Page 43 of Roll With The Punches

He could barely hear her next question. “Are you really happy?”

“I am. I want you to be happy, too. I really, truly do. I know we’ve had our head-butting moments, but I’ve always wanted you to be happy. I’ve never wished you ill.”

His heart broke as she couldn’t disguise the sound of her crying. “I’m sorry I dragged you through court. Pat—no. I can’t blame him. I let him make decisions I shouldn’t have followed through with. But I gave in because it was easier.”

It escaped him before he could stop it. “And the cruise?”

“I was trying to keep the peace with Pat. He ordered me not to tell her or you what it was ahead of time.”

Brandon struggled to rein in his anger. “This goes both ways,” he said. “Youhaveto put Emma first. That’s what I’vealwaysdone, even when it wasn’t easy or convenient.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not the one you owe an apology to. If you have this kind of honest conversation with Em, you might be able to have a good breakthrough with her.”

“Okay.”

He closed his eyes, still rubbing at his forehead. “Are you okay?”

He wasn’t sure she was going to answer, at first. “I don’t know. I have to go. Thank you for talking to me.”

When he looked, the call had ended.

Shit.

He dug out the small bottle of ibuprofen he kept in his laptop case and swallowed two with coffee from his travel mug before getting back on the road to work.

* * * *

Monday night, after they settled into bed, Stuart and Jeff listened as Brandon told them about his phone conversation with Tracey that morning. Tonight Brandon was in the middle, both of them spooning against him as he talked, their hands on his stomach, fingers laced with his.

“Wow,” Jeff said.

Brandon nodded. “Yeah.”

“I wondered why you sounded off when you got home,” Jeff said.

“I didn’t want to talk about this in front of Em.”

“Is there anything we can do for Em?” Stu asked.

“Please try to be extra patient with her this week and remember what she’s going through with her mom. You saw how growly she was tonight.”

That was an understatement. Before dinner, Stuart thought he’d said or done something to hurt her feelings, until she’d suddenly wrapped her arms around him and mumbled an apology before retreating to her bedroom to finish her homework.

“Yeah,” Stuart said. “I’m glad it’s nothing we did.”

“No,” Brandon said, “nothing we did. I felt really bad for Tracey this morning. Sounds like she’s finally seen the light and realizes she’s headed the wrong way down a one-way tunnel, and it’s her own fault the train is bearing down on her.”

“Wow, that’s an image,” Jeff said.

“It fits, though. And she was right about something.”

“What?” Stu asked.

“I’m happier now, with the two of you, than I’ve ever been, except when Emma was born. I was thinking maybe after Em’s summer classes end, we can all take a family trip over to Disney or someplace for a weekend. Just the four of us.”

“Five,” Stuart said. “Don’t forget Grace.”

Brandon snorted. “True. Five. Our bonus kid.”

“I’d like that,” Jeff said. “I think it’d be fun.”

“Our family,” Stuart said.

Brandon squeezed his hand. “Our family.”