Chapter 27
Lacey
I don’t particularly like my job.
I’ve known it since the day I got hired at the café.
Working as a barista can be dull and repetitive—especially when the place is dead—but I’ve gotten used to long, never-ending shifts over time.
Wait. Allow me to rephrase: I thought I was used to long, never-ending shifts. That was before TJ asked me to come with him to meet his mom after work.
That’s right.
He wasn’t lying when he said he’d do anything to win back my trust. He texted me that he’d be picking me up after work early this morning.
Suddenly, seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into hours. I must’ve checked my watch over a hundred times since I got here, and it earned me a few nosy questions from my coworkers. Even they could tell I was desperate to get out of here.
After a painful, tedious shift, I clock out and tread to the back room to gather my things. The time on my phone reads 3:00 p.m. sharp, and I check my notifications as I walk to the front of the café.
I have two messages from Dia and one from Aveena, all asking me if I’ve gotten some answers out of TJ yet, and a new message from the secret-keeper himself.
TJ
I’m outside.
Sure enough, I spot his black car parked in front of the building from the moment I push the door open. A pit of anxiety forms in my stomach as I make my way over to him.
TJ looks up from his phone when I slide into his passenger seat and slam the door. His dark eyes grow in size when he drinks me in, and I assume he wasn’t expecting me to be so dolled up.
I know his mother’s made her fair share of mistakes, and the woman is far from a saint, but I still want to make a good impression, which is why I put extra effort into my appearance today.
I curled my hair, something I practically never do, and put makeup on—a lot of makeup, maybe too much.
Shit, did I overdo it?
I know I shouldn’t care what this woman thinks of me, but I can’t help it.
I shift in my seat. “What?”
TJ clears his throat, as if to collect his composure, and says, “You look…”
I knew it, I look ridiculous.
“…so beautiful.”
Oh .
My cheeks heat up, and I glance at my reflection in the passenger side mirror, a blush visibly spreading across my face.
“Y-You think so?”
TJ holds my gaze for an extra beat. “I know so.”
I look away, fidgeting with my phone. “Thank you.”
TJ swallows hard, his jaw flexing as he pushes the gear into drive and takes off. “Anytime.”
We drive in silence for what feels like an eternity, and I can’t bring myself to slash the awkward tension in half, my mind racing with anxiety and worst-case scenarios.
What if his mother hates me?
After all, I’m the daughter of the woman her ex married after her.
Although, I’m not sure what she expected Daniel to do. She kicked him out of the kids’ lives and basically refused to let him see them unless he provided full financial support. And she did all of this knowing damn well they were another man’s children.
God, I wonder what she said when TJ confronted her about all the lies she’s told him. Did she deny it? Own up to it?
She spent her entire life perpetuating a false narrative and blaming other people for her actions. She painted Daniel as this heartless, terrible person when all he’s ever done is take care of me and be a loving, present father figure in my life.
TJ grew up thinking that Daniel abandoned him, his own son. When all along, TJ wasn’t his to abandon.
“Did you ever talk to your mom? About… you know.”
TJ doesn’t answer right away, pausing for a moment before saying, “Yes, I told her everything.”
He says the next part under his breath, his voice so quiet I barely understand him. “ I just wish she heard me .”
What does that even mean?
How could she not hear him? Is she deaf?
Or dead?
“You never answered my question. About your mom. Is she?—”
“No, she’s not. She’s very much alive,” he cuts me off.
Thank God.
“It doesn’t explain why you get weird whenever you talk about her. Or why you and Kelsea live alone or… why I’ve heard more about your aunt since I’ve known you than I have your mother.”
He blows out a breath. “Look, I know I’ve been keeping things from you, but you have to understand I didn’t even tell Theo and Chance until a few weeks ago, and they’re my closest friends. It’s not something I like to talk about. Mostly because everything changes once people know. I’m sorry I didn’t open up to you before, but it’ll all make sense soon, I promise.”
He’s obviously not ready to discuss this just yet. I could spend the entire car ride pressing him for answers, but something tells me it wouldn’t get me very far.
A half hour elapses, and by the time we reach the destination on TJ’s GPS, my anxiety is through the roof.
TJ pulls into a long driveway that’s lined by tall red oak trees, and I make out what seems to be the facade of a beige, three-story building in the distance.
“Where are we?” I ask.
TJ tenses up, a look of defeat painted across his face. It’s as though he knows he’s delayed this for as long as he possibly can, but it’s time to face the music.
“Graceview’s Care Center.”
My stomach drops, the truth unveiling itself and hitting me like a bolt of lightning.
This is a nursing home.
Does that mean… his mom is in there?
A large sign hangs above the double front doors, reading Graceview’s Care Center, Your Home For Healing, Hope, and Dignity.
What the …
“Vera’s waiting for us,” TJ adds, dropping yet another bombshell on me before I’ve even had a chance to process the first one.
“Wait, Vera? Your aunt is here?”
I knew I was going to meet his mom today, but I didn’t think I would be meeting two of his relatives.
“We visit her together every week. I thought she might… help you understand.”
It dawns on me.
“What about Kelsea? Doesn’t she come with you guys?”
You’d think if this is a weekly thing that Kelsea would be here to visit her mother.
A drop of sadness bleeds through TJ’s facade. “No, she hasn’t wanted to visit in a while.”
So, Kelsea has been refusing to come see her mom?
I don’t dare ask for specifics, waiting for TJ to pull into one of the visitors’ spots by the entrance. The next thing I know, he’s pushing the gear into park and killing the engine.
“Come on.” TJ gestures to follow him with his chin.
My legs feel wobbly as I climb out of the passenger seat. A gust of wind blows inside my coat once I slam the door shut, and a wave of chills scampers down my spine.
I pause and scan the area quickly. The building is made of white bricks, which have taken on a yellow hue over time, and is covered in narrow rectangle windows that are draped with dark curtains. The yard is sparse, too, bearing no sign of life or vegetation.
One word comes to mind as I soak up my surroundings.
Forgotten.
There’s just something about this place. It’s as though a veil of sadness hangs over the property, and I hug my arms to my chest like I’m hoping to keep that profound sadness from imprinting on me.
Might just be due to the fact that the sun’s nowhere to be found and clouds dominate the sky, warning us about the arrival of a storm.
“Vera’s waiting inside,” TJ says before leading the way to the entrance.
My stomach twists into a knot as I follow close behind TJ. The inside is nothing like I pictured it would be. The walls are painted a bright shade of yellow and decorated with colorful, impressionistic paintings. It smells nice, too, like lavender, and the contrast between the outside and inside of the building is striking.
This is warm, while the outside felt gloomy and uninviting.
The first person I see is the smiling lady sitting behind a desk with the word Reception on it. Until a dark-haired woman, most likely Vera, rises off one of the chairs in the waiting area and waves at us.
She looks like a businesswoman, with her black hair stopping at her shoulders and a handful of layered silver necklaces hanging around her neck. Her outfit also screams, “I got places to be,” consisting of a white blazer on top of a knee-length black dress with stiletto heels. If I recall correctly, TJ said she owns a chiropractic office.
The woman makes her way over to us, opening her arms in TJ’s direction. “There you are, Matty. I was worried.”
Matty ?
I shouldn’t be surprised that his family members have nicknames for him, but I’ve gotten so used to everyone calling him TJ that I sometimes forget his real name is Mathias.
TJ walks into his aunt’s embrace for a hug. “I should’ve called, sorry. Had to take a detour to pick her up.”
I wonder if she knows who I am.
Vera’s eyes light up when they find me, her lips pulling into a warm smile. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Lacey.”
I guess I have my answer.
I return her smile. “It’s so nice to meet you, too. Vera, right?”
My first reflex is to offer her my hand to shake, and in response, she laughs, opening her arms for a hug. “Please. None of that.”
I don’t hesitate to embrace her, her laughter filling the room with warmth. This woman is like pure sunshine in human form.
She pulls away, resting her palms on each of my shoulders to get a good look at me. “TJ’s told me so much about you. You’ve truly saved his grades this semester.”
Ah. He told her I’m his tutor. It’s probably better this way. I’d rather she think of me as the girl who helps him study than know I got down and dirty with her godson.
“I’m so glad you two are back together. He wouldn’t tell me what happened when you broke up, but he was in such a bad place he had me worried for a bit.”
Oh.
So, she does know about us.
I’m surprised he even told her. We only dated for three days before I found out he had been playing me all along.
I consider telling her that we’re not back together but decide against it. TJ can tell her if he wants to. Now’s not the time to get into our relationship drama.
I can feel TJ glancing at me from the corner of his eye, as though he’s waiting for me to correct her at any moment.
“Don and I need to have you over for dinner sometime. This one is so busy with basketball I barely see him anymore.”
Don?
Confusion must be visible on my face because he says, “Don is her husband.”
I decide to go along with it. “We would love that.”
“Amazing. We should probably go sign in. Visiting hours are almost over,” Vera says.
On that note, Vera walks to the reception desk and asks the lady for three visitor sign-ins.
We’re asked to provide our names, contact information, and the name of the resident we’re visiting.
“Sophie Jacobs,” TJ says.
I have so many questions. Like what happened for her to end up in a nursing home? Was it an accident? Whatever it was, it was obviously bad enough for her to require constant care, otherwise she wouldn’t be here. Maybe it had to do with her back? I remember TJ told me she used to come home with terrible back pain when he was younger.
Still, the whole thing seems a bit odd. I would expect the average nursing home resident to be around seventy years old.
The lady behind the desk gives us the go-ahead a moment later, and TJ casts a glance in my direction, hesitation written all over his face. He’s checking to see if I’m freaked out about him bringing me here. I give him a forced smile to try and ease his worries, but he doesn’t seem to buy it, the slight crease in his forehead deepening.
Vera goes in front, rounding the reception area and paving the way down a long, narrow corridor.
I can tell from the way she and TJ effortlessly navigate the space that they know this place like the back of their hands. A couple of right and left turns later, we come to a slow stop before a row of elevators.
The thumping in my chest echoes all the way to my ears as the elevator doors open and we step inside. TJ selects the fourth floor, still glancing at me from time to time.
The elevator dings when we reach the fourth floor, and Vera gets out first, blazing a trail down the hall. TJ walks slowly, continuously checking in on me as if to make sure I’m not going to run away scared. I wish he knew I have no intention of leaving, no matter how intimidating the situation is.
Vera stops in front of door 405 and reaches for the doorknob, but then… she hesitates. For a moment, her confident, rock-solid demeanor falters, and she stops.
She can’t do it.
I notice TJ standing still from the corner of my eye. He’s holding his breath, pain evident on his face. Seeing him like this… so scared… it breaks me to my core.
I only realize I’ve taken hold of his hand when his eyes dart to mine, filled with shock. In response, I hold on tighter.
My affection must’ve been the push he needed because the next thing I know, he’s opening the door for Vera, who finally snaps out of whatever trance was holding her prisoner.
The first thing I notice when we walk in is the color of the walls. They’re a pale shade of blue, almost white. The second thing I notice is the twin bed pushed up against a wall next to a nightstand with a picture frame on top.
A woman is sitting in a wheelchair that’s facing the only rectangular window in her room, with her back turned to us. I can’t see much of her aside from her dark brown hair.
I expected some sort of reaction, but she doesn’t so much as move a muscle when we walk in. Not even when TJ closes the door behind us.
“Hey, Soph,” Vera breaks the silence.
Nothing.
My stomach drops like a bag of rocks when my brain decides to revisit the conversation TJ and I had in the car.
I asked him if he’d talked to his mother about Daniel not being his biological father, and after he told me that he did talk to her, he added, “I just wish she’d heard me.”
Oh my God.
This is what he meant, isn’t it?
“We’ve missed you,” Vera adds, walking right over to her sister and then slowly spinning her wheelchair around.
The first words that pop into my mind when I get a good look at Sophie Jacobs are natural beauty.
Because she is.
Even with no makeup on and disheveled hair, she’s stunning.
With long, dark lashes, freckles, and a heart-shaped mouth, she doesn’t look a day over forty.
And God, those brown eyes… They’re exactly like TJ’s.
The difference is her eyes are vacant.
Emotionless.
She’s staring blankly ahead, and my entire body begins to ache when it hits me…
She’s gone.
Vera carefully pushes a strand of brown hair away from her sister’s face and tucks it behind her ear.
“Hey, Mom.” TJ’s voice breaks on the word mom.
I watch as he kneels down in front of her and captures her hand into his.
“I’m sorry I haven’t come to see you as often in the past few weeks. Things have been… crazy.”
Sophie blinks in response.
I can’t help but wonder just how aware she is of what’s happening around her. Is blinking the only way she can communicate anymore?
TJ scoffs. “I know exactly what you would say. You’d tell me that’s no excuse, and we’re never too busy for the people we love.”
I focus on the rise and fall of her chest as she breathes.
God, I can’t imagine how hard it must’ve been for TJ and Kelsea. Having to watch the woman who raised you look right through you.
Seeing her in that wheelchair, knowing her mind is somewhere you can’t reach anymore. And her physical form is all you have left of the woman you’ve looked up to your whole life.
“Speaking of people we love, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
A knot of emotions tightens in my throat.
I know he’s told me “I love you” before, but the first time he ever said the L-word was after Aaron exposed his scheme to get revenge on me. I figured he said it in a desperate attempt to get me to forgive him, and he didn’t actually mean it.
Until now.
TJ glances at me over his shoulder and gestures to come closer. “Mom, this is Lacey.”
I’ve never felt so nervous, but I oblige. Once I’m standing a few steps away from them, TJ rises to his feet and takes my hand.
“You’d love her, Mom. I know you would. She’s funny and smart. So smart it’s intimidating. She’s also caring and kind. She… she’s everything you ever wanted for me.”
I can’t speak, the pain in my throat clogging my airways, and my eyes become misty with tears.
Our story may have started with a lie, but to TJ, it doesn’t make it any less real.
A guy who doesn’t care doesn’t tell his family about you. He doesn’t publicly claim you as his girlfriend. He doesn’t open up to you and confide in you about the worst thing that’s ever happened to him.
I know now that Dia was right. His feelings are genuine. And it does make me feel better, but is it enough to fix what he broke?
“H-Hi,” I croak, waving at the woman TJ so desperately wanted to avenge.
The question is, why did he think ruining my life would be giving her justice? It doesn’t make any sense.
Unless…
Does he blame Daniel for his mom ending up here?
We spend the next thirty minutes just hanging out in Sophie’s room, telling her stories of all kinds. Vera talks about how stressful her week has been.
And I just know the bond these two sisters shared must’ve been an incredibly strong one. Vera mentions halfway through her stories that Sophie used to be the first person she wanted to tell when something happened. She was her big sister. Her confidante.
And now, she’s just… gone.
Fuck, that breaks my heart.
It’s one thing to lose your best friend once. It’s another to lose her every single time you see her for the rest of your life.
An employee eventually comes up to tell us visiting hours are over, and we have no choice but to say our goodbyes.
A foolish part of me thought Vera and TJ would be used to it. To seeing her like this. After all, it’s not their first time visiting, but something tells me that it never gets easier.
“Lovely meeting you, Lacey. It’s only a shame it wasn’t under happier circumstances,” Vera says and opens her arms for a hug.
I embrace her without a moment’s hesitation. “It was so nice meeting you.”
I’m sorry you lost your best friend , a voice in my head whispers.
Vera gives TJ a big hug and makes him promise to come over for dinner before we separate, and all I can think about as we’re walking to TJ’s car is how soon is too soon to ask him to tell me everything.
You’d think I just said that out loud from the way he puts me out of my misery once we get in the car.
“You must have a thousand questions.”
I let out a nervous chuckle. “More like a million.”
There’s a beat of silence.
“Look, you don’t have to tell me anything if you’re not up for it. I’m just grateful you trusted me enough to take me with you today.”
“No. I want to answer your questions. If we’re going to have any chance at saving this relationship, I need to let you in. Completely.”
I’m impressed by his maturity. Scratch that—I’m amazed .
“Are you sure?”
He nods, a small smile dancing on his lips. “I need to show you something first. Then I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”