Page 99 of Truck Up

“Forget about the homestead. It’s gone.” I toss my hands out to my side and shake them, attempting to force some of the tension out of my body. “Why can’t you let this go?”

“Because they stole you from us!” She cries. “I’ve lost my daughter.”

I throw my head back and groan. “You didn’t lose me!”

When I look back at my mom, she’s struggling to breathe. She’s getting far too worked up. If she’s not careful, she’s going to make herself sick.

I walk over to her and pull her into a hug. “Mom, no one stole me. I’m right here.”

“It feels like you abandoned us.” She sobs. “And it’s killing your father. Our family is falling apart.”

“What are you talking about?”

She sniffs and wipes her eyes. “Without you, your dad is a mess. The lumber yard is struggling. Jason refuses to listen to your father’s advice. He’s constantly undoing everything your father does. Linden and Tanner are losing their minds. And Aaron is off doing God only knows what. We need you!”

She’s not telling me anything I didn’t already. All of those things were happening before they found out about Christian and the baby. The only difference is I’m not there to pick up the pieces.

“It’s not my job to fix all of this, Mom. I can’t be the only one fighting to keep our family together. I’m not that strong. I need someone to be strong for me for a change.”

She stares at me like I just stabbed her with a knife. “And that m—” She pauses and takes a deep breath. “Christian is giving you that? He’s not even strong enough to take care of himself, let alone you and a baby.”

While I applaud her for using his name, there’s so much hate in her tone that I’m taken aback. “Don’t talk about him like that. You don’t know him.”

“I don’t need to—”

“Alright, Johanna, that’s enough.” Darlene walks up to Mom and wraps her arm around her shoulder. “I think you’ve said enough for the day. It’s best you stop before you push Lia away for good.”

Mom looks over at Darlene and blinks several times. She looks confused as to why Darlene is even here.

“What?” she mumbles.

“I said, let it go.” Darlene’s tone is firm, making it clear that she means business. It’s a rare thing for Darlene. She’s usually all playfulness and fun times.

“But—”

“No buts.” Darlene cuts her off. “Do you love Lia?”

Mom furrows her brows. “Of course.”

“Then tell her that. Support her. She’s going to have a baby, and she’s going to need her mother to help her.”

Mom looks at me like she’s seeing me for the first time in weeks. Then she breaks down into sobs.

“Mom.” I rush to her and pull her into a tight hug. “We’ll figure this out.”

“How?” she cries.

“I don’t know yet, but you could start by trusting me.”

She takes a deep breath and nods. “I’ll try. It’s just … There are so many secrets. It concerns me and your father.”

“I’m sorry,” I say. That’s all I can offer at this point. Maybe one day I’ll be able to tell them more, but that day is not today.

Chapter 20

Troubled Waters.

Christian