“And?”
“And... I love you.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
KNOX
Sloan lights up in a whole new shade of bright talking about dancing. The excitement of having nailed a turn she’s been working on, bubbles out of her the whole time I’m driving. Driving and listening.
I’m so in the zone of taking in the words that spill out of her one after the other, it takes me a second to catch on when she ends her story and asks for mine.
“You and Ma,” she repeats when I don’t react the first time. “What did you two do while I was at dance?”
“Believe it or not,” I start, making the turn into the parking lot. We’ve reached our destination. “We went and recorded a song together.”
“For real?”
“For real.” I turn off the engine and drop both hands into my lap, settling in for a minute. “It’s been pretty awesome getting to see your world and I kind of wanted to show some of mine to your mom.”
Sloan smiles. “That was a good idea.”
“You think?”
She nods. “Yeah. She worries a lot. About everything. Sometimes I think she worries so much about things, she forgets what’s real, and what she thinks could be real, if she stops worrying for a second and lets things just happen.” Her smile falters the longer she goes on. “Anyway, it’s good for her to see the real stuff. Especially thegoodreal stuff. The stuff that’s real about you.”
Sloan’s wise for her age. I’m not surprised she’s so insightful, she’s clearly her mother’s daughter. But I wonder if Kenley knows just how much Sloan sees.
“Can I show you a little piece of my world too?” I ask her.
She lights up all over again. “Sure.”
“Awesome. Hold on just a sec.” I slide my phone from my pocket and scan my call log. She’s never too far down.
I hit call.
It only rings twice before the camera opens up on screen and we’re face to face. “Hey Mom.”
“Knox. Where are you? Your sister said she ran into Matti when she stopped by your place, and he told her you weren’t coming home this trip.” She’s not worried. Simply curious. She’s used to me taking off at random. What she’s not used to, is my desire to stay put. Let alone, what I’m about to do next.
“That’s actually why I’m calling.” I glance at Sloan, she’s grinning from ear to ear, same as I am. “I think I found you another guest for your annual backyard glamping with grandma extravaganza.” It’s a thing she started when my oldest brother had kids. Back then, it was just her and my two nephews in one tent. Thirteen years and fifteen grandkids later, the concept hasn’t changed much but the set up certainly has.
“You what?” Her eyes narrow, but the corners of her mouth begin to dance, eager to break into a full smile just as soon as she’s sure of what I’m saying.
“The reason I haven’t been home, is because I’ve met someone. Two someones, actually. And one of them, is here with me now.” I turn the phone out to face Sloan. “Mom, meet Sloan. Sloan, meet my mama, Grandma Bean.”
Her real name’s Jean. Garret, my brother’s firstborn struggled with his Js for a while. By the time anyone else was old enough to call her anything, Grandma Bean was already established.
It takes all of ten seconds before the two of them are chatting it up so intensely, Sloan takes the phone right from my hand.
I just laugh and gesture for her to talk and walk. After all, we made the drive here for a reason. Dinner isn’t going to order itself.
KENLEY
“You look extra happy,” my friend and fellow dance mom, Cheryl, observes. “What happened? Accidentally run your truck over Ebeneezer’s dick or something?” She has a shitty ex too. And a lot more rage to work through. She’s in therapy though, so I can laugh at that joke and not be scared for her ex-husband. Not that he wouldn’t deserve having his dick run over.
“Um, no. As far as I know Ebeneezer’s dick is still intact,” I mumble under my breath. The room is starting to fill up and while there aren’t any kids left from class, I don’t know all the moms well enough to know where they stand on casual dick references.
“Then what’s got you grinning like that?” Her brow crinkles a bit. “Seriously, dude. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this.”
