Page 85 of Love, Always and Forever
Chapter 25
Amy opened another drawer in her old dresser and dumped it on the bed. She’d left a lot of stuff behind when she’d moved, and it was past time to get it all sorted out. The sound of her parents’ voices carried down the hall and through her closed bedroom door.
“Well, Panda, that went about as well as I expected.”
She’d been there just over twenty-four hours, but it felt days longer than that. When she’d arrived yesterday, her mother had insisted on taking her out for a late lunch and then shopping. Neither activity was conducive to any kind of serious conversation. Maybe her mother wanted to remind her of some of their favorite places in town, and it had been simpler to go along with the program.
Cooking dinner was the next delay tactic. By the time the dishes were washed, her dad had settled in his favorite chair with Panda in his lap, both of them snoring up a storm.
Actually, it had been kind of a relief. After the tumultuous night she and Mikhail had spent, she’d been more than ready for a low-key evening. What she hadn’t realized was that her mother had called her brothers and invited them over for a family brunch this morning. So instead of having a heart-to-heart with her parents, she’d had to face off against the whole bunch.
“Panda, I know all those loud voices worried you, but at least we finally got everything out in the open.”
She picked up a handful of playbills from the local community theater that she’d hung on to for no particular reason and tossed them into the recycling pile. An almost new set of scented markers went into the bag she’d set aside for donations. Everything else in the drawer was worthless junk, headed for the trash, which made her wonder why she’d held on to it in the first place.
“I made Mom happy when I told her that I’d made an appointment with the cardiac specialist for next month. She offered to go with me, but I told her I could handle that on my own.”
Panda tipped his head to the side, clearly proud of Amy for standing her ground on that issue. She tossed him a piece of salmon jerky to show her appreciation for his unwavering support.
“The folks weren’t at all happy about me owning a motorcycle, but the twins backed me up on that issue. They even want to go on a long ride together sometime.”
One more drawer to go. Nothing but old socks and a couple of bras that had seen better days. Certainly not the kind of thing she’d wear again, not that there was much chance of anyone besides her seeing them in the near future. That thought brought her around to the last topic they’d covered, the one that had hurt the most.
Naturally, Will and Chad had already told her parents far more than she’d wanted them to know. As upset as they were about her owning a motorcycle, that had been small potatoes compared to them not knowing that she’d had a boyfriend and hadn’t told her folks anything about him.
“I’d rather not have cried when I told them it was no longer an issue because Mikhail and I are no longer seeing each other.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, her family had closed ranks around her, and for the first time in ages it no longer felt as if it was her against all of them. Chad had given her a hard hug and offered to go teach the guy a lesson for messing with his little sister. She’d assured all of them that it was for the best, and she was okay with it.
“So, I lied, Panda. I’m a long way from okay right now.”
She sat down on the edge of the bed where she’d slept most of her life and picked up Panda. Right now, she needed his furry warmth to ease her pain and soak up a few tears.
“I thought some time and distance might help me put things in perspective, to make peace with what had happened. But all I can think about is getting home to make sure Misha and Sarge are okay. I’ve never broken up with anyone before, but I’m pretty sure that’s not how these things are done.”
But her heart told her that it was the right thing to do, maybe even the smart thing. How would they ever work things out if they weren’t together?
She set Panda back down on the floor. “I’m going to pack up everything and then tell them I’m out of here.”
It took her a little longer to pack up this time. She had a couple of boxes full of mementos and a few books that she wanted to take home. After setting her suitcase by the bedroom door, she went in search of her parents. She found them in the kitchen.
Panda made a beeline for his new best buddy. Her dad gave her a considering look as he bent down to scratch the bulldog’s head. “What’s up, pumpkin?”
“I know I said I’d stay longer, but I’ve changed my mind.”
Her mother looked disappointed. “It’s already late afternoon, and I’m making lasagna for dinner. It’s your favorite.”
It was, but that didn’t change anything. “I need to get back home.”
“Back to that guy, you mean.” Her dad straightened up. “I thought you said it was over.”
Her throat clogged up. “But I don’t want it to be, Dad. He’s a good man, and I love him.”
When her dad held out his arms, she ran to him, taking comfort from his touch and the familiar scent of Old Spice. Her mother came close, too, patting Amy on the back the same way she had done for as far back as Amy could remember.
“Your brothers will be sorry to see you go. They stayed all afternoon just to have dinner with you, but—”
The roar of a motorcycle engine revving accompanied by a lot of angry men shouting at the top of their lungs cut her off midsentence. “What on earth is that racket?”
