Page 50 of Escape

Shaking her head, she said, “Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with feeling thankful and wanting to tell someone you appreciate what they’ve done for you. I’m sure my son already knows how you feel. I just want you to understand that this isn’t something that should ever make someone, especially you, feel like you need to do anything. Huck is the one who’s grateful. Trust me.”

Once again, I didn’t want to accuse Huck’s mom of being a liar, but I couldn’t comprehend why she thought her son was the one who was grateful. “I’m not sure I understand. Why would he be grateful?”

It was at that moment when Mrs. Davidson grew quiet. She seemed to be wrestling with something, but I couldn’t work out whether it was her being worried she’d said more than she thought she should have because Huck would have been upset about it, or if she was unsure whether she wanted to elaborate on her statement for fear it could upset me.

The seconds ticked by without a word, and I was convinced she wasn’t going to give me an answer. But just as I was about to tell her she didn’t have to respond, she shared, “I’ve never seen him so distraught as I did when he was in the waiting room anticipating the news he’d get about you. Not even when his father died was he that troubled.”

“What?”

Surely, I must have heard her wrong. She couldn’t have said what I thought she just said.

“If I didn’t already know it back when he first met you in high school, what I witnessed a few days ago would have made it crystal clear,” she said. “There’s something about you that my son absolutely adores, Josie. It’s been that way since he was a teenager. And the thought that something worse than what he already knew had happened to you nearly destroyed him. That’s why he’s grateful now.”

My heart.

My poor heart couldn’t handle this.

Now I understood why she’d been hesitant to respond initially. She knew I wasn’t going to be able to handle hearing this without breaking down into tears, which was precisely what happened the moment she shared all of that.

As the tears leaked from my eyes, Huck’s mom moved close and wrapped her arms around me in a comforting embrace.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured after I’d managed to pull myself together. “I just… I wasn’t expecting you to say all of that.”

“It’s okay. I figured it could go one of two ways if I shared that, and it seems I wasn’t wrong,” she returned. “I’m the one who should be apologizing for upsetting you. This isn’t what you need to be dealing with right now.”

With a slight shake of my head, I insisted, “No. No, I’m glad you did. It means everything to me. And I think you should know that Huck is just as important to me. He’s been a dream come true, if I’m honest.”

Maybe I should have been sharing words like that with Huck directly, but the last thing I wanted was for his mom to think the adoration was one-sided.

Her expression warmed, her features softening. “It makes me so happy to know he can be that to you.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“So, I do have one more question,” she declared.

“Sure. What’s going on?”

Her lips twitched slightly. “What do I have to do to get you to call me by my first name?”

Though I didn’t know how much she’d be able to see with the bruising I was certain was still present on my face, I didn’t doubt my cheeks were flushed. “I’m just trying to be respectful.”

“I can understand that, especially when you were still a kid. But I’d like to think we’re past that stage now. I mean, after I learned you were here, I was with you. They’d never allow Huck back while they were getting you checked out, especially considering the circumstances, but he begged me to find out what was happening. I would have done it anyway, even without his pleading. And I think you should know that I couldn’t leave you until I knew you were going to be okay,” she shared. “I think it’s time you start calling me Bonnie.”

I didn’t know what it was like to have a mom, but I always thought Huck’s mom could set the standard for what it was to be a parent. I hadn’t had many encounters or interactions with her, but the few that I’d had always left an impression on me, this one being no different.

Of course, I got all emotional again, and the tears poured down my face. “I’ve always wanted to thank you,” I confessed.

“Me? For what?”

“I’ve always been grateful to you for what you did for me when I was in high school,” I explained.

“Josie, I didn’t do anything. It was all Huck.”

Nodding, I said, “I know. I know he was the one who pushed for everything good that came my way, but if you hadn’t been supportive of him doing that, it wouldn’t have happened. I mean, I’m well aware he wasn’t packing his own lunch or making those breakfast sandwiches while he was in high school. Even if he asked, you were the one who did it. You made it possible for your son to look after me the way he did. I’ll never forget that for the rest of my life.”

Her shoulders fell as a sympathetic look washed over her face. Then she wrapped her arms around me and held me as more tears leaked from my eyes.

Somewhere in the midst of it, Huck returned. And when he did, it was safe to say he was disappointed with himself. “What happened? Are you okay? Why are you crying?”