Page 46 of Mr. Green
I give him a small smile. “You see your kids all the time. They can’t stay away from you guys for some reason.”
“One of them stays away too long,” he proclaims as he squeezes me tighter.
It’s so tempting to stay in his arms, hide my face and let the tears release, but Josh is right here. His dark brown eyes scrutinizing my face as he holds a beer in his hand with a tattoo sleeve working all the way up to his shoulder. I blink multiple times and pull away.
My dad holds my shoulders and makes eye contact with me. “How are you really? You always come here when you don’t feel yourself.”
He’s not wrong. After Ryan left, I stayed at their house for months. I needed the babying and constant reassurance. My friends offered to stay with me, but I felt like I needed the security my parents bring.
I put on my best smile. “I’m okay. Just wanted to see you guys.”
“Lana, don’t lie to me. Do you need me to go beat someone up? I’ll send Josh.”
The insinuation makes me laugh. At least my tears aren’t at the brink of falling anymore. Josh thinks he’s tough, but when it comes down to it, he’s a lot of talk. Like one of those Chihuahuas that barks and barks, but never actually goes after the big dog. Josh talks a lot of shit, but would never hurt a fly.
“Hey! You better not be laughing at me,” Josh threatens, puffing out his chest and standing erect. He’s tall—six foot four—but he’s not intimidating me.
“I would never.” I put my hand over my heart. “I promise I’m doing fine. I just wanted to see you.”
“We’re here.” My dad shrugs and looks around. “You staying the night?”
“Yeah, just one. Maybe I’ll go home tomorrow afternoon.”
“Okay, princess. Dinner should be ready soon. You’ll never guess what happened to your mother and I at the store of all places.”
“What happened?” My eyes widen as I give him my full attention.
“I lost her.”
Josh and I start cracking up
“What do you mean you lost her?” I ask.
“I was in the grocery store circling around, but couldn’t find her for at least ten minutes. I’m going to have to put some sort of alarm on her the next time we go. I had to ask one of the clerks to page your grown-ass mother in the store to come up to the front. The woman is ridiculous.”
Josh and I start laughing again. Pain shoots through my cheeks from smiling so much. Suddenly, my mom comes out of the house waving a spatula around. The sight makes my cheeks hurt further.
“Oh, no, you don’t, Paul! I was searching for you for twenty minutes and then I hear an announcement over the speakers about someone looking for me. My friends heard my name called! I’ve never been so embarrassed!” She hides her face in the hand holding the spatula.
“Rose, I couldn’t find you! What would you have me do? Keep going in circles for all of eternity?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what I expect,” she deadpans. “I couldn’t believe it. I hear ‘Rose Love, please come to the front,’ over the speaker and Janine was there! She’s going to think we couldn’t pay our bill or something.”
“Don’t worry about that rat face. You shouldn’t even be friends with her. She’s a snake.”
“I have to be friends with her. She’s on the homeowner’s association.”
My parents continue bickering while Josh and I keep smiling to one another. Then my dad goes over to my mom, holding her with his arms around her waist. He whispers in her ear and she giggles. They give each other a kiss and look at one another with a knowing grin.
I’ve always thought it was weird that they are so lovey-dovey, but I appreciate it now. They really love each other. They made a home with people they can share it with. It feels good to be here. It makes me want a home like they have so badly. Except I’ll add color—lots of color.
As if they can hear my thoughts, my mom asks me, “Lana, have you found a cute guy yet? Time is ticking, you know.”
“Mom, I’m twenty-eight. I have plenty of time.” I roll my eyes.
“A family takes a while to get together. There’s always a long engagement. You’ll want to explore each other for a little while and then babies!” She claps her hands together like a freak.
“What if I just stay single and mingle for the rest of my life?” I smirk.