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“All right,” I agree. “I’ll be there. But if I don’t see your Jeep in the driveway, I’m leaving.”
He looks away, pretending to be offended. “You have such little faith in me.”
I flip him off before the two of us chuckle, going back to drinking our coffee. You can practically feel the shift in the air. It’s more comfortable, more normal, than it was the other night at the bar. But I don’t blame him for anything he said. He’s right to be worried about Hayes. He’s hanging by a single piece of thread. A strand of hair, even.
But while I wish I could help him—could be that person for him again—I can’t. If anything, I’m only making matters worse.
“So, what are your plans for the day?”
I take a deep breath, knowing I need to do something even scarier than showing up at the bar. “That’s the other reason I’m here, actually. I need to know what nursing home Hayes’s mom is at.”
TO MAKE UP FORsteering me in the wrong direction with Hayes, Cam even tells me when he gets to the bar and sees H is still there. I’m grateful for it. This visit is going to be hard enough, but with him here, I don’t see it going very well. Then again, the likelihood of this going well, even without him here, is practically null.
There’s no way to mentally prepare for this. If I wait until I feel ready to face my mother-in-law after I shattered her son’s heart, I’ll never go in. My only option is to dive headfirst into the deep end and hope the water isn’t secretly acid.
I force myself out of my car and head inside, going to the front desk. “Hi. I’m here to see Valerie Wilder.”
“Is she expecting you?”
Fat chance.“Sure is. I’m her daughter-in-law.”
Taking out my license, I pass it to her to show that we have the same last name. She smiles politely as she gives it back.
“Go to the right and then around the bend to the left,” she explains. “Make your second left. She’s in room 511.”
“Thank you so much.”
I repeat the directions over and over in my head. The last thing I want is to get lost in this place. I’d never find my way out. Then again, playing bingo with a woman named Edna would probably be a better alternative than having dinner tonight at my parents’ house.
The room numbers pass by until I’m standing outside her room. It’s hard to imagine her in a place like this. She’s only in her fifties. That feels far too young for her to be here, but knowing Hayes, he wouldn’t have put her here if she didn’t absolutely demand it.
Holding down the bile that rises in my throat, I take the few steps into the room. His mom is lying in the bed, watching TV, when she sees me. Tears instantly fill my eyes. She looks so fragile, lying there. The woman I’ve known for years was a force to be reckoned with. She worked her ass off for her kids, and being a single mother was no easy feat, but she did it. And now a cancer rips through her body like she’s not the strongest woman I’ve had the pleasure of knowing.
“Laiken,” she sighs, looking both relieved and surprised to see me.
I press my fist to my mouth and shake my head as I feel all the emotion. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
His mother has every reason to hate me. Hell,Ihate me. But she opens her frail arms and invites me in. I rush to her side, hugging her tightly and crying like a baby. I’ve spent the last two years trying so hard to stay strong, but I didn’t even realize how easy I’ve had it. Meanwhile, she’s been here, fighting for her life, while Hayes has had to watch her lose that fight.
I’m the fucking worst.
“Shh,” she says calmly, running her fingers through my hair as if I’m the one dying, not her. “You’re okay. You’re all right.”
I pull away and use my sleeve to wipe away the tears. “Cam told me the news. I had no idea.”
She shrugs. “How could you? No one knew how to get ahold of you.”
There’s an underlying sharpness to her words, but honestly, she could be saying a lot worse right now. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“So you’ve said. Does Hayes know you’re back?” I nod and look at my feet. “I take it he hasn’t been the most welcoming person.”
Snorting, I shake my head. “No, but I deserve it.”
She takes a breath. “His emotions are his own to deal with, yes, but no one deserves cruelty. You’re young. Part of growing up is making mistakes. They’re normally notgetting-marriedlevel serious, but everyone makes them.”
“No,” I say seriously. “Marrying Hayes was not a mistake. I will never consider that a mistake.”
“Interesting. Then why did you leave?”
