CHAPTER SEVEN #4
I spend the next couple of hours going through my closet and packing things.
I’ve got a decent pile of things to donate and an even bigger stack of boxes to take with me.
I’m not taking my bed or any of my furniture except for my desk that Dad and Pops adapted to best help me while working.
I can work right now without it, but I don’t think that’s going to be the case much longer.
Cade said we can put my desk by the window in the living room since it gets the best natural light.
I just folded the last hoodie that can fit in the current box I’m filling when there’s a knock on the door, and it opens. Mom peeks her head in and smiles at me. “Making some progress?”
I nod. “Yeah, I’m almost done with my closet. Not sure how I fit all these clothes in it. I did find a couple of things to get rid of. Some of the stuff I haven’t worn since high school.”
Mom comes in and looks at the pile that I’m gonna donate. She picks up a worn sweater. “You wore this almost every day when you were sixteen.”
She sits on the bed and sighs. “My girl is moving away. Why do I think this time it’s going to be for good?” I move and sit down next to her and rest my head on her shoulder, like I’ve done so many times.
“No one knows the future for sure, but…but I feel like this move, like it’s the step toward my future that I’ve been looking for. I mean…I know not to plan my future all around a man but—” Mom reaches and squeezes my hand and quietly interrupts me.
“But there’s nothing wrong with planning a future with the right man.
You haven’t ever dated a guy that we didn’t like, but somewhere along the way I knew in my gut that Mario wasn’t your forever.
I think it was most apparent when he decided he needed to move back to Arizona to take care of his family, and you didn’t even think for a moment about going with him. ” She’s right.
“I didn’t. I mean, he didn’t ask, but it never even crossed my mind that it was something I would even consider if he had. I think that’s when I knew what we had…that it had run its course. Well, that and the fact that neither of us seemed that upset when we broke up.”
Mom nodded. “And yet you didn’t hesitate to agree to move a couple of hours away to be with Cade. I also have a feeling that if he got traded or signed to another team, that you wouldn’t think twice about going with him, would you?”
I think about it for a moment, and she’s right.
I want to be wherever Cade is. I can work from anywhere, so I’m not tied down like some people.
I work for myself and just need my computer and my programs. The only thing is my family.
They’re here. “I would follow him, yeah. But…” Mom, being the smart woman she is, squeezes my hand again.
“I remember something your grandma told me when I found out I was pregnant and your Dad and Pops were trying to convince me that I could actually love them both and have a life with them. Your pops’ dad was off talking some sense into your dad, and she had sat me down at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and some kind words, which I needed more than anything.
My family had disowned me at that point, and I had no desire to mend that fence in any way, but I didn’t know how to move forward either.
Your grandmother looked at me and told me that in your life there will be a moment where you need to choose between the life you know and the life you want.
It’s important to choose the one that scares the hell out of you.
I did that, and I thank the gods every day that I did.
I not only got a life that I’ve loved with two amazing men, but I got the gift of being you and your brothers’ mom, and that’s the greatest gift I ever could’ve gotten. ”
I know Mom is right, but leaving home, leaving here, leaving everything I’ve ever known is scary, and I know I’m going to miss being surrounded by everyone.
“I know I want this. I want to be with Cade, but you’re right.
This feels permanent. Not like when I went away to school for a bit or anything.
This feels like I’m leaving and not coming back.
I know I’m only going to be a couple of hours away, but that’s a couple of hours away from everyone, especially you, Dad, and Pops. ”
Mom pulls me into her arms and gives me a hug.
“You know you’ll never be rid of us. We’re only a phone call away.
We will always be here for you, no matter where you end up.
Family isn’t restricted to only being within a twenty-minute drive.
So you go, be the brave girl I know you are.
You love that man and build a life that when you look back at it, you know you spent your life with the right person.
I mean, if that includes kids at some point, I wouldn’t be opposed.
You know I always welcome another grandbaby to the mix, hell, maybe even a couple. ”
My phone rings, interrupting the moment.
Mom hands me the phone, kisses my cheek, and stands up to head out of the room.
“Answer that and take the next step toward that future, sweetheart.” I swipe to answer the phone and sigh because Mom’s right, but also ‘cause I’m about to have to explain what happened with the bitchy jersey chasers.
So maybe I’m not completely grown up just yet.