“Ophelia is at Lila Kate’s. They had a sleepover,” Nate said, sounding disgusted with the idea of it.
Ophelia was the middle child and often the most difficult. But I loved her spunk and sass. She was never settled and always full of energy.
“Come swim with me!” Phoenix said as I reached her.
I bent down and picked her up to spin her around. She squealed with delight.
“Come on in, Dean!” Blaire called from inside the house. “I’ve got my hands covered in cookie dough.”
I followed Nate into the house with Phoenix still clinging to my neck. This place had once seemed so cold when Rush was a kid. I’d hated the way his mother made it a showplace rather than a home. Blaire was his mother’s opposite. The place was a home now with the smell of baking cookies, toys on the living room floor, music playing through the house, wet footprints on the marble floor, and laughter. Always laughter.
When life seemed hard or I felt as if it was slipping from me, I came here to visit. This place and the people in it made every day I had lived worth it. Today, it would get my mind off a certain brunette who was entirely too young. I would be reminded of just who I was. A grandfather, a dad, someone for my family to love and respect. I had to keep that as my focus.
In this house, I wasn’t Dean Finlay, the rock star. I was G-man, the grandfather. And I was fucking happy about it.
sixteen
brielle
Before the sun had come up, I had showered, dressed, dusted and vacuumed Cam’s room, made his favorite brownies with icing on top, and changed the sheets on his bed even though they didn’t need it. The past eleven days had been confusing and disappointing. From the moment I had walked out of my bedroom to find an empty apartment and blueberry pancakes on the table with no good-bye or note, I’d been a mix of emotions.
Cam coming home, however, made my world right again. This summer had been a weird one, and I found myself looking forward to the routine the new school year would bring. Knowing what to expect and not being confused by my landlord. I wasn’t even sure he was living upstairs anymore. I hadn’t seen him since the morning he’d opened my bathroom door to ask me if I wanted pancakes.
Those few days he had taken care of me while I was sick now seemed like a dream. Almost as if I had made it up. Cam would make life better again. I needed him here. Even if he was going to be let down because I hadn’t gotten Dean’s autograph.
Glancing at the clock, I jumped up from the table, where I had been drinking my third cup of coffee, and walked over to the window to look outside. Cam should be here any minute. Thirty minutes ago, he’d texted that they were back in town and that his best friend, Jeremy’s, dad was there early and bringing him home.
I was sad that I hadn’t been there to see him get off the bus, but I had been told they wouldn’t arrive until ten. Instead, they’d gotten back at eight forty-five. I couldn’t wait to get my arms around him. His arriving early just meant I got to see him sooner.
I gave the apartment one more look around to make sure it was perfect for his return home, then went down to wait on him outside. Mrs. Jo had made me promise to tell her when he got home, but I wanted him alone for a bit first. I had to hear all about his summer. The stuff he hadn’t texted me about or told me in a call. The older he got, the less he let me in on his life.
That was the hardest part of being a mom, I’d decided. The time when your kid wanted their independence. When you didn’t feel as needed anymore. It hurt, although they didn’t mean for it to. It was just part of life. I knew that, but it didn’t make it less painful.
I stepped outside the building just as Jeremy’s father, Pete, drove up in his old blue Ford truck. Pete and Nora had divorced two years ago, and last spring, Pete had asked me to coffee one morning. I made an excuse. Then, he’d sit by me at the boys’ baseball games. I remained friendly, but I also made it clear I was not interested in more. Eventually, he’d left me alone.
When the truck came to a stop and the passenger door flung open, Cam jumped down from the seat and grinned at me. Just last year, he would have run into my arms for a hug. But not now. So much had changed in a year. Instead, he walked over to me and let me hug him. He returned the hug, but not as tightly as I was doing. I knew I was embarrassing him in front of Jeremy, and I tried to think of that, but I was just so happy he was here that it was hard.
“Missed you too, Mom,” he said, stepping back from me.
“You’ve gotten taller,” I told him, holding his arms and looking at him for any other signs of change.
“Mom,” he said with a sigh. “I was just gone for six weeks.”
I wanted to laugh at that. Just six weeks. It’d seemed more like twelve weeks.
“You grew,” I repeated, then pressed a kiss to his forehead.
He was going to be taller than me before I knew it. The thought made my throat clog with emotion.
“Here’s his suitcase,” Pete said, walking up and putting the suitcase down beside him. “Sounds like they had a good summer. Hope you did too.” He smiled. It was the too-friendly smile I wanted to avoid.
“I did, and same to you. Thanks for bringing him home,” I told him.
“No problem. Anytime you need help, you’ve got my number,” he said.
I hadn’t needed help today. I just hadn’t known they would arrive so soon. I was always available to pick up my kid. But I didn’t say that to him. He was just trying to be nice.
I managed to simply nod.