Page 56 of Waiting for Her

“Why are you on the floor? And isn’t the deck technically the floor?”

“Because I dropped to it when I was trying to get away from the spider that was about to attack me! Keep up!”

They’re both cracking up on the other end of the phone, and I’m pretty certain my request for distraction isn’t going to be granted.

I realize I have one of two choices.

Provide my own distraction which, at this point, I’ve probably already done and the likelihood he doesn’t know I live here is pretty slim.

Or, pull up my big girl panties, stand up and enter my house like an adult. Adulting sucks.

I clear my throat and mumble, “Never mind. I got this.”

That makes the two yahoos laugh even harder.

“You sound like you’re going into war.”

I feel like I am. I’m sweating, and my breaths are coming out heavy. Vomit is threatening to come up from the worry that Grady saw me, ridiculous as that may be.

I suck in a breath. “Wish me luck.”

“Oh good grief.”

“You two are the worst kind of parents in the world. Not encouraging at all.”

“I beg to differ. If we don’t give you shit for your ridiculousness, who will?” Andy asks.

“I take back all the nice things I ever said about you,” I say, standing at the same time, hoping that talking to them on the phone will provide enough internal distraction that I can make my way into my house without making a bigger scene than I already have. “I’m starting to realize that maybe you were just sucking up all those years.”

I slide open the door and slip inside, peeking through one of my windows to see that Grady isn’t paying any attention to me at all. He’s talking to Drew. I watch as he lifts his beer to his lips and tips his head back. He looks down at the table and picks up his phone, looking at the screen. His thumbs type away like he’s texting someone then he sets it back down on the table, his shoulders moving up and down and his head shaking. Like he’s chuckling. I wish I could hear it.

“You all safe and sound hidden behind the curtains now?” my mom asks.

“Yes, no thanks to you two,” I grumble. Seconds after I’m inside my house, everything that just occurred hits me like a ton of bricks and I break, tired of being so unsure of myself. “You guys, what is happening to me? Why can’t I just grow up already? I’m stuck in some time warp where I never mature.”

“You’re letting fear continue to rule your life, honey. No more. Do you hear me? Do you want to get him back?”

I whimper because ofcourseI do. So bad it hurts.

“Yes. I love him. I never stopped.”

There’s silence on the other end for just a moment before, “Bri.” Mom’s using her “mother voice” on me and it makes me want to cry even harder.

I slide to the floor, realizing so many things at once. I’m about to become a blubbering mess right here on my living room floor.

I hear Andy’s voice say “Go,” quietly then, “I’m on my way,” from my mom.

I nod, even though she can’t see me and sniffle. “I need to get off the phone, honey, so I can come to you.”

“Okay,” I reply, not fighting it because I could be fifty and I think a hug from my mom will still cure anything.

“I love you, Bri. I would walk on hot coals for you, but this? Isn’t okay. You feeling like this isn’t okay. Let’s get control of that, yeah?” Andy. Step dad extraordinaire.

“Yeah,” I agree.

Thirty minutes after we hang up the phone, Mom’s charging through my front door. She has a Styrofoam container in her hand, and if I know my mom, it’s filled with bars from her shop. Hopefully, my favorites.

In her other hand, my little sister’s hand.

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