AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll be there to help him. And I promise I’ll call you. You’ll see him at school, right?”
“Yes. God, what if he ignores me in the halls? No one else knows, and they will for sure if that happens.” Tears stung my eyes, and this time I let them fall.
Cash slid his thumbs toward the outside corners of my eyes, wiping the moisture away.
“I won’t let it.”
“I’m not sure that’s your choice.”
Heavy footsteps forced me to step back. Cash’s hands fell to his sides, and I wiped my face with my sleeve. My living room was bathed in late-afternoon sunlight as I stood looking at my son coming down the stairs with his backpack slung over his shoulder, a suitcase in his left hand, and a duffel with his baseball gear in the other.
Not wanting to unleash another bout of tears, I swallowed them and gave the best smile I could muster.
“Did you tell her?”
“Yes, but I need to make a few things clear.” Cash’s words brought a frown to Jimmy’s face. “Take a seat.”
Reluctantly, he moved to where his father pointed and plopped down on the sofa. “I told your mom what we discussed.”
Jimmy sat there blinking. I knew that face. It was one that silently said,Yeah, so what?Like most teenagers, he had perfected it.
“You need to tell your mom you don’t hate her. We’re not leaving here until you do. And you aren’t going to go anywhere else either. I know you’re upset. I am, too, and so is your mom. Like I just said to her before you came downstairs, we’re a team.” Cash looked at me over Jimmy’s head before bringing his focus to my ... our ... son. “Team Hall-Jameson or Jameson-Hall. Whichever way you want to look at it, we’re in this together.”
I stood there watching Cash try to smooth things over. For not being a parent for more than forty-eight hours, he wasn’t doing too badly. I could almost forgive him for the “If Mom says so” card.
Shifting my position, I knelt next to Jimmy and looked up at him. “I’m sorry. I know I should have told you. Please don’t hate me. I’ll understand if you want to stay with Cash for a bit, but I can’t bear it if you hate me, Jimmy. I love you more than the moon and stars. More than all the fish in all of the oceans and seas. It’s immeasurable.”
“I know. You always say that.”
“Because it’s true.”
He sat there looking more and more like a young man than my little boy. “I know. I guess I don’t hate you, Mom.”
Schooling my features, I nodded, relieved. “Thank you.”
He looked at Cash. “Can we go now?”
That ache in my chest returned as I forced myself to stand up. “Yeah, we can go.” Cash reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “Head on over. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Leave your stuff. I’ll bring it.”
Jimmy took the keys. Keeping his backpack on his shoulder, he turned to look at me. This was it. I should put my foot down. I was the mom. The one in charge. The one with the power to say no. Except part of me didn’t want to. Part of me wanted him to know his father. It was what I’d always wanted. Except I never thought Cash wanted it. Now that I knew he did and that he honestly didn’t know about Jimmy, I couldn’t deprive either of them.
Like a good mom would, I let him go, praying he came back with the clarity he needed. He moved to the door, turned, and looked at me.
“Would you like a ride to school tomorrow?”
“No, I’ll take the bus.”
The only time he’d taken the bus was when I had an early meeting or conference with a parent. “Okay, sure. If you change your mind—”
“I’ll call you.” He paused, and the smile I waited for never came. “Thanks, Mom.”
This time the door quietly clicked behind him. Cash, who had been silent through all of it, walked over to me. “Are you okay?”
“No. Yes. I just ... take care of our son.”
“Our son,” he repeated. “I will. And I promise this will all work out. You’re still the sweetest person I know. Jimmy and I are lucky to have you in our lives, and I’ll make sure he knows that.”
Cash reached down, grabbed Jimmy’s things, and kissed my forehead. Just like our boy, he walked out of the house.
