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FC’s frown deepens. “When? When Grandpa McAllister shows up and discovers you’re not home and haven’t been? I don’t need to give him any more reason to dislike me. Why haven’t you told them?” he repeats.
Anxiety buds, grows, and festers in my chest. My fingertips tingle and my breathing increases. FC closes the distance between us to hold my face in his hands. That lone action causes me to spill. “They’ll worry. They might not like it. I don’t need to deal with anything but support and what if they don’t give it to me?”
He kisses my forehead. “You can’t quietly move away without anyone knowing, love. They’ll worry more. Tell the person who will be the most understanding so at least one person knows.”
“DaDa!” Sawyer shouts, suddenly appearing next to us while babbling. “Nom!”
FC laughs. “We’re working on dinner, son. Give us some time,” he says as he picks Sawyer up. When his gaze returns to me, he says, “Go call someone, please. It’ll be fine, I promise.”
With my heart down by my feet, I leave everyone in the kitchen to walk down to FC’s bedroom to call my grandpa. I should probably call my parents, but my gut tells me to call him instead.
“Idaline, how are you?” he answers. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“Um, fine. You?”
There’s a pause and then, “What’s going on, Idaline? You sound nervous. Do I need to come over for us to talk?”
“No,” I quickly squeak.
“Tell me,” he demands while I mentally curse myself for being so obvious.
“I’m in North Carolina.” My grandpa sighs, but I push forward. “I’m moving here to be with him.”
“Oh, Idaline,” he sighs.
“I need support, Grandpa,” I plead. “I want you to tell everyone else. This is where I need to be. I’m already happier here and I’ve been here since yesterday.”
Grandpa is silent for a second before he says, “Tell me everything that’s been going on. You have my support, and I’ll handle things here. If you need help moving, I’ll help you. But I need to properly meet this boy and his family.”
So, I tell him about everything that’s happened and all I’ve learned since being here. More anxiety chips away at knowing my grandpa is in my corner and he’ll handle things back home for me.
“That girl is troubled, FC,” Nana says as we sit down to eat.
I frown. “She’s not trouble.”
She rolls her eyes. “That’s not what I said. She’s troubled.”
My gaze shifts toward the hallway. Idaline is still in the bedroom, talking to her grandfather. It doesn’t bring me much comfort that Nana can sense Idaline isn’t her complete self, too. “She’ll be all right,” I say as both a reassurance to her and myself.
Sawyer talks as we eat until a few minutes later, Idaline emerges looking way more relaxed than she has been. Grandpa McAllister pulled through.
“Everything go well?” I ask anyway as she takes a seat next to me, her plate already full and waiting.
“Yes,” she replies with a smile. “I feel much better.”
“Good.”
Dinner goes easy while Nana and Idaline talk, learning about one another and laughing over my childhood antics. If I let myself, I could forget that Lila showed up. But that’s an impossibility at this moment. What I do instead is focus every thought and sight on Idaline and Sawyer. They are the two most important people right now.
Nana leaves shortly after dinner, making me promise she can babysit for us tomorrow. Idaline stays in the living room while I set about giving Sawyer a bath, letting him play until he’s pruny, and then reading to him until he falls asleep.
Once he’s down for the count, I return to the living room and sit down on the couch next to Idaline. A sigh of happiness leaves me as she leans into my side, getting comfortable. She takes my hand in hers, holding it in her lap.
“I’ve missed this so much. Being near you and having my heart beat crazily wondering what might happen next,” she says softly.
“We haven’t had nearly enough time together. Are you sure you’ve missed it?” I tease.
She looks up at me, completely serious. “Definitely.”
