17. Easton
SEVENTEEN
Easton
“Jade, don’t just kick your shoes off and leave them in the middle of the floor. I’m going to trip on them. Please put them on the shoe rack.”
“Ugh,” she moans, slumping so that she’s walking like a cave person, “fine.”
I will not laugh. I will not laugh.
“Thank you.” I step around her and go to the kitchen to plug in my phone. It’s nearly dead, having been out all day and taking photos and videos of our time at the community swimming pool.
Sure, we have one here, but there’s something about the too-strong chlorine and slew of kids everywhere that feels so much more like summer than just hanging out in the backyard.
Plus, Jade got to see some of her friends. It was a good day.
“Can we watch a movie?” Jade asks, and I stop short of the kitchen, checking the time on my phone.
“Oh, crap. I didn’t realize it was so late.” It’s nearly nine-thirty, and I know that Jade will read in her bed before actually sleeping. “We need to get to bed, kiddo.”
“Aw, man.” She’s all moans and whines, but as I drag her up the stairs to brush her teeth and get into pajamas, Jade yawns several times.
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
Jade stops fighting it, grabbing a book from her shelf to read until she passes out. I get her tucked in bed, kissing the top of her head before turning off the overhead light and leaving her with the one on her nightstand.
“Goodnight, honey. See you in the morning.”
Grinning up at me with another yawn, Jade snuggles into her pillow. “Night, Uncle Easton.”
My heart feels pretty damn full as I close her door and head back downstairs. I still haven’t plugged in my phone, and of course, now I’m starving since I didn’t join the kids in their seven o’clock munchie fest.
Who even thinks blue flame should be a flavor of chip? Ugh.
The house is quiet, and I kick off my shoes at the door and pad into the kitchen. Just as I start to plug the cord into the bottom of my phone, it rings.
I nearly drop the thing, and then my heart sinks as I see who’s calling.
The fuck? No, it’s fine. Just answer.
Steeling myself with a deep breath, I swipe open the call and put the phone to my ear.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Easton,” she croons, “how are you? It’s been far too long since we talked.”
Yeah, well, that’s never bothered you before.
I sigh, turning to lean back against the counter since my phone is essentially wired now. I don’t want it to die mid-call. That’d be rude.
Or at least I don’t want to hear my mother complain that I hung up on her.
She’s been calling much more than usual ever since Janeen’s death. It’s probably that whole “life is short” thing, but to be honest, I haven’t really appreciated the renewed effort to be a part of my life.
It’s that “too little, too late” thing for me.
“I’m fine. Things are as good as they can be.”
I know she wants more of an answer than that, but I’m not giving this conversation my all, and she shouldn’t expect it from me.
Just because I’m raising Jade now, the daughter of the favorite child, doesn’t mean that she gets to pretend like we’ve had a great relationship.
“Well, that’s good to hear. I’m sure it’s still been a rough adjustment. With such a big change and all.”
“Uh-huh.”
There’s a brief pause, and then my mother sighs. “And how’s Jade doing? She settling in alright?”
“As well as can be expected. As I said. But it’s fine. We went to the pool. She saw some of the friends that she’s made. All good.”
Tension ratchets through my spine. Where is my mother going with all this? This is the most we’ve talked on the phone since Jade first arrived.
I don’t like it.
“Okay, okay.” There’s a classic Brenda Hawke inhale, the one she makes when she’s gearing up to say something, and I clench my jaw. “Because you know if it’s too much?—”
“I fucking knew it.”
I’m pacing through the kitchen before I can think better of it, the charger cord for my phone popping out.
“Language, Easton.” Mom scoffs. “All I’m saying is that if you don’t think you’re up to taking care of Jade, your father and I will be happy to take her in.”
“It’s been less than two months. The summer isn’t even halfway over with.”
My grip on the phone makes the plastic squeak, and I worry for a split second that it’ll crack. But hell, if it did, at least I’d have an excuse to dodge my mother’s phone calls for a few days.
Sorry, Mom. Phone broke.
“Easton, honey, it’s just that raising a child takes so much time and effort. You’re so busy with work, which is dangerous , I might add, and?—”
“I’m fully capable of working and caring for Jade. Janeen put me down as her guardian for a reason. She knew I could protect her.”
Mom scoffs, and I hear some rustling in the background that I have to assume is her getting up to pace around the room. She’s notorious for it, a trait she passed down to her kids.
“Protecting Jade is just part of the story, Easton. How often are you even around the girl?”
Rage burst through me. My parents, particularly my mother, clearly didn’t think I was capable of being there for Jade.
And they know nothing about it. I’ve been so damn focused on making sure that kid is happy and healthy. I’ve brought Hazel on for help, and I’m fucking trying, god damn it.
“I work my ass off to be there for her,” I snarl, but almost immediately, the irritation that bubbles in my veins demands I don’t listen to another word of this fucking conversation. “You know what? I’m done.”
Hanging up, I practically chuck my phone onto the counter by the charger. I’m fuming, and I can’t stand still. I need to move. I need to get this out of me before I smash everything in this room to pieces, which would be so damn childish.
I can’t be in here. I…I need a drink.
Rushing down the hall, I go straight to my office and to the small bar I have in the corner. I pull out a bottle of whisky and pour a few fingers into a small rocks glass.
I take a gulp, appreciating the burn that winds down my esophagus, and then let out a heavy breath. I last for only a second before I have to slump down into the chair in front of my desk, pinching the bridge of my nose while I try to remain calm.
“How could she do that? She doesn’t know anything about our situation here.”
As I focus on the sound of my breaths, I hear a gentle knock on my door. When I look over, having not closed it, I see Hazel standing there, her brow furrowed with concern.
“Are you okay? I heard talking in here, and…”
The words dry up, and for a moment, all I can do is look at her. She went to the coffee shop earlier with Olivia, but her car is in the drive.
I completely forgot she was here. God, I suck.
“Sorry,” I shake my head, “did I wake you up?”
A smile cracks across Hazel’s face, and she steps inside. “It’s nine-thirty, Easton. I’m not eighty. No, you didn’t wake me up. I heard you talking. You sounded…pissed.”
Letting out a sigh, I take a sip of my whisky again before gesturing for Hazel to step inside. I have another small chair in here, just some dumb décor piece, but it’s functional.
She steps inside, walking over to the tiny, chaise-like seat and sitting on the edge.
“My mother called. She…she doesn’t think I can handle raising Jade.”
“Easton,” the word comes out on a gasp, “I’m so sorry. That’s ridiculous. I mean, there isn’t some extenuating circumstance I don’t know about, is there?”
I shake my head. “Not as far as I’m aware of.”
“Then she has no idea what she’s talking about.
” Even though she just sat down, Hazel walks over to me, reaching out and putting a hand on my shoulder.
“Your parents have not seen how hard you’ve been working to ensure Jade is okay.
You’ve got me around to help because you knew you needed it, and you’ve been so good at not taking jobs too far away. ”
I don’t like praise at the best of times, so now it feels especially awkward. Still, I smile, dropping my head as I lay a hand on top of Hazel’s, where it’s planted on my shoulder.
She looks kind of silly standing in front of me like this, and somehow, I’m still coming up to her shoulders because of the height difference.
“Thanks.”
“I mean it. I remember the story you told me about helping Janeen when she had a bully. He picked on her relentlessly and wouldn’t leave her alone.
You stepped up and put that asshole in his place.
He never bothered her again. No one did.
That’s who you are, Easton. You’re a protector—to your sister, to her child, and to all the people you help through your business.
Hell, you’re even protecting me. You got this. ”
My heart is hammering against my ribs again, and it has nothing to do with being angry. Hazel sees me. It means the world to me that she gets how hard I’m trying, how much being there for my family means to me.
I’m not close with my parents, and I regret the distance that developed between Janeen and me after we were so close when we were young.
If I can be there for Jade now, it’s like I’m making up for that time. And she’s an amazing kid. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t started to love her like my own.
And then, of course, there’s Hazel.
She means…so much to me. I have to be honest with myself about it. I’m terrified something might happen to her, and as much as I’ve tried to keep my distance from her, we keep crashing back together.
I feel her pull my chin up when I still haven’t looked at her. “You’re doing everything you can for that girl, and all you can do is your best because you’re still learning how to be a parent. Don’t beat yourself up, Easton. Don’t let what your mother said get to you.”
“Hazel, I…” I look up into her eyes, and I don’t know what to say.
She’s said everything right, wowing me yet again with her ability to ease my frazzled brain and see the good. I don’t know how she does it, but I love that about her.
Hazel isn’t any less incredible than she was when I first met her. If anything, she’s even more fantastic.