Page 124 of Summer Holiday Lifeline

“One thing I learned from Grandpa: If ever I wanted anything from the old bastard, I had to have a plan. I had to present reasons. He was stingy. But he taught me to figure out how I was going to do what I wanted to do before I ever asked him for anything.”

Myles studied Jet. The determined set to his jaw reminded him so much of Natalie. “You look like her,” he blurted.

Jet nodded. “I know.”

“You are like her.”

“Hope so.”

“My father taught me to resent him,” Myles said after another little while of watching Shelly play with the animals. “I never had the tiniest say in anything he ever did. Just got dragged along whether I liked it or not.”

“That why you joined up?”

“Probably. Only legit way—according to him, anyway—I could get away from him. I never meant to leave your mother behind. It wasn’t my intention. I just didn’t think…”

“You know that Mom never blamed you, right?”

“She wouldn’t.”

“She was never mad at you. Sad. And scared for you. She only ever wanted you to be okay.”

“I want to be okay, too. I shouldn’t have dragged you and Shelly here without talking to you. Without giving you any choice.”

Jet lay back, hands behind his head, trying hard to look relaxed and uncaring. His leg twitched as he kicked his heel up and down. “I love Mom, right? And I miss her.”

“Of course.”

“But she wasn’t perfect. She tried. She talked to me about things all the time. Did I want to play soccer or join the swim team? Did I want to play an instrument? Join the debate club? Get a part-time job? You’d think she was doing it all right. Giving me choices, asking my opinion, making sure I had a say in my own life.”

Myles nodded, thinking if only his own father had asked him, even once, what he wanted, maybe things would have been different for him and Natalie.

“But when it really mattered,” Jet went on, “when I really needed to know what was going on and be a part of it, she didn’t say a word. You two were talking about hospice or dying at home before I knew how sick she really was, and that was a shitty thing for her to do.”

“She didn’t want to burden you, Jet. You’re a kid.”

“And you’re a recovering alcoholic, but she didn’t seem to be bothered about putting it all on you. Also, by the way, a shitty thing for her to do.”

“Who else could she have⁠—”

“She had friends!” He shot upright again, spinning to face Myles. “She had people in her life who could have helped if she’d bothered to tell them. She didn’t have to put all that stress on just you. It wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t safe.”

“I handled—we—handled it.”

Jet pulled in a ragged breath. “But it was harder than it had to be, and you—” He gulped and blinked hard, his dark lashes spiking with wetness. “You think you were an asshole to drag us here just so you could have what you needed. Selfish. But I’m glad you did. How were you ever going to look after me and Shells if you were falling apart? And don’t even try to deny you were falling the fuck apart.”

“I was falling apart,” Myles echoed. Why deny it? He turned too, so they were face to face. “Are you scared to go back because you’re scared I’ll fall apart again?”

Jet pushed out his chin and swiped at tears on his cheek. “Are you?”

“Yes.”

“Well. Me too.”

“Your father wants to meet you.”

“Fuck him.”

“Jet—”