1. Heath
I walk through the door to the apartment I share with my buddies Beckett and James, and grin. I’ve officially been discharged from the Army. What a surreal feeling. I set my stuff down on the counter and kick off my shoes.
“It’s official?” James asks, grabbing the remote and turning down the TV.
“Yep, I’m out.” I plop down in the worn recliner and lean back. “The Army no longer owns me.” Time to go home. It’s been six years since I’ve been back home. Unless you count the few days I spent there between Christmas and New Year’s last year—which I don’t. I spent the entire time hiding from anyone I knew.
Sure, I’ve taken leave, but I couldn’t face going back home and seeing her. Not since I’d gone and broken her heart, and mine. Hence the hiding. So anytime I had leave, I did what any red-blooded man would do. I flew my momma anywhere she wanted to go and joined her on the vacations.
“Are you ready to go back home?” James asks, as if he can sense the mood I’m in. If anyone understood being away from their girl, it was James. Except his story will end with a happily ever after, and mine . . . well, it just ended.
I nod. “Yeah, my mom needs me. It’s been too long.” I was deployed again, this time in South Korea, when she discovered the cancer. I wanted to leave then, but she encouraged me to stay and finish out my enlistment term. Not that they’d have let me leave early, anyway. I rub my hand across the ache in my chest. I should have been there from the start. Going home last year was the only thing that has kept me going until now. Mom insisted she was fine, and I chose to believe her. Though I’m certain “fine” was far from the truth.
“I’m sure she’ll be glad to have you home for good,” James says, reaching for the remote to rewind the last play of the football game. “The golden boy in all his glory.”
I shake my head. “Are you ready to go back home?”
James grins. “You bet. The first thing I’m going to do is get on one knee and propose to Janice.” He pulls out his phone and tosses it to me. “Check out the screen saver. She sent me a new picture.” His girlfriend, a cute, dark-skinned girl with naturally curly hair and a gorgeous smile poses for the photo. “I can’t wait.”
I push down the envy that swirls in my stomach like sour acid, and force a smile. “Congratulations. I’m sure she’ll say yes.”
He smiles and looks down at the phone when I hand it back. “My parents have been working with hers to throw me a welcome home party. What Janice doesn’t know is that it will be our engagement party, too.”
“You popping the question as soon as you get off the plane, or what?” Beckett asks, coming down the hall from his room.
“First chance I get,” James replies.
“Well, I’m not telling anyone I’m coming home,” Beckett announces. “I’m surprising my folks at church on a Sunday. Haven’t you seen those videos of families being reunited? I’ll be viral on YouTube or TikTok, or whatever is trending these days.” He laughs and rubs his hands together like he’s plotting something big.
James raises an eyebrow and smirks. “I’m surprised your antics haven’t made you YouTube famous before now.”
He’s not wrong. Of the three of us, Beckett is the most adventurous.
“Yeah, well, I can’t help that the two of you are sticks-in-the-mud.” He points at James and then me. “If you guys hadn’t been so caught up on your girls back home, you’d have had more time for fun.”
I shake my head. “Nah, it’s just not my scene.”
“Yeah, that and you had the whole Army convinced you were the one who got Olivia pregnant.”
I shake my head. Somehow, the three of us have been stationed in the same place since basic training. We haven’t been moved as much as some of our fellow soldiers, and for that I’m grateful. Except, that also means these two knuckleheads know all my business.
“Hardy har har,” I say, standing from the recliner and rolling my head back to release some of the tension I’ve been storing there since our last deployment. “I didn’t tell anyone I got her pregnant. People made assumptions, and I didn’t correct them.”
“Seriously,” James says, eyeing me. “I’m still surprised you’re planning to head back home. I figured you’d stick around Kentucky and stay close to Zade. That kid may not be yours, but he sure has you wrapped around his finger.”
I chuckle as I make my way into the small kitchen area and grab a bottle of water from the fridge. “Olivia and Zade are in a good place with Dominic now. Besides, we can do video chats, and I can visit sometimes.” I shrug. “It’s what uncles do.”
“So, it has nothing to do with your hometown sweetheart?” Beckett asks, shooting me a knowing look.
I shake my head. “Nope. You know she ghosted me.” I swallow a gulp of water. “I’m going home for my mom. Maybe I’ll stay, maybe I won’t. We’ll see.”
The guys nod at the mention of my mom.
“When do you leave?” James asks, throwing the remote on the couch and turning his attention to me. Guess he’s given up on watching the Lions get their butts kicked again.
“Next week sometime. I want to spend some time with Zade before I go.” I pull out my phone and open the app for Expedia. “Guess I should book a flight and let my mom know I’m coming home.”
“I vote for surprising her,” Beckett says. “Seriously, imagine how excited she’ll be that you’re home.”
My heart kicks up. “She would be excited if I surprised her,” I say, a smile pulling at my lips. I just wish I knew Gabby would be excited to see me, too.
The “Welcome to Piney Brook” sign comes into view, and I grin. It’s been too long since I’ve been home for real. I decided to take Beckett’s advice and surprise Mom, so I grabbed a rental when I landed at Northwest Arkansas National Airport.
The drive down Main Street is like going through a time machine. Not much has changed in six years. I hang a right and turn down Highway 1 toward home. I roll down the window, letting the warm spring breeze slide through the car and soothe my soul. Being stationed in Kentucky was nice, but man am I glad to be home. The thought makes me pause. Is Piney Brook still home? I don’t know anymore.
I pull up to the townhouse I’ve shared with Mom since I was a little boy and frown. The house could use a fresh coat of paint and, from the looks of it, a few repairs. Putting the car in park, I turn off the engine and take a deep breath. This is it.
Before I have a chance to unfold myself from the little rental, Mom’s at the front door. “Heath, is that you?” Her frail frame is covered in a knitted blanket, outlining just how much weight she’s lost throughout the treatments.
I nod. “Hi, Ma. I’m home.” I close the car door and rush up the sidewalk to catch her in my arms.
“I can’t believe it,” she says, tears gliding down her thin cheeks. “You’re really here.”
I kiss her cheek gently, and let her down. “I am. For good, or at least for a while,” I say, running my hand through my hair. “How are you feeling?”
I take in the knitted cap she has on her head, the drawn-on eyebrows, and how fragile she looks. My heart breaks for her. The strongest woman I’ve ever known is fighting a battle we couldn’t have dreamed of.
“I’m all right.” She pats my hand before tucking her arm through mine and leading me into the house. “Some days are better than others.”
I nod, like I have any idea how hard it’s been for her. Shame eats at my gut and makes me feel like I might be physically ill. “I’m here now. I can help. You just tell me what you need.”
Tears fill her eyes, and she blinks them away. “Where are Olivia and Zade?” she asks, looking in the empty car.
I grin and pull out my phone to show her the pictures I took of Zade and me at the zoo last week. “You know Zade’s busy in school, and Olivia and Dominic are trying to settle into a new routine.” It had taken Dominic a few years to put his head on straight and see what was right in front of him. Once he realized Olivia was pregnant, and it was his baby, he stepped up for Zade. Doing the bare minimum anyway. It wasn’t until Zade had a health scare a year ago that he finally realized what he was missing out on.
“Yes, well, I’m glad that young man got it together. Even if it did take him a while.” Mom gives a curt nod of her head. She was madder than a wet hen when she found out about Olivia’s situation. Thankfully, she supported me helping Olivia out when she needed a friend. “They were lucky to have you to pick up the slack.” She turns and walks back into the house and into the living room.
She sits down in the rocking recliner I got her the summer before I left for bootcamp, and pulls the lever, bringing the footrest up. “I was just getting ready to make some lunch, but now that you’re here, I think I’d rather have something from Beats and Eats. Can you be a dear and pick us up some BLTs and fries? I’ve been craving that.” She leans her head back and closes her eyes.
My back stiffens at the thought of going into the diner. Especially so soon after getting home. “Sure, Ma. Whatever you’d like.” I just hope Gabby isn’t there or this could be a disaster.
“Thanks, Heath. I’m just going to close my eyes for a few minutes while you go.”
I lean in and give her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be right back.”
Fifteen minutes later, I’m circling the parking lot of Beats and Eats for the third time before I finally find a parking spot. Looks like Ms. Daisy’s diner is still the place to go after church.
I slip out of the car and push the keys—and my hands—into my pockets. I spot Gabby through the window, placing food on a tray, and come to a stop. My heart hammers in my chest. She’s just as beautiful as she was the day I left. I take a deep breath and force myself to walk to the front doors.
I pull open the heavy wooden door and step inside. Beats and Eats still smells and looks exactly the same. I see some people I recognize and give a little wave, smiling when they wave back. The chatter slowly dies down as people poke each other and point to me. Great. Not quite the entrance I hoped to make, and exactly the reason I stayed out of sight during my last visit.
“Well, if it isn’t little Heath Atkins,” Ms. Daisy calls as she comes toward the hostess stand. A crash sounds to the left, and I see Gabby standing there, spilled food and broken plates at her feet. Her mouth hangs open like a cartoon character. Another woman steps up and whispers to her before Gabby slips into the back.
Well, that could have gone better.