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"Actually, that's why I called," I tell her. "I'm heading up the Pacific coast and I'm just about to cross the border into Oregon. Thought I'd swing by for a visit."
I can hear the excitement in her voice, and it reminds me how great my family is. No matter how long I'm gone--no matter how long I go without talking to them--they always welcome me back.
"Really?" she says. "Oh my goodness--I'll get the guest room set up for you here at the cabin. You coming up for work, or just for a vacation?"
"Headed up for work, staying for vacation," I say. "And you'll never guess who I'm driving up with."
I can hear her voice lower in excitement--I'm sure at the promise of more weddings, more grandkids, more family. "Evan...did you meet someone?"
I should just laugh her off, because no, of course not...but I can't stop thinking about last night. How Sam suggested this was some kind of--what did she call it?--meet cute? How tense things were in bed together, how I was on the brink of just grabbing her and kissing her.
"No," I say, even though I know it's a lie. "I'm driving up with Sam Valdez."
"Oh!" my mom says. "Wow! Alex is at my house right now!"
Is that my mom?!I hear a kid's voice say in the background. I laugh. Sam called him last night, and I could hear how much he missed her, and that hasn't changed a bit. Footsteps sound a second later, and then a shuffling sound as a kid's voice comes over the speaker.
"Mom?"
"Hey kid, this is Evan--let me get that over to her," I laugh.
I try to hand the phone over to her, but she shakes her head and points at the road. "Speaker?" she says.
I switch it over and watch as her face lights up at the sound of her son's voice.
"Hey kiddo," she says. "You at Miss Hart's house?"
"Yeah!" he says. "We're making pie!"
Sam smiles, her eyes softening at the sound of her son's excitement. "That sounds like fun," she says. "What kind of pie?"
"Apple pie," he says proudly. "I helped pick the apples from the tree in the backyard."
Sam's eyes flicker over to me, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. I can tell she's happy to hear her son's voice, but I can also sense a bit of sadness lurking beneath the surface. It's clear that she misses him terribly, and I can only imagine how hard it must be for her to be away from him for so long.
"I can't wait to try it tonight," she says. "And I have puppies!"
"Can we get one?" Alex asks. "Please oh please oh please--"
"I'll think about it,"
"Okay," Alex says. "I love you, Mom."
"I love you too, kiddo," she says.
She nods at me and I turn off speaker again when my mom comes back on. "He's a good kid," she says. "Misses his mama."
"I miss mine too," I say. "But we'll all be together in a few hours. I'll keep you updated."
"Love you, Evan," she says.
"Love you."
I hang up and look over at Sam, who's white-knuckling the steering wheel. At first I think she's tense, but then I realize she's trying really hard not to cry.
"You okay?" I ask.
Oops. Wrong question.
