Page 76 of Revere: A Legacy Novel

Happiness lit up his mother all over again.

Cross counted that as a battle won. He would much rather Emma pry into his private life with Catherine, something he didn’t mind indulging his mother with, than his issues with them. Besides, when he did sit down and have that chat, it was going to hurt. He did not want to hurt his mother.

“Tell her hello for me?” Emma asked.

“I will when I see her again,” he promised.

“When did you see her last?”

“Nosy, nosy.”

“Cross.”

“A couple of days ago,” he said with a laugh. “We grabbed coffee, and … hung out at the beach.”

Emma raised a brow. “You know that you’re a terrible liar when it comes to me, right?”

So be it.

“I’m not getting into those kind of details with you.”

She grinned and patted his jaw with her hands. “I’m so happy.”

“That makes one of you,” he murmured.

“Pardon?”

“Nothing, Ma.” Cross kissed her cheek. “And thanks for the coffee.”

Emma shooed him off with a flick of her wrists and another brilliant smile.

Cross found Calisto in his office, as his mother had said. His father didn’t look up as Cross entered the space and took a seat on the leather couch. He sipped on the coffee and watched his father. Calisto rubbed at his temples with his fingers, and then massaged back through his scalp. He tilted his head side to side, as though he meant to stretch out the muscles.

Like a stiff neck.

Headaches.

Stiff neck.

Cross didn’t like what he was seeing. Those were just some of the symptoms that gave a clue to an oncoming episode. Calisto’s last episode had come about the end of July, and it was only the twenty-seventh of September. Barely two months. He wondered if his father had another episode in between, but no one called or mentioned it. The likelihood was good, and it made Cross feel like garbage because no matter what he would be there to help should they need it.

But he needed to know.

“Is your stomach upset?” Cross asked.

Calisto cleared his throat and glanced up from his desk, as though he only realized then that Cross was there. “I feel fine, Cross.”

“Your head must be bothering you.”

“No.”

“Not your neck, either?”

Calisto straightened in his chair. “I’m fine, son. Don’t worry about me.”

“Make sure Ma knows to call me, no matter what,” Cross said.

“She knows.”