Page 20 of Anything But Lonely

I feel Ava’s arms wrap around us. “Don’t be a stranger,” she adds.

Emotion clogs my throat, but I tamp it down, pulling away before it becomes too strong to ignore. I grab one of their hands in each of mine, squeezing as I say, “Never.”

I glance over to Jack, his expression stoic as usual, but he closes the distance between us, wrapping his arms around my shoulder and hugging me tightly.

It causes that emotion to burn its way through me. I’m not the touchy-feely type, and neither is my brother. Maybe that’s what has my arms lacing behind his back, the tension in my body releasing enough to sink into his embrace.

“We’ll be here when you get back,” he says, pulling back to look at me.

His words hold meaning that I wish I couldn’t hear.

Because he knows what I’m leaving behind.

And he knows it’ll be waiting for me when I inevitably have to come back.

CHAPTER 10

MATEO

“You didn’t say anything about a cat.”

My ex-wife keeps a smile on her face as she grits through her teeth, keeping her voice low enough that Crew won’t hear. “Relax, it’s just Pepper’s carrier.” She hands me the cat’s carrier, and I’m relieved to see the stuffed animal version of my son’s cat. “The real one is at home. I have a neighbor taking care of her while we’re gone.”

I press a kiss to Talia’s cheek before giving her room to come into my hotel room. “And there’s my favorite kid,” I announce, kneeling to Crew’s height. “How was the flight, buddy?” I swipe the hair falling into his eyes to the side, setting the cat carrier down beside me.

“I could see the whole world from up there!” He holds his arms out wide as if to show how big the world is.

“The whole world?” I playfully exclaim. “That’s so cool. Did you see any clouds?”

Crew nods eagerly. “We flew right through them!”

I drop my jaw, and it makes him giggle. “Did you fly like this?” I grab him in my arms, holding him up high as I carry him into the hotel room, making my best plane noises as the door shuts behind us.

“Higher, Daddy!” Crew squeals between giggles.

“Okay, okay, let’s save the flying to the professionals,” Talia says as I settle Crew back on the floor, his giggles fading as I help him catch his balance. “Are you excited to go on tour with Daddy?” she asks him.

Talia had called yesterday, filling me in on her conversation with Crew and how she was going to be away from work for a while, and that she would see him “on the phone”—which is how we explain FaceTime to him—and she would visit as much as she could. She said that he took it well, or as well as a four-year-old could. It looks like she’ll be able to visit once a month, which I know Crew will love.

“I get to see Daddy sing,” Crew answers with a few big nods and a grin on his face before he asks, “Mommy, can I watch the monsters?” He points to the TV hanging on the wall, showing just how quickly his mind can change directions.

“Sure, honey,” Talia says before turning the TV on and pulling up the streaming service available. She finds “the monsters” Crew is referring to in the form of one of his favorite movies before glancing at her watch. “He’ll need dinner soon,” she tells me. “And his bedtime is at eight.” She looks back at him before closing the distance between us. “Daniel had to finish up some work,” she glances down at her watch again. “I’m meeting him at the airport in about an hour.”

“Hey,” I say gently. “You okay?”

She turns over her shoulder, and I follow her gaze, finding Crew cross-legged on the couch, his hands in his lap, his lips slightly parted as he follows the characters on the screen.

When Talia turns back to me, I can see the tear she tries to quickly wipe away. “I feel so guilty for leaving him.”

“Tal, don’t do that.” I grab her shoulders, trying to find her eyes with mine. “You are the most amazing mother. I know that. Crew knows it. And you taking this opportunity for your career shows Crew how important it is to not only love what you do but work hard for it.”

“I know,” she says quietly. “I just hate leaving him.”

“It’s not forever. We’ll FaceTime; you’ll visit. We will make this work. I promise.”

Talia shakes her head. “You’re sure? Tour is already a lot of responsibility for you, Matty, and Crew needs all of you. I was thinking about it on the flight over here. This is a lot on you. On both of you. I should’ve realized it earlier, but with how fast this all happened, it didn’t hit me until now. Are you sure you can do this all on your own? Maybe we should see if he can stay with Mia, or⁠—”

“Don’t worry about it,” I interject, dropping my arms to my sides. “I got it covered.”