Page 74 of Beautiful Crazy
“What a relief. Do you have family there with you?”
“Not at the moment,” I explain. “My mom’s sister lives in Portland; she’ll be here in the morning, and my dad is at work.”
The line is quiet for a moment. “He’s at work?” Gemma parrots.
“Yeah, has been since this morning. Apparently, there werepressingmatters.”
“Well, I guess people handle their stress in all different ways,” she offers. “How has it been being around him?”
“Fine. No different than any other time we’ve been in the same place. I wish he’d put work aside for once and be here for his wife, but he is who he is.”
I find myself, not for the first time, wishing Gemma were here. Getting to hold her in my arms, breathe in her scent, even just see her, would probably do wonders at easing this tension inside of me. I’m coiled tight, and I have been since I got the call from my dad. It’s not lost on me that the conversation we had that night went completely unresolved. For valid reasons, of course. But it’s still frustrating to not know where she stands.
Not that right now is the right time to pick it back up again.
“I’m sorry he’s not there,” she says. “I can’t imagine how aggravating that must be for you. But I’m glad that you were able to fly up there and be with her. I’m sure that means a lot to her.”
Chuckling at remembering my mom’s surprised expression yesterday when she woke up and saw me sitting beside her bed. “Yeah, she’s happy to have me here.”
“Do you know how long you can stay?”
“I’m staying the week,” I tell her. “The district was able to find a sub for this week pretty easily, but it seemed like anything more than that would be a challenge. And staying the week should be more than enough. Aside from being sore and having her wrist in a brace for a while, she should be able to move around on her own okay. Plus, her sister will be here for a few weeks too.”
There’s a muffled voice in the background, and a smile tugs on my lips knowing it’s probably Sutton.Fuck, I miss them.It’s only been two days, and I’m already itching to be near them.
“Yeah, it’s Everett,” Gemma says before she giggles. “Sutton says hi, and he hopes your mom feels better.”
My chest warms. “Tell him I said hi, too, and thank you.”
She recites it back to him, and I hear him ask if he can talk to me. “Hold, please,” she murmurs.
“Everett!”
“Hey, buddy. How’s it going?”
“Guess what?”
“What?”
“Uncle Ethan took me and Beau to the same batting cages you took me to tonight!”
“Yeah? How’d that go?”
He laughs nervously. “I was a little scared again at first, like I was with you, but after I got over that, I hit almost everyball!”
A smile splits my face. “That’s what I’m talking about! Good job, buddy. I’m so proud of you.”
“I hit more balls than Beau did too,” he adds, and I can’t help but laugh.
“That’s amazing, Sutton.”
“Will you take me when you get back?” He pauses before adding, “You’ll be back, right?”
The question makes my throat tight. “Of course, I’ll be back, and I cannot wait to go back to the batting cages with you so you can show me your skills.”
We say our goodbyes, and Sutton passes the phone back to his mom. “You just made his whole day,” she says with a laugh.
“Talking to you two made my whole day,” I admit easily.