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Especially because he’s not going to be too happy with me.
“She said he’s got a place downtown, but he’ll be staying in her guestroom for the weekend until all of his belongings get delivered.” She smiles, finally a calm version of herself. The one that I can get along with easier. I love when she’s at dinner with Daddy and a glass of wine occupies her hand. She’s manageable this way. And I see all the things I love about her.
Relief washes over me when I realize I won’t need to see him every day. And maybe, if I try hard enough, I can avoid him the rest of the weekend too.
We finish eating our dinner in silence but it’s not long before there’s a knock on the door, and for some reason, I freeze.
“Oh, that’s Delanie. I told her to come get me when she’s ready for a game night. Thought it would be a fun way to have a reunion.” I frantically look over to Daddy who’s cleaning up the dishes while mom walks over to the front door.
“Wait? Tonight? Mom I can’t tonight. It’s Jaelynn’s birthday and we made plans to go out. You knew that.” I try to explain, following her into the foyer.
“Hollis, this is family. And Jaelynn goes out every night. You can stay home one night. Don’t you want to see Jaxon? You used to love game night.” She keeps walking and eventually makes it to the doorknob.
Sure, Ilovedgame night. Back when I did a better job at actually doing what I was told and being a goodie-two-shoes. But now, despite my living situation, I’ve changed and the idea of doing this abrupt family reunion makes my skin itch. I turn around quickly and book it into the kitchen to plead to my dad. I know he’ll listen to me.
“Daddy, I’ve had these plans for weeks. Can’t you convince mom it’s okay for me tonotdo this? Besides, Jaxon and I haven’t talked in years. He’s not going to care if I’m there or not.” Daddy loads dishes into the dishwasher when he takes a deep sigh.
“Hollis, your mom only wants to spend some time with you. We haven’t had a game night since-”
“Since I was like fifteen, Dad. And mom wants to spend time judging my outfits and telling me how much better I'd be if I wore pink instead of black. And I can’t miss my best friend’s birthday. It’s against so many girl rules. And I’m an adult, Daddy. I should be able to say whether or not I want to do this silly little game night.” I hate that I have to fight for my right to make my own decisions, but if I have to hear my mom tell me that I have to do something one more time that I don’t want to do, I’m going to scream.
And I've spent most of the week in this house, I need out. I’m fucking twenty-five years old and being a people pleaser doesn’t help my case. I think my mom uses that to her advantage because she knows I can’t say no.
At least very often.
“Don’t let your mama hear you say that.” He lays down his drying towel and turns to look at me. “But you’re right. You’re an adult. And if you don’t want topartido con su familia,” he does a little dad-boogie which does make me giggle, “then you don’t have to. But you better get out of here before your mom comes back or she will make you stay.”
I lean up on my toes and give him a kiss on his cheek, not hesitating to take his advice.
“Thank you, Daddy. You’re the best.” I smile and he shoos me away.
“I’ll deal with your mom. Have a good night.” I sneak past my dad and grab my things by the back door before snatching up the keys to my Range Rover and getting the heck out of there.
Before I back out of the driveway, I text Jaelynn and let her know I’m on my way. I buckle up and start reversing it onto the street. But something catches my attention in the rearview mirror.
A motorcycle. At Delanie’s. It’s not her husband’s, or Kylan’s. I know they don’t ride, and I’ve never seen a motorcycle at their house, ever.
So, that can only mean one thing is for sure. It has to be his.
Jaxon Monroe is really back in town.
two
Hollis
Iparkmycarin the busy lot of the Grizzly Rose—the Grizzly for short. It’s packed, even though it's only nine at night. But I know it’s probably because Jaelynn invited everyone she knows by name.
We live in a little suburb outside of Dallas, it's smaller than the city but not quieter by any means. If anything, it's just as loud because everyone knows everyone and unless you left for college years ago, you were probably still stuck in this small town. Like me.
But the only downside to that was living with my parents. I know, I know. Imagine being twenty-five years old and not having a place of your own. But I gave myself a five-year plan, one that my dad supported and in barely a few short months, that timeframe ends, and I’ll finally be out.
Correction, my mom will be kicking me out.
Because I failed.
I attended a community college when I was studying for social work and then decided I didn’t like it, so I switched lanes to criminal justice, and though my dad and mom were both excited for that decision, I didn’t feel like I’d fit in as a police officer. So, I dropped that and jumped to dental hygiene. But anyone who wants to spend the rest of their life staring at people’s mouths, I don’t trust them, and I wasn’t going to be one of them, so I dropped college all together. May was only four months ago, and it would have been the month I should have graduated with a degree in something, but instead I only got the third degree from my mom. So she's kicking me out. Which is fine because it’s about time I do my own thing.
The only reason why I stayed home was because Daddy agreed to pay for an apartment for me if I wanted to move out, or he would pay the rest of my tuition. l graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA and I had a decent scholarship, but it wasn’t a full ride and school was expensive. Especially when you start over again and again. I decided it was going to be harder for me to work throughout school so I chose the route of staying home and having my dad pay for the rest of my school.
