“More than your stupid show?”
Aly nodded.
“Would you quit it if I asked you to?”
Aly sighed.
“So, no.” Andy yanked his hand away.
“Stop.” She reached for him again. “I have to finish the last bit of my contract, but after that, yes. I will quit if you want me to. But they offered to do the show in Jersey only. I can be close to home. And they’d love to have you on set when you can be.”
Andy froze, blinking several times before he finally spoke. “You’d stay with meanddo the show?”
“I can.” Aly shrugged. “I didn’t know how to be your parent. I still don’t. But I’m trying to learn. And I promise to do better and be around more.”
Andy’s gaze dropped to the floor. “Will says I haven’t been fair about your job.”
Aly nodded.
His shoulders pulled back. “But it seemed like your job and the house and the babysitters and everything were more important than me. You never had time for me.”
“Oh Andy.” She never wanted him to feel that way.
“But since you’ve been home, you’ve had more time for me. And I think it’s because you finally had help. Your job took care of the house stuff.” He shrugged, and although it wasn’t that simple, the house situation was being handled. That alone lightened Aly’s load monumentally. “And you had Will, so maybe before, you just had too much.”
“I did,” she agreed with a sad smile. “But I don’t want you to ever think that you aren’t important to me. You are one of the most important things in my life.”
Without a word, Andy threw his arms around her neck.
“Can we start over?” she asked him, squeezing him tight.
Andy pulled back and shook his head. “No.”
Aly’s eyes welled with tears again.
“Like Will said, you’ll always be my family. But Will wants to be my family too. Heismy family, and I like it.” Andy scowled and shook his head. “No, I love him, and he loves me. He didn’t have to become part of my life, but he chose to anyway. I’m staying with him; we’re ham and cheese.”
The reality was far more complicated than Andy knew, but she and Will would have to work on it. “I’ll talk to Will.”
Andy sighed and shook his head. “Of course you’ll talk to Will.” He scoffed. “Ham and cheese are the glue that holds the bread together. You need glue to hold you together, and we need bread.”
“Andy, you heard him. He—”
“He said we aren’t a package deal for you,” Andy corrected, giving her a pointed look she didn’t understand. “He meant that you have to choose us separately. He wants to know you love him and wanthim, not just me.”
“I think it’s too late for that.”
He frowned and shook his head. “Stay here.”
“Andy,” she called, but he disappeared without looking back.
CHAPTER28
Will stoodat the counter and took a long pull of his beer before setting the bottle back down. If Andy decided to leave with Aly, then Will had to let him go. But he didn’t know if he could live through losing both of them.
“You’re going to be pissed.” Luke came to stand next to him.
“You talked to her.” Will took another swig.