Page 20 of The Only Heart that Matters

As if snapping out of a spell, she squeezes my hand, planting a fake smile on her face. “Sorry about that. There is just so much going on my mind wanders off from time to time.” The small shake she gives her head doesn’t hide the glossiness in her eyes.

“Are you sure everything's okay?”

“Of course.” She pats my hand and turns the water back on.

I’m not convinced, but I don’t push. They do have a lot going on with the holidays and their big move. They’ve lived here their entire lives. Everyone they know and love is here. They’re packing up a lifetime of memories and shipping it across the country to live somewhere new where they don’t know anyone. But it’s their dream. A dream they kept close to the vest, because I never knew Florida was where they had one day hoped to land. None of it makes sense to me, but it’s not my life.

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, I pull her against me, leaning my head on her shoulder. “I’m gonna miss you, but I am so happy your dream is coming true. You and Dad deserve a life in the sun.”

“Oh, Mia,” she sobs, turning to embrace me. “I love you so much.”

“Mom, I love you too.” I pull her tighter to me. “Hey, we’re gonna be okay. You said it yourself. We’re safe and sound here, and we have the entire McKinnon clan to look after us. And we’ll visit whenever we get the chance.”

“I know. I just love you both so much.” She pulls back, looking me in the eye. “Please tell me you don’t hate us. That you don’t think we’re abandoning you.”

Well, you are. But I’m a grown woman who put myself in the position I’m in and my parents deserve to live their life. I get it, but it still sucks.

“Of course not. Why shouldn’t you follow your dream because your adult daughter got knocked up? I can take care of myself. We’re gonna be fine. I promise.”

Stepping out of my arms, she dries her cheeks with a paper towel and takes several deep breaths. “You’re a wonderful mama to that grandson of ours. I hope you know that. You’ve sacrificed so much for him and one day he’ll be just as proud of you as we are.”

Willing my tears not to fall, I tip my head to the ceiling and blink rapidly, but one rogue tear falls when I look back at the best mom in the world. “Thanks, Mom.”

Devastated. That’s how I felt the night they told me they were selling the house and moving to Florida. The first thing that came to mind was,what about Sawyer?What about all the milestones they're going to miss? They won’t be a part of his day-to-day life, and that absolutely breaks my heart. For me. For him. For all of us.

Then the anger set in.

Yes, it was selfish. And childish. But they had blindsided me. No warning, no time for us to find another place to live. Essentially, they were evicting me with less than the standard thirty days' notice a stranger would get. My own parents!

And what about Chris?

How could they leave our memories of my brother behind? They weren’t just selling a piece of land with a boat dock and a five-bedroom home. They were selling our childhood. The place that held all our family traditions. Our secrets, big and small. It’s where we celebrated birthdays and graduations. Fourth of July parties and slumber parties outside in tents. It’s where me, Chris and the McKinnons would meet before ‌prom so we could get pictures with the view of the lake behind us. It was the last place I saw my brother and where my son took his first steps.

Except for losing Chris and Aiden, Daisy’s dad, this was going to be the biggest loss of my life.

My rage blinded me for several days. I called in sick to work and if it wasn’t for Sawyer, I wouldn’t have gotten out of bed. It was Daisy who talked sense into me. Reminding me that Chris would always be with me and that nobody could take my memories away from me. Honestly, I would be lost without her.

Once I was over the anger, I was sad again. Only this time, fear accompanied the heartbreak. Fear of how I was going to take care of my child and where we were going to live. Goose Hollow is a small place. There aren’t any apartment complexes or many rental houses and the neighboring resort towns were out of my budget.

Everything in my world flipped upside down with one conversation at my parents' kitchen table.

I was drowning.

Then a kind man offered us his home.

Mom looks at her watch. “Well, shoot. We need to be at Sharon’s in an hour. Time to skedaddle. You gonna be okay if we head out?”

“Sorry Joy, not sure that’s possible,” Dad yells from the family room. “I’ve got a dinosaur attached to my back!”

Sawyer roars then yells, “Pop-Pop!”

He roars again just as he comes into view and Mom and I burst into a fit of laughter, which throws Sawyer into hysterics. Dad is on his hands and knees, scurrying around the ottoman, yelling for help from the big scary dinosaur. Sawyer’s cheeks are bright pink from laughing so hard. No sound comes out as his eyes dance with delight. He has the hood of Dad’s sweatshirt in his hands and is riding him like a horse. My eyes are still damp from our moment in the kitchen, but my baby boy with his grandpa brings on an entirely new set of tears, only this time I don’t even bother trying to hold them in.

“Thank goodness your father had that knee surgery.” Mom pulls her phone out of her back pocket to take a video. Like me, she hasn’t taken her eyes off them, so she hasn’t noticed my tears.

Adding to the scene, Mom takes on an Australian accent as she narrates what she’s seeing. We’re all laughing at Sawyer acting up for the camera. He loves being recorded and watching himself back later. You could say Sawyer is his own number one fan.

Exhausted, Dad finally collapses face-first onto the area rug.

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