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Night 20
Me:I don’t know about the mental stuff, but from what I’ve researched, the physical-slash-chemical addiction should be almost out of your system. Nearly three weeks. Is that true?
Me:This house is great, but it’s not a home without you. Not trying to be a sap. But it’s been too long. Kyle has decided he’s the king of the castle and might as well not even remember Florida. Aside from the word “beach” which is the lake, I don’t see anything to make me worry that my Kyle doesn’t love it here. He may need his own sofa. Otherwise, we’ll be unable to sit without him.
Me:Knowing him, he’ll want us to sit with him on his sofa or try to curl up to be as close as possible. His wound is healed. Bright did a sonogram on the area with the high-tech equipment at the barn. You’ll be pleased to know he’s not pregnant.
Night 21
Me:I’m prepping myself that you won’t be ready tomorrow. Do I remember correctly that you can have your phone soon? I wonder if you want it. You might be enjoying the solitude. Do you miss us?
Me:George called me today. That creeper Gerald Tustin was arrested for stalking a woman. It pinged on some Google alert because the brief news article mentioned his arrest after our altercation. That feels like forever ago, doesn’t it?
Night 22
Me:Confession time… I drove to Natomas Hills and talked to the manager there. Three weeks, Layton. It’s been three weeks with no word except that you aren’t ready to see me. Us. They said ‘anyone,’ but... I’m angry and I’m tired of my own whining. I’ll stop now. Do the work. Come home.
Night 23
Me:It crossed my mind today as I was walking Kyle that we haven’t ever had a life together, much less one that wasn’t steeped in drama. The club brawl. The hidden affair. (Did I ever tell you how much I enjoyed our time together?) Then here and family stuff. And now this… What if you don’t like the boring life we might have when all the drama is over?
Night 24
Me:Would you believe me if I tell you that Kyle is a Jeep dog? Brighton and I took her car out. She took off all the doors and the top. We made a harness with the back seat belts for Kyle. Goggles on and jowls flapping, he had a blast. He wouldn’t leave the back seat when we got back to the ranch. I coaxed him out, and later, when we couldn’t find him, there he was, plopped in the back seat as if it were his personal chariot. Houston, we have a problem.
Day 25
Me:Willa’s in labor! I repeat, Willa’s in labor! See you soon!
I jump into Layton’s SUV before running back into the house. I tear through the bathroom, brushing my hair and scrubbing my teeth. I change clothes three different times and finally settle on my most casual non-workout gear. Two coats of mascara and a pale pink lip gloss later, I’m back in the car and rolling south.
The problem is I don’t know where the hell I’m going.
Or how to get there.
I call the calmest person I know.
“Pop?”
“Hey, sweetie.”
“I don’t know where to go. And I don’t know how to get there. And I don’t know where that is from Layton. Has he been told?” I may have taken a breath in there, but it didn’t work.
He laughs through the line. “First, do you have Kyle with you?”
“No.”
“Turn around and go get him. Bring him here.”
“Why?”
“Because first labor isn’t like in the movies. It takes a while. And you’ll worry… He can be here with Sola and Luna and the horses. We have staff.”
“Okay.”
“Turn around. You won’t miss anything, I promise.”
“And then what?”
