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CHAPTERFORTY-ONE
MELISSA
While Jamie and Sammy were in Beth’s room, I made reservations for us at a nearby hotel. I got us connecting rooms, figuring Sammy and I could share.
They’re only in with Beth for a few minutes. When they come out, I immediately feel a change in their energy. While this is probably the hardest thing either of them has had to do since Beth left, it definitely feels like it was the right thing.
As we walk toward the elevator, I tell them, “I booked a hotel a couple blocks from here.”
“Thank you for everything, Melissa. We couldn’t have done this without you.”
It doesn’t take long to get to the hotel, and when we arrive, Jamie says, “I’ll check in if the two of you want to hit the gift shop for some supplies.”
After he’s gone, I ask Sammy, “So, how did it go?”
She inhales deeply before slowly releasing her breath. “It was so weird. I know this is hard to believe, but I felt like I recognized her.” She hurriedly explains, “And it’s not just that she looks like me either. It was like I remembered her.”
“There’s a powerful bond between a mother and her children,” I tell her. “We grew inside our moms. I’m pretty sure that’s a connection no amount of time or space can ever break.”
“But my dad raised me,” she says. “He’s done everything for me.”
“You have a great dad,” I tell her. “But who knows? You might have a great mom, too. You just need to decide if you’re going to give her a chance to be one.”
“I didn’t take that chance from her. She chose not to stay. That’s on her.”
“True.” I stop walking and reach out for her to do the same. “But Sammy, you’re twelve and have a huge chunk of life ahead of you. You can decide to let your mom be a part of that.”
Her voice is barely above a whisper. “I would have to forgive her then.”
“Yes, you would. But not forgiving her is only going to create more pain. Why not choose happiness?”
“Would you be able to forgive your mom if she did something like mine did?” she wants to know.
I shrug my shoulders. “I can’t know that without having lived it. But I tell you what, I’ve been holding a grudge against my mom for a lot of years, and I recently decided to stop. It feels good.”
“What were you holding a grudge about?”
“I’ve been mad at her for not being the woman I wanted her to be. But I’ve recently realized she’s done the best she could. That her choices have been made based on things she didn’t think she could control.”
“Do you think Beth did the best she could?” Sammy doesn’t sound like she believes it.
“I don’t know, honey. But I think it’s possible. And I know for sure that she wants to know you now. She came back, didn’t she?”
Sammy doesn’t answer. Instead, she starts moving again. In the gift shop, we pick up some toothbrushes and toothpaste and even get t-shirts with the Chicago skyline on them, so we have something new to wear tomorrow. After we pay for our purchases, we run into Jamie.
“I upgraded us to a suite,” he says. “I know this isn’t a vacation, but we might as well enjoy it as much as we can.”
“I’ve never been in a suite before,” I tell him.
“Then it is past time.” He offers a shy smile, causing my entire nervous system to flood with chills.
It’s way too early for me to say that I’m in love with Jamie Riordan, and if I were in my right mind, I would never admit to feeling anything like it—especially after that scene at the bowling alley last week. But even so, there’s much to admire about him. He’s a great dad, he has a wonderful sense of humor, and then there are those kisses. How I miss those.
I follow behind as he leads the way to the elevator and then to our room. It’s on the forty-eighth floor, which must mean the view must be spectacular. Yet it takes me a while to confirm this. I’m kind of blown away by the actual living space. I take plenty of time to investigate it, discovering it’s more like a luxury apartment than a hotel.
“Wow,” I exclaim as I look around. “If I lived here, I would never leave.”
Sammy seems much less impressed, which leads me to believe she’s either used to hotel suites or she’s too tired to care. When I finally stop gushing over everything, I tell her, “Let’s share the room with two beds and let your dad have his own room.”
