Page 110 of So Much More

“Do you need food?”

“Yes, please. The girls like Chinese, so why don’t you grab some takeout? Get a variety of stuff. I’ll pay you back.”

“You won’t pay us back, and we’ll get enough so you’ll have leftovers if you need something for lunch tomorrow.” George let him take another day off work so he can tend to his family.

“You’re too good to me,” he says.

“I’m exactly the right amount of good,” I counter. “You deserve all the amounts of goodness anyway.”

When he doesn’t respond, I ask, “You doing okay?”

“I’m mentally exhausted. Trying to wrap my brain around everything.”

“It’s a lot to process. I’ll help you with it later. I’ll make sure we get some time alone.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

* * *

“Now tell me how you’re really doing,” I tell Randall as I lie curled up against him on his bed.

“I wish I could be there with Mom and Ash tonight.” He trails his fingers through my hair. “I want to see Mom and make sure she’s okay. And I want to be there in case Dad tries anything else.”

I prop myself up on my elbow so I can look him in the eye. “Then go. Leslie and I will stay here with your sisters. Go. Seriously.”

“But you’re flying to Arkansas first thing in the morning.”

“We’ll stay here. This is more important. We need to take care of your family.”

He shakes his head. “You can’t do that for us.”

“We can.”

“No. Our family is not more important than yours or Leslie’s. You need to meet your sister and niece. Leslie needs to spend time with her siblings and parents. I’ll hate myself forever if I don’t make you go.”

I poke him in the chest. “You can’t make either of us do anything, just so you know, but I understand what you’re saying.” I smooth my hand over the spot I poked. “How about this? You go up to the house in a little bit. Spend an hour or two with your mom, and if you still feel like you need to stay overnight, then stay, get up early, and be back here before Leslie and I need to leave for the airport. We both already packed, so we’ll run home and get our bags tonight and be prepared to spend the night and head out from here in the morning.”

“No. I can’t leave you women here alone overnight.”

I fight against the anger bubbling inside me at his words because I know his intentions are pure and he doesn’t need me going off on a feminist rant, but I can’t fully let it go.

“Randall,” I say in an even tone, “we are four strong women who do not need a man here to protect us. Your dad is not about to try to hurt us, especially after what he pulled at the house. If you’re truly afraid he might try to come here to confront you, tell the doorman to not let him up and to call the police if he tries to defy that order.”

“Okay. This is all such a mess, isn’t it? I wish we could all be together tonight—Mom, my siblings, me,andyou and Leslie.”

“I know you want that, and I do, too.” I reach up to smooth the wrinkles forming on his forehead. “But that’s not possible, so we need to do the next best thing. Which, in case you’ve forgotten, is for you to go be with your mom and Ash, while Leslie and I stay here with your sisters.”

He shifts us so we’re facing each other on our sides. “How do you always know exactly what to do?” He tucks my hair behind my ear and then lets his fingers linger on my face.

I chuckle. “That is very much not the case.”

“It is,” he says. “You’re so wise.”

One corner of my mouth tilts up. “It’s because I’m so much older than you.”

He smirks at me. “I knew that would come in handy someday.”

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