Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
LARS
The entire drive to Summersville, Lars kept repeating his conversation with Aaron in his head. They needed to talk more, nothing concrete was decided, but for now, it seemed like they were on the same page at least. It was beyond relieving to hear that last night meant something to Aaron too.
He pulled into the driveway of his childhood home and parked. With a smile, he made his way inside. “Hello?”
Allie appeared from the kitchen. “Daddy!”
As he knelt, she ran to him. He kissed her cheek and lifted her into his arms as he stood. “Where are Grandma and Grandpa?”
“Me and Grandma are making cookies.”
He carried her to the kitchen and found his mom with her hands covered in flour and dough.
“Hey,” she said over her shoulder. “Your dad’s out back with the other two. You should stick around for a bit.”
“Yeah, we gotta finish the cookies,” Allie said, wiggling so he would put her down.
“Sounds good. Help Grandma while I check on Grandpa.”
She nodded and returned to her stool next to his mom.
He watched them balling up the dough and putting it on a cookie sheet for a moment before heading out the back door.
His dad sat on the bench swing with Maddie on his lap, watching Chloe go down the small plastic slide they’d bought for the girls.
The bigger slide attached to the swing set he’d used as a kid still stood in the center of the yard, and Chloe usually preferred that one, but she liked experimenting on the smaller slide, finding different ways to go down it while giving them a heart attack.
She’d just climbed up again and looked like she was about to attempt to go down standing like a surfer when Lars reached her. Snatching her up, he lifted her into the air and swung her around. “Not standing, you little monkey.”
She giggled as he spun in a circle. When he stopped, he held her against his chest and used one hand to brush the hair from her face. She hugged him tightly, and he rubbed her back.
“How was last night?” his dad asked.
Lars faced him and nodded. “Good. Fun.”
His dad’s brows rose. “That’s it? Anything interesting happen?”
Hesitating, Lars wasn’t sure how to answer. Yes, something very interesting had happened, but he hadn’t told them about the separation yet, let alone come out, and now didn’t seem like the time.
“I’ll take that silence as a yes,” his dad said with a chuckle. “Your friends are never boring, I’ll give you that. There’s always some sort of drama going on. Speaking of, I heard a rumor that Aaron went on a date a couple weeks ago.”
Lars nodded, wondering which date he meant.
“A buddy of mine saw him at dinner with a pretty woman.”
Ah, that one. “Yeah, but it didn’t really amount to anything. He said there wasn’t any sort of… spark.”
His dad let out a huff of breath. “Too bad. He deserves to find someone who makes him happy. He’s a good kid, just made some bad decisions.”
“Agreed,” Lars whispered just as Allie came out to play.
“Chloe, come play!” Allie raced toward the swing set, and Lars quickly lowered Chloe. She took off after her sister. Together, they climbed to the top.
“Careful, girls,” Lars called out before turning to his dad. Maddie was now asleep, and he couldn’t help but laugh. “Here, I’ll take the sleepy one inside.”
His dad nodded as Lars slowly picked her up. “I’ll keep an eye on the rugrats. I’m not quite ready to go in either.”
Lars smiled. That was definitely where Chloe got it from. He quietly thanked his dad before returning to the kitchen.
“Such a sleepy girl,” his mom said in a soft voice.
He swayed from side to side. “It’s the swings; they do it every time.”
Out of habit, he glanced at the other two, making sure they were okay. His dad had stood and joined them. He had both arms braced on the platform near them, listening as they told him something with huge grins and animated hand gestures.
“Something’s different,” his mom said.
He turned toward her, his brow furrowed. “With what?”
“You.” She grabbed a spoon, scooped up some cookie dough, and handed it to him.
“Thanks.” He ginned and took a small bite. “What do you mean?”
“You seem happier, lighter.” She leaned against the counter, glancing at the timer on the stove. “Not to mention you’re in the same clothes as yesterday. I think you really needed last night with your friends.”
“I did.”
She gave him a sad smile and asked, “Does that mean you’re ready to talk about it?”
He stilled, mind spiraling. Surely she didn’t know about last night. How could she? “About what?”
“About whatever’s really going on with you and Melanie,” she said with a sigh. “I’m not blind; I know you two haven’t been happy together in a while.”
He stared at her in shock. He and Mel had tried so hard to hide it from them. “It’s complicated, Mom. We’re happy together. We’re just not… in love.”
When she didn’t respond, he knew she was waiting for him to continue.
“I know you and dad are against divorce, but—”
“I’m not against it,” she said, interrupting. “I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but I am against you being unhappy. If you’re not happy with Mel, then I understand.”
“You’re not mad?”
Shaking her head, she stepped closer. “I’m sad for you that it didn’t work out, but I’m not mad.”
The relief coursing through him was overwhelming. Reaching out, he hugged her with one arm. He hadn’t realized just how badly he’d wanted to tell her. When they pulled away, she returned to her spot against the counter.
“So, it’s official?”
“We’ve been separated for a long time but decided to keep living together for the girls. We haven’t signed papers, but yeah, it’s happening,” he said with a nod.
A beat passed before she narrowed her eyes in a playful manner. “So, is this new happiness because of another person? Were you with her last night?”
“Um…” How did he answer that?
Her eyes widened. “That’s it, isn’t it? Is it someone we know?” She gasped. “Is it Harper?”
He laughed, shaking his head. If he didn’t think it would make Aaron upset, Lars would tell him she jumped to that conclusion. Although, jealous Aaron was really hot last night… Clearing his throat, he said, “No, not Harper.”
“Why is that funny?”
“Because they thought I was into her too,” he said.
She put a finger to her chin, as if thinking. “It’s clearly someone special…”
His smile grew before he could stop it.
“Who?” she asked, stepping closer once more, clearly eager for gossip.
“I… I don’t know if it will work out, so I’d rather not say yet.”
His mom stared at him, pursing her lips to the side. “I’m going to text Aaron, see if he’ll spill the tea.”
He laughed again, this time causing Maddie to stir.
Gently putting a hand on the back of her head, he started rocking her once more.
His mom watched him, waiting to make sure Maddie stayed asleep.
After a moment, she said, “Fine. I’ll wait until you’re ready.
But just know, whether it works out or not, I’m glad to see you so happy. ”
She patted his arm, and when she turned to go check on the cookies, his smile dropped a fraction.
He wanted to tell her about Aaron and Mel’s job offer, but he felt like he should wait until it was more certain.
There were too many things up in the air at the moment.
He didn’t want her to worry about the situation with Mel.
And he needed to figure out where he stood with Aaron before telling anyone about that. He wasn’t going to out his friend.
“Mom?” Hannah’s voice called just before the front door slammed shut.
Maddie startled awake and began crying. Lars clenched his jaw to refrain from yelling at his sister. He rubbed Maddie’s back, whispering, “Shhh, it’s okay.”
He glowered at Hannah when she entered. She stopped at the sight of him rocking Maddie. “Sorry.” She turned to their mom with a huff. “You will not believe what Daya did.”
He rolled his eyes. Hannah was seventeen and dramatic as hell.
Always. He loved his sister, he really did, but sometimes their age gap made it impossible to connect.
Especially when she was so carefree without any major responsibilities, and he’d already had a baby on the way when he wasn’t much older than her. Their lives were so very different.
“I’m going to take the girls home,” he said, cutting in before Hannah could start ranting.
His mom met his gaze with brief sadness flickering there. He felt bad, knowing she had hoped they would stay longer.
“Sorry.” He gave her another one-armed hug. “I just… need to shower, get the girls settled down, make dinner. Plus, Aaron’s waiting for us.”
She narrowed her eyes at the mention of Aaron, and he realized he’d grinned again. Dammit. She could probably see everything in his face. She’d always been able to read him well.
Thankfully, Hannah decided to speak at that moment, giving him an excuse to look away quickly. “Oh, I was going to text you.”
Lars waited, rocking Maddie once more. Her cries had turned into soft whimpers, and he hoped she would fall back asleep. If she didn’t finish her nap, she would be extra cranky later.
“I know I said I’d go trick-or-treating with you guys,” Hannah went on, “but my friends are having a Halloween party…” He opened his mouth to respond, but she quickly added, “I know you need help since Mel is out of town, so I’ll skip it if you really—”
“It’s fine,” he said, cutting her off. “We’ll be okay.” Avoiding his mom’s gaze, he told them, “Aaron’s going with us, and I think Harper and Elliot, probably our friend Colby. Together, the four of us should be able to handle the kids.”
Hannah snorted. “At least two people are needed just to keep track of Chloe.”
Her tone let him know she was teasing, but he still said, “Not if Aaron’s with us. She listens to him more than anyone.”
“So that’s why you keep him around,” she said, nodding as if everything made sense now.