Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“Max,” I whisper, hating that he even thinks that, let alone believes that it’s true.
“She’s just her, and when she’s around, I like spending time with her.”
“She’s your mom, honey. Of course you like spending time with her.”
“I also like spending time with you,” he says, and I can tell by his tone that he feels guilty about that.
Even though my throat is tight with emotion, I still manage to tell him, “I like spending time with you too.” Then, not caring if I should or not, I wrap my arm around his shoulders then lean my head against the side of his. “It’s okay to care about more than one person, Max.”
“Okay,” he mumbles, not sounding convinced.
I pull in a breath, releasing it slowly and wondering what I can say to make him feel better, but before I can find the words, Gareth comes back into the house. His eyes go between his son and me before they lock on mine in question. Unsure how to tell him what his son just said without using words, I give him a tight smile and he drops his eyes to Max. “Come here, kid. Your mom wants to say goodbye.”
“She’s leaving?” he asks worriedly, his body still against mine filling with tension once more.
“Just for now. You’ll see her tomorrow. She’s going to pick you up from school and hang with you for a while, if that’s okay with you.”
“It’s okay,” he says, hurrying to wash his hands before rushing out of the kitchen and house.
“Just a few more minutes, baby,” Gareth tells me, and I nod then watch him walk back outside.
I look down at the bowl of mush in front of me, muttering, “You were the one who was waiting for drama. Well, here you go. Now you just gotta deal with it.”
“Are you talking to yourself?”
I jump in place and turn to mock glare at Mitchell. “Don’t sneak up on me.”
“I didn’t sneak. I walked in here like I always do.” He grins.
I shake my head. “Well, don’t walk so quietly.”
“Do you want me to wear a bell like Melbourne?”
“That doesn’t sound like such a bad idea. Maybe I’ll sew some into your jeans,” I say, listening to him laugh while I dump the meat mixture into the baking dish and shape it into a loaf before washing my hands and placing it in the oven.
“Are you okay?” he asks, grabbing a can of Coke from the fridge.
“I think I should be asking you that question,” I say as he casually leans back against the counter.
“I’m used to my mom showing up out of the blue then disappearing again for a few months. It’s been the same way my whole life. You’re new to her games.”
“That must have been hard to deal with growing up.”
He shrugs then takes a sip from his Coke and looks toward the front door. “Just sucks for Max. He still buys into her bullshit when she’s around and then is hurt when she takes off and doesn’t call for weeks or months at a time,” he says, and even though I don’t agree with him cursing I curb the urge to say something about it.
“He loves his mom,” I say, leaving out that he loves her too, otherwise, he wouldn’t be hurt by her actions.
“Yeah.” He lets out a long breath.
“He’s lucky he has you. You’re a good big brother.”
“I guess,” he concedes, pushing away from the counter. “Do you need help with dinner?”
“I’m good, honey.”
He lifts his chin. “I’m gonna start on my homework.”
“Sure,” I tell him. He gives me a small smile that doesn’t reach his eyes then leaves the kitchen, and I hear his bedroom door close. With a sigh, I go to my bag and grab my cell phone along with my Kindle then take a seat on the couch. I send my mom a text just to tell her that I love her, and tears fill my eyes when she texts back a moment later, Beyond each and every galaxy.
I don’t believe for one moment that Beth doesn’t love her boys, but I do know she’s hurting them with her actions, and that is something a mother shouldn’t do to her children—especially not over and over again. I wish I knew how to fix things between them, not for her but for the boys.
I bite the inside of my cheek, wondering if she would even listen to me if I tried to explain things to her. I doubt she would. Actually, I’m sure she would be offended if I even tried. I’m also not sure it’s my place. With a sigh, I turn on my Kindle, but as soon as the screen lights up and words appear, the door opens and Max and Gareth come inside.
“Go get started on your homework,” Gareth orders, and without a word, Max disappears down the hall while Gareth takes off his coat.