Page 68 of Balance

“I should be fine. I’m about to try to take a shower and ice it. How are you doing?”

I can hear her sigh from thousands of miles away. She knows I’m full of shit. “I’m so glad you’re okay. That was damn hard to watch. Your parents refused to watch the game and sat outside drinking your stock of whiskey and wine. The girls were crying until about half an hour ago when Sports Center finally gave us the update that you were doing well and getting some scans done…”

I chew on my lip and shake my head. “I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner. I’ll be home tomorrow and should be getting a few days off.” Probably longer, to be honest.

She clears her throat. “Good, because I’m about ready to leave with the girls and Mackenzie. I can’t take their attitudes, Morgan. They’re so fucking rude. They’re even nitpicking the girls’ clothes, how much they eat, why they aren’t all in sports and music classes. Apparently Tilly should already be a Prima Ballerina by now.”

I rub a hand down my face and frown so hard I feel like I’m getting new wrinkles. “I’ll figure it out when I get home. I mostly ignore them… they’ve never said anything like that to the girls before. At least not in front of me.”

She snorts. “Avery told me that this is how they always are. Maybe you just ignore it.”

I wince at the sharpness of her tone. “I…”

She hangs up on me and my heart drops. We’ve been doing so damn well lately. I stand and start slowly pulling off my clothes so I can take another shower before getting into bed. I need to call room service for more ice and I still need to eat.

Hospitals are a pain in my ass. Maybe I should just ask to go home early.

As I’m drying off I hear someone banging against the door and I open it up, stepping back to let Landon and James inside. I frown as I turn and drop my towel, pulling up some sweats. “What’s going on?”

James sighs and collapses down on my bed as Landon starts pacing around. “All of the other assholes are out drinking. Just received word that Drea somehow got out of the shit in California and is… gone.”

I slowly blink in between them and lean up against the wall, careful not to move my right arm. Why do I care about this shit again? “What do you mean ‘gone’?”

Landon curses under his breath and runs his fingers through his hair, shaking his head, muttering to himself. “That psycho bitch is probably going to come back here… I need to hire a better security company…”

I chew on my lip and tilt my head at them. “Would she really try anything? I don’t get what her problem is. If she does show up here then the cops can nab her for the assault charges.”

Landon and James share another look, I’m about ready to just kick them out so I can get into bed. I’m exhausted. I hurt. I need to call Lillian back, fuck, I also need to call my parents and ask them to lay the fuck off of her.

James clears his throat and stands up from my bed before heading to the door. Finally. “We think she’s off her rocker. Shewas controlling and insane after she digs her claws into you. So much damn drama, and who knows what else she’s capable of. She attacked Marie while pregnant with the twins, in plain sight at the wedding. What else will she do next? Try to steal my kids? Destroy another house?”

Landon and James move to leave and I blow out a breath. “Keep me updated. If you need any help or anything…”

They nod and wince when they head back over to me to clap me on the back or something, forgetting at the last minute that I might throw them out the window if anything touches my arm right now. “Fuck, bro… I forgot. How are you feeling?”

I shrug my left shoulder up and move to lay down in bed. “Sore. Happy to be going home tomorrow.”

They nod and leave, leaving me in the quiet suite. I sigh as I move to grab my phone and groan when it pulls on my shoulder.

Fuck, I might be out for a couple of weeks at the least. Hopefully not through the end of the season. I pant and dial my mom’s number and wait for the old bat to answer.

“Morgan, I was just getting into bed.”

I lick my dry lips and sigh under my breath. “I know that you and dad are set in your ways, but this is my life. That’s my home. My kids. My money. My everything. You need to knock off your bullshit little comments and putting everyone around you down. You only see my girls one or two times a year. You don’t raise them or babysit them.

“I don’t give a shit if I’m not married to one of your friends’ elite daughters with a trust fund larger than any amount of money either of us have seen… I’m happy. I’m successful. I worked my ass off for this life. I don’t give a fuck if you don’t think Lillian is ‘good enough for me’ but that’s not your decision to make.

“Those girls are finally in a stable environment and they love Lillian more than evenme.Brittany was never a parent tothem, and her parents make jack shit. She didn’t come from a wealthy family and you never made these comments to her. Was it because ofmymoney she spent to show up to your home in jewels and expensive clothing? Her purses and high heels that cost almost as much as my mortgage on the house?

“She never worked a fucking day in her life. Do you have any idea how many degrees Lillian has? How much she’s busted her ass all of her adult years to be successful? She was a teacher and moved out here for a new life. Who gives a shit if she accepted a nanny job and we ended up in a relationship… seriously…Who gives a shit?”

Mother scoffs for the thousandth time and clears her throat. “Are you done?”

I hum. “Are you?”

She sighs heavily and I hear her murmuring to someone to my father in the background. “If we are not welcome inyourhome, and Lillian is crying to you about me getting to know her, then we will leave on the next flight out in the morning.”

She hangs up and when I try to call her back, but it goes straight to voicemail. I roll my eyes and try to call Lillian, but she sends me to voicemail too.

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