Chapter 14
RAELYN
Saturday mornings were the best. Well, they usually were.
It was our chance to sleep late and reset, and I was doing just that. I’d gone to bed right after Walker left, and while it took me a bit, I eventually drifted off to sleep.
And I slept well. Really well.
And I had the best dreams. I can’t recall what it was about or even who was in it, but there was something about it that made me want to stay there in it.
So, when I heard a knock on my door in the wee hours of the morning, I wasn’t exactly thrilled.
I tried to ignore it and drift back into my dream, but the knocking continued, this time more insistent.
I glanced over at the clock, and annoyance washed over me when I saw that it was just after seven. I had one day, and now, someone was ruining it. Irritated beyond measure, I tossed the covers back, got out of bed, and grabbed my robe.
I slipped it on as I rushed down the hall.
The house was quiet. No TVs or games playing in the background, which meant the boys were still sleeping soundly. Good for them. I was glad someone was getting some needed sleep.
I was still half asleep when I reached the front door. I did a little twist, stretching before I glanced through one of the panes of glass. That’s when I saw him.
Dan.
Damn. This couldn’t be good. He never came by like this. Not unannounced, and definitely not this early. CeeCee would never allow it. Something had to be wrong. Full of dread, I opened the door just enough to step outside, then quickly closed it behind me. “What are you doing here?”
His eyes raked over me, like he was taking stock. The jerk.
“We need to talk.”
“It’s seven in the morning,” I snapped. “Couldn’t this wait until later?”
“Maybe if you’d answered any of my texts or calls, but clearly, you’ve been too occupied for that.”
“Yeah, I have work, and two boys who have practice after school every day. You know this.”
“Never stopped you from answering before.”
“What do you want, Dan?”
“What’s the deal with the guy?”
“What guy?”
“Don’t be coy with me, Rae. You know exactly who I’m talking about,” he snapped, a little too quickly. “The one who showed up at school the other day… the one you and the boys talked to at the diner.”
“And how do you know about that?”
“Because the boys told me... They tell me everything.”
He was full of it.
The boys didn’t tell him anything. There was no reason to. The man didn’t listen. Not the way a father should. He was too wrapped up in his own little world to care anything about theirs.
Knowing he’d pressed them for information on the man I’d been talking to took my aggravation to a whole new level. “Who I talk to is none of your concern, and you certainly have no right to come here and interrogate me about it.”
“I’m not interrogating you, Rae,” he shot back. “I’m asking about the stranger you’ve got around my kids.”
God, I hated when he called the boys my kids, like they were his and his alone. Like I hadn’t carried them for nine months and birthed them from my own body. Like I hadn’t fed them, changed them, and cared for them in every sense of the word. “You have some nerve.”
“Rae.”
“No. You don’t get to come here and pretend this is about concern about the boys when we both know this has nothing to do with them.”
For a second, something flashed through his eyes. Maybe it was frustration or something else entirely, but he pushed right past it. “You don’t know anything about this guy. You don’t know where he’s been or who he’s been with. He could be dangerous for all you know.”
His words hit hard because he was right.
I didn’t know him. Not really. He’d been pretty closed off about his past, only telling me that he was from Kansas City and he was on the road a lot. I knew there was more, and I had a feeling it wasn’t good. But he’d said it was a story for another day.
He could’ve been in trouble. He could’ve been on the run or had hurt someone. I had no idea. I only had my instincts, and they told me he was a good man and that I could trust him. I straightened my back and looked him dead in the eye as I asked, “And what do you know about him?”
“I know my kids have no business being around him when you’ve got no idea who he is.”
“So, you don’t know him… You don’t know him at all, and yet, you’re standing on my front porch, judging him like you do.”
“That’s not the point.”
“It is the point,” I snapped. “You don’t get to stand here and act like you’re the authority on who’s safe and who isn’t.”
“Rae, you’ve got two boys in that house, and…”
“I’ve always had two boys in that house, and we managed just fine.”
I wasn’t one hundred percent correct on my stance, far from it. Dan was right that I didn’t know much about Walker, and I needed to be careful, especially where the boys were concerned.
But I was winning this little debate of ours, so I decided to bring it home with the final punch. “You just don’t like the fact that I’m finally moving on.”
“That’s not what this is.”
“Isn’t it?”
I thought back to my night with Walker. I couldn’t remember the last time that being around a man had felt that simple, that easy.
There were no questions I wasn’t ready to answer.
No looks that made me feel like I owed him something.
He just let me be, and somehow, that made me want to give him more.
Dan was just the opposite, and I was over it. “You don’t get to do this. Not anymore.”
“Do what?”
“Show up here and make demands like you still have a say.”
“I’m their father.”
“And you always will be, but that doesn’t give you the right to control what I do.” I stepped closer. “You’re building a whole new life with someone else, Dan. A new wife. A new house. A new baby…”
His eyes flickered with anger, but that didn’t stop me from adding, “And yet, you’re here questioning me on who I chose to spend my time with.”
For a second, he didn’t say anything. There wasn’t anything he could say. He knew I was right. I was about to push further when I heard a faint creak behind me. One of the boys was up, and they were listening.
Damn.
Dan’s eyes flickered toward the door, signaling to me that he’d heard it too. He leaned in closer and whispered, “I expect the boys to be at my place by one.”
“They’ll be there.”
“Good.”
He grumbled something under his breath, then turned and charged down the steps, heading for his truck. I stood there for a moment, watching until he pulled out of the drive. Once he was gone, I punched the code into the keypad and opened the door.
When I stepped back inside, I didn’t see any sign of the boys, but Milo, our enormous and always ravenous cat, was sitting at the foot of the stairs.
The second he spotted me, he darted for my feet, weaving in and out of my legs while meowing like a lunatic.
This was his way of telling me that he was on the verge of starvation and may pass at any moment. “Okay. Okay. I’m coming.”
As expected, he followed me into the kitchen and only tripped me twice as I grabbed his food from the cabinet. I opened the can and was about to put it in his bowl when he nudged my hand, pleading with me to hurry. I shook my head and scowled, “Oh, come on. You are not that hungry.”
That got me another meow that I swear sounded like “momma.”
But the second the food dropped into his bowl, I was all but forgotten. He started chowing down like there was no tomorrow. I gave him a quick rub across the head, then walked over to the counter and turned on the coffee pot.
While I stood there letting it percolate, I thought back over my conversation with Dan.
I should’ve been furious that he’d had the audacity to question my actions, especially after everything he’d done, and I was to a degree.
But there was part of me that no longer cared if he approved of me or what I was doing.
As the mother of his children, sure. It was important that we were on the same page on some things, but not my personal life. That was off the table. Just like it was for him.
And whether he liked it or not, I had every intention of getting to know Walker better. I just hoped Walker felt the same way about me. I felt pretty good about things until the very end of the date.
He walked me up to the porch, and we got really close. He gave me the strangest look, and for a moment, I thought for sure he was going to kiss me. But then, he pulled back, told me good night, and left, leaving me wondering if I’d done something wrong.
The thought had me looking over to Milo and asking, “Should I text him?”
Milo ignored me and continued scarfing down his food, but that didn’t stop me from asking, “I could tell him that I had a good time last night and see if he says anything back?”
I was surprised when I heard Thomas say, “Yeah, but be cool about it and don’t say too much.”
I glanced up and found my firstborn standing in the doorway in his boxers, and he was busy rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Well, good morning. I didn’t know you were up.”
“It’s not by choice,” he groaned, scuffling over to the fridge. “What was Dad doing here so early?”
“He was just confirming the drop-off time for this afternoon.”
“He sounded mad.”
“He was fine. Nothing to worry about,” I lied.
“Whatever.” He grabbed some juice from the fridge and poured himself a glass as he asked, “So, you gonna text him or what?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I should just wait.”
“Don’t be afraid to message him, Mom.” He glanced back and smirked. “You’re a catch, and he knows it.”
“Oh, you think so.”
“Yeah, he’d have to be a total loser to fumble you. I mean, look at ya.” His brows lifted. “You’re hot.”
“You’re sweet to say so.” I motioned my hand at my frizzy hair. “But I’m far from hot.”
“Yeah, you look pretty rough right now, but once you get all done up, you’re a catch.” He started out of the kitchen as he said, “So, just text the guy already.”
Once he was gone, I poured myself some coffee, added my sugar and creamer, and took a long sip. Maybe it was the surge of caffeine, or maybe it was the way Thomas smirked when he called me a catch, but I decided to just go for it.
I was thinking about what I would say as I made my way back to the bedroom. I grabbed my phone from my purse, and all thoughts of Walker vanished the second I looked at the screen and saw that I had five missed calls from Dad.
I felt like the floor had given out on me. I knew something was terribly wrong, so I called him right back. He answered on the second ring. “Rae…”
My stomach dropped when I heard voices and the faint wail of sirens in the background. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s your mom.” With my heart pounding, I darted to my closet and grabbed some clothes as I listened to him say, “She fell.”
“Oh, no.” I pulled off my robe and started changing as I asked, “Is she okay?”
“I don’t know,” his voice strained. “I found her on the bathroom floor, and she was hurting something awful. I’m afraid she’s broken her hip.”
“Oh, Dad.”
“The ambulance got here about ten minutes ago. They’ve already got her loaded up, and they’re taking her to St. Mary’s,” he went on quickly. “I’m going to head on over there now.”
“Okay,” I answered, steadily changing clothes. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Don’t rush. It’s going to take some time to get her admitted and X-rayed… I don’t want you getting in an accident.”
“Okay. Just let me know where to go when you know.”
“I will.”
The line went dead, and for half a second, I just stood there with my heart racing and my mind trying to play catch-up. Then, everything hit at once.
“Thomas!” I brushed my hair and quickly pulled it into a ponytail before grabbing my shoes. “Thomas! I need you!”
I heard his footsteps coming down the stairs as I grabbed my purse and started for the hall. He rushed up to me and asked, “What’s going on?”
“It’s Nana. She fell this morning, and Papa had to call an ambulance. They’re taking her to the hospital.”
Worry filled his eyes as he asked, “Is she gonna be okay?”
“Yes, honey.” I hoped I wasn’t lying when I said, “She’s going to be okay, but we need to know what’s going on before anyone can help her.”
“Okay.”
“I need you to watch your brother. Just for a little bit.”
“Yeah, I got him.”
“I know you do,” I told him, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince him or myself, but I didn’t have time to think. As much as I hated to leave the boys like this, I had to get to the hospital. “Can you call your dad and let him know what’s going on? Tell him he needs to come pick you guys up.”
“Yeah. I’ll call him.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
I gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, then rushed down the hall and out to the garage. As soon as I was in the car, I started the engine, and seconds later, I was on the way to the hospital. With every block, I was bombarded with thoughts about my dear, sweet mother.
Her smile.
Her hands.
The way she always smelled like lavender and fresh morning dew.
The softness of her voice when she said, “I love you.” She said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like it was something I could always count on. Like I was still her little girl.
The way she laughed without holding back.
And she was always there when I needed her. Always.
She wasn’t just my mom. She was my safe haven, the one person who had never let me feel like I was alone in this world, and now, I was one step closer to losing her.
“Oh, Momma.” I let out a heavy breath, trying to hold back my tears. “I’m not ready to lose you.”
My words hung in the air, heavy and terrifying. I wanted to break down and cry, but I couldn’t. Not now. I swallowed hard, forcing the tears back as I pressed my foot a little harder on the gas.
It was now my turn to be there for my mother the way she’d always been there for me.