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This was when you went to your parents for guidance because you’ve never been here before. I had no idea how to navigate it, but they should. The only problem was I didn’t have those parents. Adria’s shit is partly why I’m in this mess, and I wouldn’t know how to reach my father if I tried.
“All this shit sounded like gibberish today.” My classmate Amber sighed, approaching my desk as I packed my belongings.
“Yeah, I didn’t follow much either,” I admitted, but not because I couldn’t. My mind was just preoccupied.
“I’m going to hit the library to study. You want to come?” she asked.
“I have some errands to run. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Okay. See ya’ girl.” Amber walked out as I grabbed my phone and called Everett to see if he was home.
Thankfully, he was, or he just said that because he likely assumed I needed help with Camdyn. Either way, I climbed in the car and drove to his home, rehearsing what I would say. I wasn’t good at being vulnerable. I had no choice but to put my pride aside because losing Mack wasn’t an option.
I pulled into the driveway, and before I could even get out of the car, Everett opened the front door with his hands in his pockets. We had a good relationship, but this was the first time I’d ever reached out to confide in him. Whenever I needed advice, it was Mia I called, but my spirit told me he was better equipped to assist on this particular subject.
Before my foot reached the top step, he pulled me in for a hug. It wasn’t just any hug. It was the kind of hug that reminded you of everything good. How happy you were in those moments. How comfortable you felt. It was a reminder that everything would be okay even if I didn’t know how because his hug said so, coupled with his hands gently stroking my back, almost brought me to tears. It was so warm and comforting that words didn’t do it justice.
“Hey, baby girl.”
“How did you know I needed that?” I asked, almost dizzy from the love radiating between us.
“Mothers aren’t the only ones with intuition, I suppose.” Everett winked, motioning me to follow him down the hallway. “You want to tell me why you needed that hug, or should we start with small talk?”
“I wish I could, but ignoring is what got me here. I guess I should talk about it, but I don’t know how,” I admitted.
“You just talk.”
“Sounds simple enough, Dad, but every time I try, my brain goes blank.”
“You wanna try again?” He offered, in a way that wasn’t a question, but it wasn’t an option either.
“What are you cooking?” I asked to change the subject and buy myself time.
“My famous chicken parmesan. It’s Mia’s favorite.”
The way he smiled, just saying her name, gave me butterflies. They weren’t perfect, but their love could be felt, and she wasn’t even here.
“We appreciate a man who can cook.”
A deep, hearty laugh escaped before he asked, “How often does Mack cook?”
“Not often, but I’m okay with that.”
“Make him get in the kitchen and put those skills to work,” Dad said sternly.
“Right now, I can’t make Mack do anything. I messed up, and he’s pissed.” I’m unsure which part made him smile as he navigated the kitchen. He didn’t interject, so I shared the rest of my thoughts before they vanished, too. “Truthfully, he has every right to be. I didn’t even realize I was messing up until it was too late, and now I don’t know how to fix it.”
“What happened?”
“Marcus happened.”
His lip curled the same way Mack’s did whenever Marcus was the topic of conversation. Mack thought he hid it well, but I knew him just like he knew me. I saw the same gesture in Dad, but it didn’t offend me.
“I’ve done things I’m not proud of. Things I swore I would take to my grave until Marcus decided to blackmail me so I paid him. I would love to blame my mother for inserting herself where she didn’t belong, but it’s not her fault for once. Not completely, anyway. I didn’t come to Mack, and now he thinks I don’t want to get married, and everything is just so Fuc—” I caught myself realizing I wasn’t confiding in the girls. “So messed up, and I don’t know what to do.”
“He’s distant in a way you’ve never seen before. He possesses a coldness that could put Antarctica to shame,” he smiled, analyzing his only child’s attitude.
“You’ve felt it before.”
