20. Chapter 20
“Mom?” I ask, shocked she is here.
“Who is he?” she says.
“This is Zane you met at the funeral,” I say, signing at the same as talking, trying to make sure Zane is included in the conversation.
“Oh, he”s that deaf one. Why is he here?” Her irritation is clear.
“He is here to support me. Why he is at my house is none of your business. Now, what do you want?”
“So this is how you spend your days with some guy instead of working?”
“It wasn”t that long ago you were pushing me off on any guy who looked my way,” I remind her. “Also, it”s my day off, so I”m working on freelance projects. Now, what do you want?”
“I don”t think men like him should be around Liz,” my mom says.
I hold on to my temper by a thread.
“Men like what, Mom?”
“Broken, bad boys. You will never fix him. You should be focusing on Liz, but since she isn”t your priority, you should know that your father and I are perfectly able to raise her.”
“Yet we both know that isn”t what Kaylee and Brian wanted because they didn’t make you her guardian, they made me. When they changed the will when I turned eighteen, they made that perfectly clear in the will and letters that went with it.”
“What they want doesn”t matter so much as what is best for the child.” Mom dismisses me.
“What is best for her is to be with someone who loves her, not someone who tears her down every chance she gets. She is thriving in school and we have a good working routine going. She has met with counselors, and I”ve met with her teachers. All have said she is doing better than they expected. I”m going to raise her. I am able to do it, and it was Kaylee”s wish. How I do it is none of your business.”
“It is so! She is my grandchild. I will not have you ruining her.”
“Legally, she is my child, my responsibility, so no, you have zero say. Now, if this is how you are going to behave in my house, you can leave. I have things to do, and I”m done with you today. I don”t have time for this.” I push her toward the door.
“Well, I never!” she says, as I open the door for her.
“Well, bless your heart!” I say and close the door behind her, making sure to lock it. I’m abundantly thankful I never gave her a key.
Since I wasn”t translating what my mom said, I turn to Zane, and give him a recap. His face says it all. Right now, he is starting to doubt himself and how important it is for me to have him here.
Stop. You being here is a good thing. Liz is thriving because of you. She told me how much she likes you and how much her mom and dad would have liked you. She wants you around. Because I wanted to be sure, I have asked her that several times. It’s not only about Liz. I really want you here.I tell him, climbing back onto his lap, this time straddling him.
Kissing him with everything in me, I desperately want to finish the kiss that was interrupted. When he pulls back, I still see the worry in his eyes. But he attempts to distract me, and I let him.
Go work on your painting. I know you are close to finishing it. I will figure something out for dinner and get going on picking up around here.
The rest of the day, we fall into our routine, and it takes away the nerves my mother being here caused.
When Liz gets home, she is none the wiser to Mom’s visit and her hurtful words. Though an idea has been circling around in my head all day, and I want to make sure it”s okay before I talk to Zane tonight.
While Zane cleans up the kitchen, I help Liz get ready for bed, and like we have been every night, I lie down and talk to her.
“I want to ask you something, but I”m hesitant because there has been so much change in your life already,” I start.
“If this is about Mom and Dad”s house, I”m not sure yet. I want to live there, but I like it here too. I think moving in there will just make everything too real. But I don”t want to sell it either,” she says with way more insight than any six-year-old should have to have.
“You take your time with that. I want to ask you about Zane possibly moving in, even temporarily.” When she answers, I’m glad, smart girl that she is, that she’s been giving it some thought.
“I”d like that. When I get home from school, I’m happy he is here, and I like knowing he makes you happy. But why would it only be temporary?”
“Well, he is transitioning out of Oakside, and his life is about to have a lot of changes. There are many choices he will have to make. I don”t want to pressure him and make him think he has to stay here. Though I would love it if he did, but I want him to find himself and do what makes him happy, too,” I tell her.
“You are what makes him happy, Aunt Carlee. I can see it all over his face and in his eyes.”
At her words, my eyes tear up. Even though I want nothing more than for that to be true, I worry he won”t be happy here long term. I don”t share that worry with Liz because she has had so much change in her life she doesn”t need to be anxious about anything else.
“My goal is making you happy, so I just wanted to check in,” I tell her, unsure of what else to say.
“I’m okay right now. My therapist said it”s all right that I won”t be happy for a while,” she says.
When she tells me that, I’m grateful the first thing I did was get her the therapist the school recommended. I knew she”d have a lot of emotions and thoughts, and I wanted to make sure she could process them all. I wanted her to have someone else to talk to as well.
“She”s right. We will be happy. Though it might take a while. Now get some sleep,” I kiss her forehead and tuck her into bed.
Once she is settled, I go to the kitchen and find Zane reading something on his phone. Walking up to him slowly, I don”t want to startle him. As I get close, he looks up and smiles at me before standing, taking my hand, and leading me to the couch in the living room.
So Liz and I have been talking.I start once we are settled.
Should I be scared?He jokes with a smile on his face.
Well, I”m scared, but I hope it”s a good scared.
His face goes serious, and he waits for me to get it out.
I”ve been thinking about how you said you are transitioning out of Oakside. Well, Liz and I have been discussing how much we really like you being around. Then, pausing I take a deep breath.
I”m not going anywhere, he says
Good. Because we were hoping you might think about moving in with us. I get it out and then sit there as he stares at me, instantly wishing I could take it back.
You want me to move in with you?he asks.
Yes, Liz does, too. She likes you here, and it was the first time I”ve seen her really smile when I asked her about it.
For a moment he doesn’t say anything. Instead he looks out the front window even though it”s almost dark outside. When he turns back around, happiness is written across his face.
I would love to live here with you two. More than anything.
So, is that a yes? I ask, as Noah pulls into the driveway.
Yes. I don”t have much. Some boxes that were sent to Noah from my barracks.
We will make it work. There is a chance we will move into my sister”s house, which is bigger. But we can talk about all that later.
I give him a quick kiss because we don”t want to keep Noah waiting.
Even though this feels like a big deal and a big change, I”m ready for it.