Page 35

Easton

T he ER is crowded when we arrive, and we’re asked to sit in the waiting room until they’ve seen Mom.

A couple of hours pass without so much as a wave and I’m getting anxious. There’s only so much pacing a man can do. “What the hell is taking them so long? I’m going to ask.”

Keeley grabs my arm to stop me. “You’ve already asked three times. We were told to wait.”

“How are you so calm?” I frown, crossing my arms over my chest, huffing when Keeley rolls her eyes.

“I’m calm because we don’t know anything and I refuse to jump to the worst conclusion—like you clearly have.”

“I haven’t. I just want some goddamn answers.”

Her phone buzzes in her hand, and when she sees who it is, she hides it.

“Who’s that?” I snap, not in the mood for bullshit if she’s holding something back.

“No one.”

“No one? Why’d you hide it?”

“Why do you care?”

Her words hit me and I shake my head. Jesus . “I don’t. Whatever. I just want to know what the hell is going on.”

Blowing out a breath, I pace as I try to ignore the stares directed my way from around the room. In my rush, I forgot my damn hat and I’m regretting it. Short of putting a sign on my chest to tell them to stay away, I think I’ve made it clear that I’m not to be approached right now, but I still hate people knowing my business. I’ve barely shared any of my life with Paige and I should have. I really fucking should have.

It’s another thirty minutes before a nurse finally calls for Keeley since she’s Mom’s emergency contact, and when she does, I’m the first to head over, not even pretending to be nice.

“About time.”

“Your mom has been taken to a room.” The nurse ignores me. “She’s okay, but we had to stitch up her leg, and she received a nasty bump on her head that we’d like to monitor for a few days.”

Shit . “Can we see her?”

“She’s resting at the moment. We’ll call you when she wakes up, but you can head to the waiting room closer to her ward if you’d like. I think it will be more comfortable. And private.” Her gaze subtly shifts to mine when she says the word private and I internally grimace. Why can’t I play football and not be recognized everywhere I go?

Keeley’s phone rings as we’re walking, and she lowers her voice as she answers. “We still don’t know much but she’s okay,” she says, walking ahead. Or at least trying to, while I walk faster to keep up. “I’ll call you later, maybe when I get home.”

Her short conversation pisses me off and I don’t hold back. “That better not have been who I think it was.”

Keeley’s eyes widen as she winces. “Who?”

“Dad.” Her shoulders drop and she curses under her breath.

“It was.”

“ Keeley .”

“What? I called him to ask if he knew her blood type in case we needed it.”

“ Jesus . Did he remember?”

“No.”

I huff out a laugh. “Typical. And now he’s calling to pretend he cares.”

“He cares, Easton. They were together for years. They share three kids.”

“Fine. Believe his bullshit. It doesn’t matter. We’re here.”

I’ve just sat down when my phone rings and I groan. Out loud. Showing Keeley my screen.

“Don’t answer.”

“She’ll just keep calling. Trust me.”

I turn around and accept Macy’s call, even though I’m not happy about it. “Yup.”

“Hello to you too.”

“What’s up? You know I’m not with Isaac on Fridays.”

“So sue me for forgetting. I called your place and a woman answered. Paige.”

Shit . “Macy, I can’t deal with this right now. And what do you mean you called my place? We don’t have a phone.”

Was she at my apartment? Does she mean the intercom?

“I want answers, Easton,” she says, ignoring my question. “Are you leaving Isaac with anyone now? Or is she one of your girls? Let me guess…she sucked your cock and that was enough of a reason to let her babysit our child.”

“One of my girls?” I come to a halt and slowly drag a hand down my face. “God, you’re full of it. But you know what? If pretending I’m an asshole makes you sleep better at night, then do what you have to do. I’m hanging up.”

“Wait,” she calls out and I pause. I shouldn’t, but I fucking pause. “I’m in town. Can I see Isaac?”

Shit… she is in San Francisco.

“No.”

“No? You can’t stop me, Easton.”

“Maybe not, but I’m going to. I need Isaac at home right now. I don’t have the headspace to be worried about him while he’s out with you.”

“Oh, but a stranger is fine.”

“Paige would be a better mother than you have ever been and she barely knows Isaac. I’d even wager that if I asked Isaac who he wanted to spend time with, you wouldn’t like the answer.”

“Easton, you can’t—”

“Whatever you have to say, save it. I’ve got to go. I’ll call you when I’m ready.”

Hanging up, I turn around to find Keeley behind me, her jaw on the floor as her wide eyes lock with mine. “Two things,” she says, holding up two fingers, her gaze laced with confusion.

I turn away, but it’s no use. I’m not going to escape this. But also, I’m sure she could use the distraction. “Okay, go ahead.”

“One. You are my hero. Way to put Macy in her place. Now if you could take that attitude all the way to a lawyer's office, that would be great—for everyone involved.” I stare at her without comment or emotion and she continues on. “Two… Busted.” She smiles and while it doesn’t completely reach her eyes, it’s better than nothing considering we’re still waiting to see Mom. I know that she’s trying to stay positive, but there are only so many lies you can tell yourself before everything starts to feel dirty.

“You caught me.” I raise my hands in mock surrender. “I know Paige and she’s looking after Isaac.”

“Oh, that’s not what I’m referring to and you know it.” Keeley stares at me knowingly. “How long have you loved her?”

The fuck. “I don’t—”

“Ms. Wilder’s family?” A nurse interrupts and whatever we were saying goes out of my mind as I spin to face her, nodding. “Your mom’s awake and she’s asking for you.”

“Thank you,” we answer in unison before following the nurse back to Mom’s room, rushing to her side when we find her sitting up.

“Jesus, Mom. What are you doing?” Keeley says as she reaches her, helping her get comfortable. “You scared the hell out of us.”

Mom scoffs with a laugh. “I’m sorry. But I didn’t fall on purpose.”

“What happened?” I ask, wishing the doctors had given us more information.

Mom sighs and a hint of embarrassment flashes across her face. “I fell on my way out of the house this morning. Of course I was on my front steps so I did a small amount of damage. But as you can see, I’m okay. Luckily, Phil was on his way to work and saw it happen.”

“Phil?” I ask stupidly, as though that’s the important part of her story.

“Phil is Mom’s neighbor. You’d know if you ever asked.”

“Asked what? For Mom to name all the residents on her street?”

Keeley snorts, crossing her arms over her chest. “She’s also been on a date with him. So—”

“What?”

“ Keeley ,” Mom scolds, and it would bring me joy if we weren’t currently in the hospital.

“Sorry, it slipped out.” Keeley shrugs and Mom actually smiles.

“Thank you both for acting normal around me. The last thing I need is for you to panic.”

“Are you joking?” I grab her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. “This is me panicked . This is Keeley panicked. She defaults to humor and I default to normal. So what, you just fell? Did you trip over something?”

“No, not exactly.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that my legs gave way and I went ass over tits.”

“What?” Keeley and I both grimace while Mom laughs.

“It’s a term I heard on an English TV show I’ve been watching. I never thought I’d get the chance to use it.”

“Mom, this isn’t funny. You could have broken something. Like your hip.”

“I didn’t break anything. It’s just a few cuts and bruises; otherwise I’m okay. Practically perfect in every way, like Mary Poppins.”

Keeley smiles while the blood drains from my head. Keeley’s not the only one that defaults to humor when she’s emotional. She learned it from Mom. “What’s wrong, Mom? What aren’t you telling us?”

Keeley’s eyes meet mine, and I see the moment she catches up, her face falling while Mom’s shoulders drop and she sighs. “I have ALS.”

“ALS?” I choke on my words.

“Yes. I found out last month.”

“After your appointment? The one where you told me you were fine?”

“Yes.”

Keeley’s eyes water but I stay strong. For Mom.

“What does that mean?” Keeley asks through her tears, her voice audibly shaking.

“It means I have a motor neuron disease that messes with my nerve cells and my spine, and it’s slowly getting worse.”

“Jesus, Mom.” I run a shaky hand through my hair as my world crumbles. “Why didn’t you tell us? You’ve been doing so much. And I’ve been pushing you.”

“You haven’t pushed anything. I’ve been pushing it. If my life has an expiration date, then I’m going to spend as much time as I can with my kids and my grandchild. You can’t stop me.”

“But—”

“I won’t let you ruin the time I have left. That’s why I never told you.”

“Fuuck,” I curse under my breath and run my hands down my face, letting my fingers drag, pulling at my skin. “What if you’re speeding things up? What if—”

“How long?” Keeley cuts me off and my gaze flashes to hers.

“How long, what? How long have I known?” Mom questions, but I know exactly what Keeley’s asking.

“How long do you have left?”

Mom sighs, holding her hands out for both of us to take. “No one knows exactly. Could be a year, could be ten.”

“Christ.”

“Only He can help me now.”

“ Mom .” God, she can be so frustrating but I get it. I’d probably act the same way if I knew death was coming for me.

“What are—”

“Now that we have that out of the way,” Mom cuts me off, “I need you to distract me with something.”

“Have you told Addison?” I ask, switching into pragmatic mode, needing to get things organized. “Is she on her way here?”

Mom groans. “How is that a distraction?”

“She’s the dramatic one of the three of us,” I say even though that’s not at all what I meant. “I’m sure she’s got some issue she’ll need help with.”

“I’m sure you’re right, but I haven’t told her yet. She doesn’t need to rush here. I’m not dying tomorrow.”

“ Mom ,” Keeley complains and this time, I agree with her response.

“Stop. Both of you. The best way to help me is to let me live. So either distract me or go home.”

“Fine. Isaac had—”

“Easton’s in love,” Keeley blurts, making me choke.

“The fuck, Keeley?”

Mom’s face lights up and I both love and hate it. “That worked. Thank you. Now I need all the details.”

“I’m not in love.”

Mom frowns before it morphs into a smile again. “Maybe not. But I’m guessing there is a girl. A special someone. Whether you love her or not.”

“There’s no one.”

“It’s Paige,” Keeley answers for me and I groan, throwing my hands in the air.

“Paige. As in your big boss’s daughter, Paige? Isaac’s bestie, Paige?”

“Isaac’s what?”

Mom laughs to herself, muttering something about how much fun this is going to be. “Isaac talks about her all the time. I thought that was just from the few times we’d seen her. I didn’t realize he knew her better than that.”

“He doesn’t. He doesn’t see her that often.”

“But she is with him now.” Keeley continues to stir the pot and I want to snap.

“ Keeley .”

“What? It’s not a lie.”

“Paige and I… It’s complicated,” I reluctantly admit, hoping it will shut them up.

But of course, it doesn’t.

“Ooh.” Mom claps excitedly. “That’s code for it was purely sexual but now you’re falling for her?”

“What the hell, Mom? No.” Yes . Fuck. “It’s complicated ,” I repeat. “And she’s doing me a favor by looking after Isaac. That’s all you need to know.”

“I bet that’s not the only favor she’s doing for—”

“Fuck, Keeley. Don’t talk about her like that. Isn’t there some kind of girl code where you don’t say that shit?”

“You know Paige and I are friends, right?”

“Unfortunately, I guessed. But I pushed it out of my mind because it was easier that way.”

“Well, too bad. You can’t escape it. If I have to come to terms with the fact that the ‘hot guy’ she’s seeing is my brother, then you have to deal with my torment.”

“What did she say?”

“Nothing really. At first, she wouldn’t give us any details. But when pushed, she said you were the best she’s ever had. And now that I’ve said that out loud I’m going to go and rinse my mouth out and maybe throw up.”

“Everyone has sex, Keeley.” Mom shakes her head as her eyes bounce between us like a tennis match.

“It’s okay, Mom. I don’t need you to defend me. I’m happy to drop it.”

“I’m not,” Mom says. “I’ll never understand why it’s so forbidden to talk about sex. People talk about their bodily functions, for God’s sake. I don’t want to hear about the texture of your shit. I’d much rather hear about the partner that blew your mind last night.”

I groan so loud I expect a nurse to come in. “When it comes to you or Keeley, Mom, I don’t want to hear about either.”

“That’s a shame because Phil—”

“La-la-la.” I cover my ears and start singing like I used to as a kid, and it shuts Mom up completely. Only she doesn’t laugh like I expected her to. “What happened?”

“I found you doing that once when I was fighting with your father. I didn’t think you could hear us.”

“Oh. Shit. I didn’t mean to dampen the mood; I just wanted you to stop talking.”

“That’s okay. Memories have been hitting me harder lately.”

God, I feel like a dick. We were supposed to be distracting her and now we’ve done a full 360, but I still have questions, so I’m asking them. “What can we do to help you? To…” Delay . I trail off because I don’t even know if that’s possible. We raised funds for ALS at our annual charity event during my rookie year, but I was young and stupid. I was happy to help out, but I didn’t pay much attention to what I was supporting. Now I wish I had. And I wish I’d done more.

“Please just be yourselves,” Mom begs, her eyes full of emotion. “And Easton, please go home. Isaac needs you more than I do.”

I freeze, caught on her words, but while she may be right, I know that he’s in safe hands. “Let me call him and check if Paige is okay. I want to stay a bit longer.”

Keeley and Mom both smile but I ignore them. Today isn’t about my feelings for Paige. It’s about my mom.