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I lean in a little closer to inspect the photo, and I’m convinced it’s him. All the same features are present: the sandy-blond hair, same brown eyes. Hell, the man had even folded his hands in front of himself in the way Wes does.
“Jared?” Mom’s voice from the doorway leading to the back catches me off guard.
I straighten up, my eyes meeting her gaze. She looks almost the same as I remember her, only there are a few more prominent lines around the corners of her eyes and mouth. Her dark hair is pulled back into a low ponytail, and her blue eyes glisten with unshed tears at the sight of me standing here.
I give her a small smile. “Hi, Mom.”
Unable to hide her excitement, she squeals as she makes her way around the counter and wraps me in one of the tightest hugs known to mankind. She buries her face in my neck and holds me tight against her petite frame. “My boy is home. Thank you, Lord. Thank you.”
She continues to chant over and over like her longtime prayers have finally been answered, and it chokes me up a bit to know that she’s been waiting for this day so badly. It makes me feel like a completely shitty asshole for not coming to see her sooner. I shouldn’t have waited so long. I won’t do that again, even if it is difficult for me to come back.
I’m a selfish prick, but I swear from this point on I will not let my mother down like this again. She’s too good of a person, and she doesn’t deserve the callous way I’ve treated her.
I wrap my arms around her. “It’s so good to see you, Mom. I’ve missed you.”
“Jared.” She says my name in a choked-up voice, and I know she’s crying even though I can’t see her face. “I’ve missed you so much—more than you can ever possibly know.”
We stay like that for a long time, neither of us wanting to let go, and I know that no matter how much I miss Dad or how hard being here without him is, I won’t be able to stay away this long ever again.
I spend the rest of the afternoon with Mom in the shop. Neither of us talk about the past. It’s like she understands that I need a clean slate in order to feel comfortable here. However, I do learn a lot about the shop.
It’s been tough for Mom to keep help around because she can’t afford to pay them much more than minimum wage.
I box up a few of the candies after Mom prepares the boxes. She smiles at me, and I can tell she’s enjoying me working alongside her. “Do you need to call someone to pick up all these orders for delivery?”
Mom sighs. “Typically, yes. I have an older gentleman who does that, but he called me earlier and said he was really sick today, so after we’re done, I’ll deliver them.”
I shake my head. “That’s silly. I’m right here, put me to work. I’ll make all the deliveries for you.”
“People might recognize you,” she says. “I don’t want that trouble for you.”
I shake my head. “I rarely get noticed unless I’m at an event where people are specifically looking for me. Ace is the face of the band, so he’s the one all the media bugs.”
Mom nods. She knows what’s going on with Wicked White and how Ace was given my spot as the front man of the band, so it’s nice that I can talk with her openly about things.
She smiles and her shoulders relax. “Oh, honey. That will help me so much, but please, don’t feel like you have to.”
“It’s no problem. Really. It’ll be a good excuse for me to drive around the city and see what’s new since I left.”
Mom gets right to work lining up all the deliveries and helping me put the cards inside envelopes with addresses on them. I pull the shop’s delivery van around to the back door and begin loading things up with Mom’s help.
We’re nearly done when the phone rings. Mom motions to the counter where a few prepared arrangements sit next to some of the candies. “That should be the last of it. If you want to get going while I take this call, you can.”
I nod. “I’ll come back as soon as I’m done, and I’ll take you out to dinner.”
“Okay, honey.” She touches the side of my face and smiles before she rushes to answer the phone.
I turn and grab the rest of the flowers and load them into my arms. One bundle of yellow roses sits off to the side. I grab those too, figuring Mom just missed them, double-check that there’s an address on the card, and then head out to the van to start getting all these
flowers to the lucky recipients.
THEN
JARED
Even in my drunken state, I know I’ve just royally fucked up the moment London releases me and falls to the floor. There’s a sting in my elbow from where I made contact with something behind me, and it’s not hard to figure out that I just plowed into London in my fit of rage.
Wes shoves me off of him, and there’s sheer panic in his voice. “What the fuck did you do?”
