passes the spare room, and wheels me into his room.
“This is your room,” I hiss.
“I know, the bed is bigger so you’ll be more
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