AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I guess I should get that.” I stand and point at her. “But we’re not done with this conversation.”
She nods somewhat solemnly, and I leave the room, jogging down the stairs to beat Theo. The bell rings again before I reach the door. I glance out the side panel and see Hannah standing there.
What the hell?
I swing the door open, my stomach bottoming out. It’s not that I’m unhappy to see her—I’m happy for my son that his mother is here when he’s been missing her so much.
“What are you doing here?” My words probably sound more accusing than they should, but I’m in shock.
She steps inside. “I couldn’t stand being away any longer. I was already missing Theo so much, but after what happened on his birthday, I knew that was it for me.” Hannah wraps me in a hug. “I was so miserable being away from him for that long. I’m never doing it again.”
I hug her back because she’s clearly emotional. I look over Hannah’s shoulder and see Violet standing at the far end of the hallway staring at us, so I push her back. Violet dashes into the family room. Hannah’s eyebrows draw together.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home?” I ask.
“I didn’t want to say anything in case I wasn’t able to get out of my contract. I couldn’t stand the thought of disappointing Theo if it meant I couldn’t come home early.”
That makes sense. Still, she could have called me.
“Right. Well, I know he’ll be excited to see you.”
She smiles. “I just dropped my bags at my place and came straight here. I thought it would be fun to surprise him.”
“Mommy!”
Violet must have alerted Theo to Hannah’s presence because he runs out of the family room. When he reaches her, she picks him up, and he wraps himself around her. Hannah’s crying into his shoulder, telling him how much she missed him, and Theo cries too. I watch as Violet awkwardly makes her way toward us. Our eyes catch for a moment, but she looks away.
“I’m so happy I’m home.” Hannah bends down and sets Theo on his feet. It’s then she notices Violet standing off to the side. “Violet, hi! Thank you so much for taking such great care of Theo while I was gone. I couldn’t stand to be away from him any longer, so I came home early.”
“Welcome home.” She gives Hannah an awkward smile and wave.
Hannah, probably thinking her reaction is for reasons other than what’s really going on, says, “Don’t worry, we’ll figure out your pay. We’re not going to stiff you on what you’re owed for the term of the contract just because I came home early. You’ll be taken care of.” She looks to me for agreement and I shift my weight.
“Yeah, of course.” I clear my throat, feeling like a total douchebag.
Violet looks between the three of us, then says to Hannah, “I’ll leave you three to catch up. We can figure out the details of my employment after.” She walks away, not sparing us another glance.
My heart sinks to my stomach, imploring me to go after her, but I can’t out us to Hannah until I know for sure what’s going on.
One thing is for sure—with Hannah’s return, we have no choice but to have the conversation we’ve been avoiding.
Twenty-nine
Violet
My emotions when I saw Hannah standing at the front door with her arms wrapped around Brady were mixed. There was definitely a note of jealousy from seeing the bond between the two of them. I was relieved because I knew how much her being home would mean to Theo, and I was devastated because it meant the end of whatever Brady and I shared.
Yes, it’s clear that maybe something more can come from Brady’s and my relationship. I’m really not sure since we haven’t gotten to have that conversation, thanks in part to my stalling.
But I meant what I told Brady—I don’t want things to change, even though they so obviously have. But now they’re being forced to change again. I thought we’d have more time to figure things out and see possibilities.
I lie on my bed for a few minutes, fighting tears, feeling like my emotions are swimming through shark-infested waters and at risk of being shredded any minute.
“No, I have to do something,” I murmur.
I get up off the bed and pull my clothes out from the drawers. It’s clear that I’m not needed here anymore with Hannah home. Might as well get a jump start on the inevitable.
That’s how Brady finds me fifteen minutes later—shoving my clothes into my suitcase on the bed.
