Page 183 of Most Valuable Players
“No. I think Adam needs you more than me right now. I’m going to check on my mom.”
He squeezes my hand and drops a kiss to my forehead. “Sorry, baby doll. Text me if you need me and I’ll come back.”
I offer the biggest smile of appreciation I can, which probably isn’t that big. He jogs off, hops into the Jeep, and I watch them pull away.
I find Mom in the kitchen wiping down the counters. She stops when she sees me and offers a sad smile. “Are you okay?”
I slide onto the stool in front of her. “Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing.”
She lets out a sigh and nods. “Yeah, it’s the best thing for your dad and I, but I know that’s not easy for you and Adam to understand.”
“What happened? Is that weird to ask?”
Her smile is soft and warm, and she holds her arms out. I hop off the stool and go to her, stepping in and letting her wrap me into a reassuring embrace. “It wasn’t one big thing, honey. We grew apart and started seeing our futures differently.”
I tilt my head up to look her in the eye and she runs a hand along the back of my head like she did when I was a little girl. “I love you. Your father loves you. We’re still a family, even if it looks a little different now.”
“It’ll be weird to go back to Valley and not think of you and Dad together here.”
“I so get that. It’s taken some getting used to being here by myself.”
I glance around the kitchen wondering if she’ll even stay here in this big house without him. I’m not brave enough to ask. I can’t take another blow today.
“I promise that we’ll both still be there for you and that we won’t be those awful parents who can’t be in the same room together.”
My heart hurts imagining any scenario that looks different than what I’m used to. Everything’s changing.
“Adam’s wrecked.”
“Your brother is a romantic.”
I huff a small laugh. “Adam?”
“It’s true. He is. From the time he was old enough to talk, he’d tell everyone he wanted to be a husband when he grew up, just like his daddy.”
“I don’t remember that.”
“Middle school happened, and that’s when he decided he wanted to be a doctor, but he hasn’t changed.”
“But he goes through girlfriends faster than anyone I know.”
“He’s a romantic, but he’s still a young man.” She smiles and I notice how tired she looks and wonder how I didn’t see it before. “I should talk to him.”
“They went to the bar.”
“Even Heath?”
“Yeah, he offered to stay, but I figured Adam needed him more than me.”
She touches my face. “You’re a good sister. I’ll talk to him before he leaves, but he’ll be okay. We all will.”
I hope so.
“I was going to have some pie in bed and watchIt’s a Wonderful Life. Want to join me?”
“Is there any pumpkin left?”
“You didn’t really think I put all the pies out on the table earlier?” She smiles and shakes her head as she goes to the oven and pulls out a pumpkin pie.
