27. Chapter 27
Tiff: Will you come over soon?
I stare at the message I sent to Jamie four hours ago, swallowing down all my pride because I have no idea what he’s doing. It’s been two days since we’ve seen him, and I’m trying my best not to freak out.
He promised we were in this together. Give him time. You owe him that.
I try to rationalize it all in my head, but nothing is making me feel any better.
“Yes, I understand the timeline,” Zach growls, pacing between the living room and kitchen. The guy hasn’t sat down since he got home three days ago and found me barely holding it together surrounded by legal papers.
Unsafe living conditions…
Unfit mother…
Charles Bright will testify…
I’ve read them so many times I’ve practically memorized them at this point. It’s a stupid move. One that hasn’t helped my anxiety at all, but a part of me just hopes that if I go over it enough times, I’ll suddenly find a loophole.
“There has to be something we can do,” Zach continues, pushing his lawyers. He’s so much stronger than me. I can barely move, barely speak, and here he is fighting. Always fighting for me and Ella. “Can we file an injunction? A motion to dismiss? Anything?”
I set my phone on the couch beside me and clutch Mr. Squishy to my chest while I try to watch Ella and Reese stacking blocks on the coffee table in front of me.
“Look, Mommy.” Ella points at the rainbow stack with pride.
I clear the lump in my throat, offering her the biggest smile I can muster under the circumstances. “I see, baby. You’re doing a fantastic job.”
She goes back to firmly telling Reese where the blocks need to go.
Guilt eats at my stomach. I want to be more present with her, and enjoy the time we have, but I can’t think of anything else.
What if they take her?
What if they never let me see her again?
What if they treat her as shitty as they treated Jamie?
“Would you like some water, Tiff?” Reese asks as he puts a pink block perfectly in place. “Maybe some tea?”
“I’m fine,” I lie, waving him off. I am most definitely not fine, but talking about it, or finding out why Jamie went AWOL on me isn’t going to do anything for the level of anxiety I’m feeling.
Reese doesn't push. He just nods and goes back to stacking blocks, letting Ella give him increasingly complicated instructions about color placement and structural integrity. He showed up an hour ago with groceries and offers to help—no questions asked, no judgment. Just quiet, steady support.
That's Reese. Always there. Always dependable.
And then there’s Jamie.
He’s off doing something that will no doubt get him in trouble. That’s why he’s not telling me. I just know it.
I check my phone again, and there’s still nothing from him. Nothing since he agreed we’d fight this together.
“No, that's not acceptable,” Zach says, his voice rising slightly. “I don't care what the standard procedure is. This is a clear case of harassment and—” He stops, listening. “Fine. Set up a meeting for tomorrow morning. First thing.”
I glance over my shoulder, taking in Zach from the corner of my eye. He runs a hand through his hair, and he looks as exhausted as I feel.
It’s only when his phone rings again that his entire demeanor softens.
“Honey?” he answers, then pulls the phone away to look at it. “Yeah, hold on.”
He clicks something on his phone, then quickly walks over to the hallway.
“You’re where?”
I can’t hear Honey’s response, but whatever she says makes Zach’s shoulders tense.
That’s when he disappears around the corner.
I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t eavesdrop. That’s why he left the room—to get some privacy, but Honey knows more about what’s going on than me, and I need to know the truth.
Reese gives me a questioning look as I stand up slowly, but I just shake my head and follow Zach.
He’s leaning against the wall by the garage, scraping his hand across his face. “What the hell are you doing in Connecticut?”
“I’m here with Jamie,” I hear her say through the speaker.
Jamie.
He left the state without telling me.
“What the hell?”
“He couldn’t tell anyone. If he did, you all would’ve tried to stop him.”
“Damn right I would have stopped him! He’s supposed to be here, talking strategy and fighting with us. He’s supposed to be making sure his child and her mother are okay,” Zach's voice rises.
“That’s exactly what he’s doing, Zach. He’s protecting them.”
He blows out an annoyed breath. “And you’re there too? Hanging out with your ex, like you’re old buddies now. Great. Just fucking great.”
“Someone needs to have his back,” Honey says matter-of-factly. “He can’t do this alone.”
“So you’re going to put yourself in danger for a guy who cheated on you?” Zach’s free hand clenches into a fist.
“No. I’m doing it for Tiff and Ella.”
“That’s even worse because it means you’re doing it for me.”
Zach knocks the back of his head against the wall and closes his eyes. “Look, I get you want to help, but this is your father we’re talking about. He doesn’t play fair. If he finds out you’re working against him—”
“He’ll what?” Honey challenges. “Disown me? Cut me off? Does it matter anymore? I already know exactly what they think of me, and I’m tired of pretending I care. I have nothing left to lose.”
“You have me,” Zach says, and his voice cracks. “You have me, Honey. Doesn't that count for something?”
The silence stretches, and I hold my breath.
“That’s exactly why I have to do this,” Honey says quietly. “We aren’t together, but Tiff and Ella still matter to me.” She exhales. “Look, I’ve not done anything of value in my entire life. Let me do this. Let me at least make a difference in your cousin’s life.”
Zach's shoulders slump, and he slides down the wall to sit on the floor, sitting holding his phone up.
“I should be there,” Zach says suddenly. “Let me fly out. I can be there by—”
“No.” Honey's voice is firm. “You need to stay with Tiff and Ella. Jamie needs you to protect them while we do this.”
“Fine,” Zach grits out, finally opening his eyes. “Please be safe, Honey. You’re the strongest person I know, but I don’t want them to break you.”
“I’m not the strongest,” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice. “That’s Tiff. She’s been through more shit than I could ever think up.”
“Okay, second strongest.” He laughs, but his face doesn’t show any happiness. Just resigned sadness. “Can I at least pick you up from the airport?”
“Uh, actually, Chris already offered. They’re coming back from a game around the same time. He said I could catch a ride with the hockey team.”
Zach’s entire body goes rigid. “You talked to him first?”
“It wasn’t like that,” Honey says quickly. “I was studying with him when Thatcher called. I didn’t plan it.”
Zach exhales through his nose. “That’s convenient.”
“Zach,” she warns. “He’s just a friend.”
“Don’t treat me like an idiot, Honey. Everyone with eyes can see he wants more than friendship.”
Honey exhales slowly. “That’s his problem, not mine.”
“Except it is,” he says finally. “Because every time someone wants more from you, you’re the one who runs from it.”
“That’s not what this is,” Honey says.
“Then what is it?” He pushes off the wall. “Because from where I’m standing, you’re choosing the hardest option every time. You’re putting yourself last. Again.”
She doesn’t answer.
Zach exhales sharply, frustration edging into his voice.
“Explain it to me, Honey. Please. Help me understand why we’re both miserable when we don’t have to be?”
“Did you ever think I’m tired of this? That maybe, I’m tired of everyone assuming they know what's best for me?”
“I never said—”
“You implied it,” Honey cuts him off. “You and everyone else. Poor Honey can't make her own decisions. Poor Honey needs to be protected from herself.”
“That's not what I meant,” Zach says, his voice strained. “I just—I see him, Honey. I see the way he is with you, and I—” He stops, shaking his head. “Forget it. It doesn't matter.”
The silence stretches between them.
I should leave. This is none of my business, but I’m desperate to go to my cousin and give him a hug. Even with all this shit he’s going through, he’s suffering the exact same fate as Honey and putting everyone else’s happiness before his own.
“Honey—” Zach's voice breaks.
There's movement on Honey's end—voices in the background, someone calling her name.
“I have to go,” Honey says. “Jamie needs me.”
“Okay,” Zach says, even though he looks like he wants to argue. “Just—be careful. Please.”
The call ends, and Zach lowers his phone slowly, staring at the blank screen like it might give him some answers.
He runs a hand through his hair, sighing out.
I can’t leave him like that. Stepping around the corner, I say, “Zach?”
He looks up with glassy eyes, unsurprised to see me. “How much did you hear?”
“Enough.” I slide down the wall to sit beside him, our shoulders touching. “They're going to confront their fathers.”
“Yeah.” Zach's voice is hollow. “Because apparently everyone I care about has a death wish.”
“They're brave,” I say quietly.
“It's stupid,” Zach mutters, but there's no heat behind it. “They could get hurt. Both of them, and yeah, I might not be the biggest fan of Jamie, but he makes you happy, and that’s all I want for you.”
“That’s why they are doing it.” I rest my head on his shoulder. “To make us both happy.”
“I hate not being able to do anything to protect her.”
I raise my hand and rest it on his knee. “Don’t you see, cuz? That’s not what she wants. If it was, she would have sent you there. She wants to be her own person. To fight her own battles. You’ve just got to let her and hope she’ll come to her senses soon.”
“I’m tired of waiting.”
“Patience is a virtue.”
He rolls his eyes and shakes his head but doesn’t respond. He knows I’m right. Honey will find her way back to him. It’s only a matter of time.
We sit in the hallway in silence, both processing what this means.
Jamie didn’t tell me he was going because he knew I’d be upset, but weirdly, I’m not. I’m relieved I know where he is, and that he’s still fighting for us. He wants us just as much as we want him, and I can only hope he doesn’t get stuck under his father’s thumb.
From the living room, Ella's voice rings out. “Mommy? Uncle Zach? Where are you?”
We both stand, brushing off our clothes and trying to look like we haven't been sitting in the hallway having emotional breakdowns.
“Coming, princess!” Zach calls.
But before we can move, he catches my arm. “Thanks,” he says before pulling me into a hug. “For talking me down. Without you and Ella in this house the last few months, I think I would have lost my sanity.”
Tears of disbelief start to well in my eyes. “You can’t be serious? Thank you, Z. You’ve always been there for me when you didn’t have to be. You’ve been my best friend for years, and I’m so lucky to be able to call you my cousin.”
“Ditto, T.”
We head back to the living room, where Ella's abandoned her blocks entirely and is now showing Reese how to properly arrange her stuffed animals for a tea party.
“Mommy!” She looks up when she sees me, her face lighting up. “Where's Jamie? I want to show him my new drawing!”
She holds up a piece of paper covered in crayon.
My throat tightens.
“He had to go on a trip, baby,” I say, kneeling down beside her. “But he'll be back soon.”
“How soon?”
“I don't know.” I pull her into my lap, holding her a little tighter than necessary. “But I know he misses you very much.”
“I miss him too,” she says, then wiggles out of my arms to add more details to her drawing.
I watch her, this perfect little girl who has no idea her entire world could be hanging in the balance.
I just hope he comes back soon, because I don't know how to do this without him.
Without them.