Page 113 of Maddox
Who knows but I can’t deny that there’s a part of me who yearns to drop this in someone else’s hands. Whether or not that’s in Maddox’s hands is a question that I can’t answer.
I trusted my mom and look where that got me.
Shaking off the dread curling through me, I search out my phone when it rings.
I guess her ears must have been ringing and although I don’t particularly want to speak to her until I’ve processed what I learned, I need answers and she’s the only one who can give them to me.
This is why I grudgingly answer, closing my eyes when she says, “Delaney? Where are you, sweetie?”
I miss her voice and the way she used to push my hair out of my eyes. I miss her chocolate chip cookies and our midnight parties.
What I don’t miss is the chaos and I’m afraid that no matter the treatment, those pieces of her are here to stay.
All these emotions swirling through me bubble on my tongue, but I bite that shit back and say, “I’m at a friend’s. Why?”
“Peter stopped by to see you, but no one was there…”
“Oh…um, maybe Joey went to the store?”
If she knows the man at all, then she knows he doesn’t leave that fucking trailer. However, I have to determine whether she’s willing to lie to me.
Secrets brought us here and I’m tired of playing the game. If she wants me to come home, then she better start spilling her truths.
“Enough,” she says, and I envision her slashing her hand through the air. “It’s time that you came home. Tell me where you are, and I’ll pick you up.”
I hate that it has to be this way but she’s setting the precedent. I’m just following her lead.
“Sooo, you’re out?” I ask, even though I know the answer to the question. After all, she was the one who allowed those two MC assholes into our home. But why?
“Yes, sweetie,” she says. “I got out two days ago. Tell me where you are.”
“Why? Why now?” I rasp, rubbing my forehead.
It’s not like she came rushing after me when I left. Of course, she was drowning in her misery, and I get it, I do but something has to give.
“There are things you don’t understand, Delaney but you need to trust me. Come home.”
Rolling my eyes to the ceiling, I bite back a sigh. I’m not a child anymore and frankly after the last six months of virtually taking care of myself, hiding “what I don’t understand” is laughable.
I understand plenty. What I don’t get is why everyone is lying tome.
“Is this about the Aces?” I ask and silence descends between us.
After a moment, I look at the phone to make sure we haven’t been disconnected before saying, “Hello?”
“What?” she says. “What do you mean?”
Wincing at her shrill tone, I wave my hand before me and ask, “What do they want, Mom?”
“They want your father,” she says. “Delaney, this is serious. You need to come home, honey.”
Talk about stating the obvious but if this is so serious, why didshelet them into our home?
I guess it’s time to put all my cards on the table, and after a moment, I say softly, “I did come home but they were there…”
There’s an awkward pause where I listen to her breathing.
Am I being unfair? I don’t know but I’m not the one who chose drugs over my family. She made mistakes and now we’re all dealing with the fallout.
