揌ey, guys!?she says. 揑 thought we could go to that burger place you like桪iesel and Duke? Daniel, you can even get that double soda thing with the extra sugar??
Connor抯 always said that Brayden抯 the easy one, but that doesn抰 seem to apply where his mother抯 concerned.
揗y name is Brayden. You抮e the only one who calls me Daniel.?
揑 know. I love the name Daniel.?Stacey reaches for him, but he steps back. Slowly, she lowers her hand. 揑 love it so much we named you it twice.?
He crosses his arms. 揑抦 not hungry. Thanks for coming by, but I don抰 want to go to dinner.?
Then he turns around and marches up the stairs.
Spencer seems torn梙is soft brown eyes follow his brother, then turn back to his mom. Eventually, he sighs. 揝orry, Mom.?
And he darts up the stairs too.
Stacey and I stand there for a moment, awkward and silent, and then I raise my finger.
揋ive me one minute.?
After I knock on his door and walk into Brayden抯 room, he immediately hits me with a 揇on抰 make us go with her.?
I hold up my hands.
揑抦 not going to make you do anything梩hat抯 not really my style.?I sit down in his desk chair, swiveling. 揑 did want to tell you a story, though.?
He gives me the distrustful eyes.
揥hat story??
揂bout my dad. See, I had a dad who made a lot of mistakes over the years. Like your mom. That抯 why she抯 here梑ecause she realizes she抯 made mistakes by not seeing you guys enough and she wants to make up for that. My dad was like that too . . . only he never realized it was a mistake. It抯 been . . . over ten years since I抳e seen him . . . and he still hasn抰 realized it. He probably never will.?
Brayden frowns. 揟hat sucks.?
揧eah, it does.?
揃ut she wouldn抰 be here if Aaron didn抰 get hurt.?
I nod slowly. 揝ometimes it takes a bad thing happening to make us realize what抯 important. The people who are important to us.?
揑f your dad came here and wanted to see you after all that time,?Brayden asks, 搘ould you see him??
And I give him the straight, unvarnished truth.
揑 would. Because he抯 my dad, the only one I抦 ever going to have.?I look down at my hands. 揗aybe that makes me a pushover. Maybe that makes me an idiot.?
揧ou抮e not an idiot,?Spencer gripes, like he抯 insulted on my behalf.
揧our mom抯 always going to be your mom. And she抯 here because she really does love you. You get that, right??
揧ou love us,?Spence insists in his sweet little voice, making my heart squeeze so hard.
I move from the desk chair to crouch down in front of them.
揑 do. I love you. I love you, and I love Aaron and your dad. So much. But you know what I抳e learned in my thirty years??
揥hat??
I brush his hair out of his eyes.
揧ou can never, ever, have too many people around who love you.?
*
Dinner is a go. The boys put on clean shirts and their shoes and head downstairs and out to their mom抯 car.
Halfway out the door, Stacey pauses and turns back to me.
揟hank you, Violet. Really.?
Her voice is smooth and melodious, and her eyes are shimmering dark and grateful. And for the first time, I can picture it梩he beautiful couple she and Connor must抳e made for all those years.
And a sneaking, slithering voice in my head tells me how stupid I am梩hat I might be cutting my own throat. That it would抳e been so easy to do nothing and leave the wedge between Stacey and the boys right where it was. That the closer she gets to them, the closer she gets to Connor梐nd maybe, the further he gets from me.
But I could never do that. Not to them . . . not to him.
Still, I抦 not a pushover and because I do love those boys, I tell her, 揟hey抮e giving you a chance, Stacey. If you hurt them again, there probably won抰 be another. Don抰 mess it up.?
She glances down at the floor, nodding.
揑 won抰。？
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Violet
A week later things are better . . . and worse.
Aaron continues to improve. His fever breaks and we抮e allowed to visit him briefly. The moment we walk into the ICU room, Spencer flings his arms wide and gently lays his head on his brother抯 stomach, in an awkward but heartfelt hug.
揑抦 so happy you抮e not gonna die, Aaron!?
Brayden steps up beside the bed and holds Aaron抯 hand, his words thick with emotion. 揧eah, I抦 really glad you抮e going to be okay.?
Aaron抯 pale and his voice is weak, but he smiles. 揗e too, guys. Me too.?
During the visit, things are noticeably easier between Stacey and Connor. The tension and animosity that was so palpable the night of the accident have completely evaporated.
Before we go, I kiss Aaron抯 forehead and brush his hair back, telling him to rest up and that I know he抣l be home soon.
Connor抯 been sleeping in the on-call room at the hospital, showering in the locker room. I stay at the house with Brayden and Spencer and we see him, but only for quick snippets of time.
But it抯 okay. This is how relationships work. You抮e there for each other, support each other in whatever way is needed.
At least . . . that抯 what I thought.
Until a call from Connor at the hospital hits me right between the eyes.
揤i, seriously it抯 fine. You抳e done so much already梞y parents can stay with the boys for a few days. I want you to go home and relax.?
揃rayden and Spencer are relaxing to me,?I tell him, standing in his kitchen.
揂nd that means everything to me梤eally. But I抦 not going to put this all on you梘o back to your house for a while, recharge or go back to work if you want.?
Work? He expects me to be able to focus on work knowing he抯 upstairs and Aaron is still in the ICU? Has he lost his mind?
揗aybe you can take them again in a couple days. I might be home by then, I抦 not sure.?
My stomach nosedives. So does my heart. A vertical drop, straight down from thirty-thousand feet梟o safety net, no parachute.
揅onnor棓
揑抳e got to go. Ortho抯 here to talk about Aaron抯 leg. I抣l call you back when I can.?
揙kay, I抣l棓
But the line is already dead.
I didn抰 even get the chance to tell him I miss him. Or to give Aaron a hug for me. That I hope he抯 doing okay.
Brayden and Spencer hang out in Connor抯 room with me while I put a few of my things into a bag to take back to my house.
揑 don抰 want to stay with Pop and Nana!?Spencer whines, lying dramatically across the bed梙is head dangling off the edge條ike he抯 being crucified.
揚op snores and he doesn抰 share the TV remote梐nd he watches the news all the time!?
I turn upside down, so I抦 right-side up in Spencer world.
揑 know sweetie, but your dad wants your grandparents to stay with you. It抣l only be a few days. Maybe you guys can come to my house and stay over there.?
揥hy can抰 we stay with you now? Everything抯 been fine,?Brayden says.
I don抰 have any answer for him, because I don抰 understand it myself and Connor didn抰 have time to explain. So I come up with a good answer on my own.
揗aybe your dad wants you guys to stay with your grandparents because they need you, not the other way around? I mean, Aaron is doing better and that抯 fantastic梑ut maybe one of their grandkids being hurt has shaken them up? Maybe a little time with you guys will make them feel better??
Brayden shrugs條ike even if that makes sense, he wants no part of it.
Spencer considers this thoughtfully and nods . . . still upside down.
Connor抯 parents show up an hour later. I say goodbye to Rosie and hug both the boys at the front door. And then I go home.