Page 102 of Fly Boy
She has no idea how much I needed to hear that. To feel that the decision I made was the right one. That it was okay to let go and move on.
“Back there, in that hospital room…you let go. You let go of all that pain and hurt you’ve burdened yourself with for years. You showed kindness and empathy to a woman you could barely tolerate instead of baring your soul, expressing how she affected your life in such a negative and awful way. You apologized to her. You saw someone at their most vulnerable and felt for them.”
Because how could I hate a woman I don’t even know?
“That was the man I raised. That was the man who’s been mine since the second I met him. There has never been a time that you weren’t as much my son as Bowie or Teddy, Wyatt. Never.”
I let her wrap me in her arms again, standing in the middle of a hospital hallway. A boy and his mom.
We walk toward the parking lot, subdued and quiet.
I feel different. Changed in a way I guess, the farther away from the hospital we get. The spring sunshine feels odd against my skin, warmer, brighter somehow.
I pull out my cell from my pocket and power it up, wishing I hadn’t, when it’s instantly blowing up with notifications from my brothers and my dad.
Ignore them all, I scroll down until I see the one name I want to talk to the most.
Brat
Thinking about you. Call me when you can.
Unlocking the car, Sadie opens the door, pausing when she sees me hesitating. I hold up my phone, waving it in her direction.
“I’m…” I itch the back of my head. “I’m going to call Pippa quickly.”
Sadie smiles. “I’ll wait in the car.”
Pressing her name, I lift the phone to my ear, waiting as the ringing drills in my ear.
“Hey, this is Pippa. You know what to do.”
“Hey, baby, it’s me. Just calling to check in and see how you’re doing.”And tell you that I miss you.“You were right. Seeing Fiona was a good idea. Thank you.”And I love you.“Anyway, I better go. Dad’s probably missing his wife. After all these years, that man still can’t stand being away from her for one second. So call me after practice…” I let out a long breath, dragging a hand through my hair. “Fuck,I wish I could hear your voice…I’ll talk to you later.”
Sliding behind the wheel, I drop my phone into the cupholder, doing a double take when I notice Sadie staring at me knowingly.
“She makes you happy, huh?”
I look down at my hands, hiding the slight smile on my lips as I think about Pippa. “Yeah. She does.”
“I’d like to meet her,” Sadie says, reaching around to grab her seat belt. “If that’s something you’d like.”
“I took her to get her first tattoo the other month,” I tell her, not really sure why I do.
“That poor girl will end up covered just like you.” She giggles, shaking her head. Shifting in her seat, she turns to look at me. “And what about you? What did you get?” I give her a coy smile, and she stretches over and jabs my leg playfully. “And before you try to deny it, I know you, Wyatt Grant. There’s no way you’d walk out of a tattoo shop without one.”
Inhaling, I carefully peel back my shirt sleeve, revealing the ink I’d touched up. “It’s not technically new. It used to be just an outline of a lily.”
“Wy…when?”
“I’ve had it for a couple of years,” I say, brushing my thumb over the freshly healed skin.
She gasps. “That long?” Leaning forward, she hesitates before clutching my elbow and bringing my arm closer to her.
“I decided to get the color added after our talk. After you helped me see that it was okay—whatever choice I made—about Fiona.” I look up as a tear lands on top of the ink.
“I swear you’re trying to break me.” She releases her hold and pulls her sleeves over her hands, wiping them across her face with a watery, deep breath. “Your father’s going to think I’ve had an allergic reaction with how puffy my face is.”
I chuckle lightly, turning on the car. “If Pippa thought I was possessive, wait until she meets Dad.”
