Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Not Batman: You aren’t in the middle of anything because there is nothing to be in the middle of.
I close my eyes as they start to burn and itch.
Me: I’m going to head home for the weekend. Give Meadow some time with her mom without someone else there.
I press send and pull up the number I know can help. He answers after half a ring. “If it isn’t my favorite granddaughter.” I have to laugh at him.
“I know that’s a lie.” He chuckles. “Hi, Pops,” I say, feeling more conflicted than I have in my whole life. “I was thinking of surprising Mom and Dad with a visit this weekend.”
“Yeah?” he says, and I can hear a car door slam. “I can be there in an hour.”
I shake my head. “An hour?” I look around. “How?”
“I’m close by doing business. I was just about to head home but could do a pit stop,” he says, and I know he’s lying. He would move heaven and earth for his family. He also knows that me calling him has to be the last thing I would do. We, including him, all know when we call him, it’s to make things happen.
“Okay, where do you want me to meet you?” I ask, and he laughs.
“I’ll pick you up.” I roll my eyes.
“Pops, I have to be home on Sunday, and I’m going to have to drive home. This will save everyone time.”
“Negative,” he says. “You are probably going to be home late on Sunday, and I don’t want you driving at night. Do you know the dangers of driving at night?” I close my eyes, my head going back to Caine and hating that I miss him. “I’ll have a driver pick you up in forty minutes.”
“Oh, I can’t drive alone at night, but you can hire a man to drive me home? Do you know how many people go missing with a driver?”
He laughs. “You think I’m going to let just any old driver drive you? These men have training.”
“Jesus, Pops, I’m not the president’s daughter,” I huff. “I’ll be ready in forty.”
I hang up the phone and look down to see if he answered my text, but nothing after my message to him. I put the phone down, making my way to my place, packing a small bag since I still have some clothes at home. The doorbell buzzes, and my heart speeds up, thinking that it could be him, but instead, it’s a man wearing a black suit. “Ms. Barnes, I’m your driver.”
I ignore the pang of regret, grabbing my bag and walking out with him. He quickly takes the bag from my hand. My phone feels ever so heavy in my hand. Every single step I take feels like I’m climbing a hill. I get in the back seat of the car and think about calling him, but maybe we just need time to settle things. He has a whole ex-wife sniffing around, and the thought she is still there with them eats me up inside. I wipe away the tear from my eye, knowing my grandfather is going to see right through me if I even shed one tear.
The plane lands at the same time the car gets there, and the stairs come down, followed by my grandfather, who is wearing jeans and a T-shirt. “Hey there.”
“Business?” I look at him. “Since when do you wear jeans for business?”
“I was at Sofia’s place hooking stuff up,” he explains, pulling me in for a hug. I wrap my arms around his waist. “I had to show Matthew how it’s done.”
I look up at him and laugh. “You and Matthew,” I mention Matty’s uncle, who since day one the two of them have been so over-the-top competitive.
“Let’s get you home,” he says, walking to the plane and making me go up the steps first. It takes forty-five minutes for the plane to land back home, and walking down the steps I feel like I shouldn’t even be here. Something feels off, but I push it away. Ten minutes later, I’m walking up the steps to my childhood home and ringing the doorbell.
I look over and see Pops standing by his truck to ensure I get in safely. I can hear footsteps behind the door, and then the door unlocks before being pulled open. My father stands there in shorts and a T-shirt, the shock on his face making me laugh. “Surprise,” I say, holding up my hands.
“Willow!” he yells over his shoulder before lunging for me and wrapping his arms around my waist and picking me up. “My baby is home.”
I roll my eyes. “Can we be more dramatic in this family?”
“Willow,” he calls again, and I can hear my mother’s footsteps before I see her in the hallway.
“Why are you yelling?” She stops mid-step when she sees me, her mouth hanging low. “Oh my God.” She puts her hand to her mouth, my father dropping me so I can go over to her.