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“Jolie, I don’t know what’s going on with you—” Dad began, but he was cut off as another one of the Mavericks, Rory Beauchamp, came into the room.
“Are the twins here yet?” he demanded.
“Not yet,” Nash told him.
“Shit.” Rory collapsed into the seat between Sawyer and Nash. “I was afraid I’d missed it.”
“This is taking too long,” Sawyer mumbled. “I’m a wreck.”
Suddenly Lars appeared in the doorway, his face tight and drawn. “They are prepping her for surgery,” he said in his quiet, accented voice. “One of the babies is in distress.”
“Jesus.” Nash got up and walked over to him. “Do you need anything?”
Lars shook his head. “No. I just wanted to…update everyone.”
I didn’t hear what Nash said to him, but Lars’s teammates had surrounded him and I tried to tamp down the worry gnawing at my gut. This had to be scary for Sheridan.
I moved away from my dad, pulling out my phone so I could tell Boone what was going on.
JOLIE: Hey. Looks like Sheridan is having a C-section.
BOONE: Shit. I wish I could be there.
JOLIE: Better that you’re not. My dad showed up and he’s all over me for being here.
BOONE: I’m sorry, beautiful.
JOLIE: Don’t worry about me. Just send some good vibes into the ether for Sheridan and the babies.
BOONE: You got it.
JOLIE: I’ll see you later, okay?
BOONE: Are you coming over?
JOLIE: You want me to?
BOONE: I’m going to be gone for a week…what do you think?
I smiled as I typed out a response.
JOLIE: I think it’s a good thing I didn’t wear underwear.
BOONE: You’re killing me. You know that, right?
JOLIE: I don’t know what you’re talking about. LOL
BOONE: See you later, babe.
I stuffed the phone back in my pocket as my father came over to me.
“We should talk,” he said.
“Not here, and definitely not now.” I shook my head.
“You have to trust me,” he said finally. “I know what’s best for you. I’ve lived this life and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Ask your mother.”
“But it was okay when I was marrying Jarvis? Don’t be a hypocrite, Dad.”
“Guys like Boone will chew you up and spit you out,” he said, his voice laced with contempt. “I don’t want that for you.”
“I’m not talking about this with you in front of the team,” I said quietly.
“Then let’s go back to the house. Your mother made a pot roast.”
“I’m not leaving until the babies are here, but you go ahead.”
“Jolie.” He stared at me, his jaw working in obvious frustration.
“Dad.” I stared right back.
I hated this pissing contest I’d been drawn into, but this was about more than just Boone and me. This was about my life. He couldn’t continue to manipulate me like this. It wasn’t fair and it was ruining our relationship. Somehow, I had to make him understand that.
The situation was also reinforcing the idea of my leaving St. Louis.
Maybe it was time to set up an interview in New York.
Once Boone was gone, the only thing keeping me here would be Grandma G, and as long as she was healthy, she and my mother would come visit me wherever I wound up.
As for my father, he was going to have to make a choice.
Either he let go of the control he seemed to need to wield over me, or he wasn’t going to be a part of my life anymore.
It was that simple.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Boone
“Where is she?”
Joey was bouncing in his seat, surveying the parking lot of The Oaks Residential Treatment Center for Emma. I opened my mouth to answer his question, but he spoke again.
“I can’t see her,” he said. “Where is she, Uncle Boone?”
“She’s inside the building, bud. I’m sure if it wasn’t so cold, she’d be standing out here waiting for you.”
Today was family day at the rehab center. Emma had told me over the phone that she didn’t want to break down in front of Joey, but she missed him a lot. I didn’t know why, but I was nervous. Joey and Emma needed to see each other, but it was going to be hard for both of them to say goodbye. And what was hard for them would also be hard for me.
I’d always wanted my sister to want more for herself, but now that I knew Joey, there was more at stake. If she chose to go down a bad path again, I wouldn’t be able to look away.
“What’s my mom doing here?” Joey asked as I parked.
He’d asked me that question no less than twenty-five times, and my answer was the same every time.
“She’s working on herself. That’s something strong people do.”
“My mom is strong. She carries heavy boxes all the time.”
I smiled at him in the rearview mirror. “I’m talking about a different kind of strong, Jojo. Strong on the inside.”
“Oh.”
The Oaks was set on a sprawling, modern campus surrounded by woods. It was a private setting away from the city. My agent Evelyn had found it for me, and she said it was highly rated. Hiking, music, and art therapies were emphasized, though I doubted Emma was doing much hiking in winter.
