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Chapter thirty-seven

Rhett

Sleeping in my apartment without Evie feels wrong.

Which is to say, I didn’t sleep much at all last night.

Sure, I can also blame it on my knee, which aches like a son of a bitch. But really, it’s the fact that my bed still smells like her, even though her side is cold and empty. I even tried to coax Ruthie up, but she’s missing her mom as well and spends most of the night whining in her crate even with the door wide open.

I’m grumpy as fuck, tired, and sore. I take Ruthie out, feed her, and mainline a cup of coffee, all in my pajamas, without a care for who might see me.

After I eventually get out of the shower, I pick up my phone to see if there’s a message from Evie, but the screen is annoyingly blank. I’m sure she’s busy prepping for her interview, but still.

“Fuck.”

Did she see my note and the photo I left for her last night? Did she cringe at my painfully messy printing? Or did she see it for what it was — me wanting her to know how much she means to me.

Ruthie yips, then barks louder when there’s a knock on my door. Frowning, I limp my way over and look through the peephole before unlocking it in a hurry.

“Mama? What the hell are you doin’ here!”

My mom steps inside, leaving her suitcase in the hall, and flings her arms open wide. “Surprise!”

Ruthie barks and bounces at our feet as I pull my mom in for a crushing hug. “What is goin’ on?” I say, my face hurting from my smile. I draw back and look down at the woman who raised me. “Damn, it’s good to see you, Mama, but why didn't you tell me you were coming? We were on the phone two days ago, you should'a said something!”

“And miss out on surprisin' you? Where's the fun in that. Hold on, what's Evie’s dog doin’ here?” She crouches down to pet Ruthie, laughing when the puppy manages to land a lick on her chin. “Well, you’re adorable, aren’t you.”

“Her name’s Ruthie,” I say, scratching my head as she straightens. “Evie left for Vancouver Island yesterday for a job interview, so I’ve got the puppy.”

I don’t say that the puppy and Evie have actually been staying here for weeks. But a quick glance around the apartment tells me it won’t take much for my mother to figure it out. The book she was reading is still sitting on the coffee table, a pair of her shoes are by the front door, and she still has a lot of her stuff in the spare bedroom. Might as well come clean. I never could hide things from my mama.

“Actually, ah, well, Evie and Ruthie,” — I gesture to the puppy who’s been distracted by her toy in the living room and is whipping it back and forth with her teeth — “they’ve been staying here this summer. Kai can’t have pets in his apartment.”

“Evie’s been stayin’ here?” Mama raises her eyebrows. “You better be acting like a gentleman, Rhett Darlington.”

I step behind her to grab her suitcase, and so she can’t see the heat climbing my cheeks. “’Course I have been.”

“Good.”

Just then, the alarm on my phone goes off. “Shit, I gotta go. I have a session with the trainer for my knee.” I gesture down with a grimace. “Tweaked it yesterday. I won’t be playing tonight, but if you want to come watch the game, I’ll leave a ticket for you.”

“No, that’s okay, honey. I’m tired from the flight. You go, take care of that knee, and we’ll catch up soon.” She waves me off just as Ruthie comes bounding back over. “I’ll take a quick nap, then spend some time with this beautiful girl.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.” I move to the closet and grab my bag and shoes. “And when I get back, maybe you can tell me what made you decide to come all the way here without tellin’ me?”

This time, Mama’s the one to blush. “Can’t a mother want to see her favourite son?”

“I’m your only son, nice try.”

“Fine. I wanted to surprise you and say thank you.” She gives me a knowing look. “You know what for.”

I smile and pull her in for a hug. “It was nothing, Mama.”

“Paying off my darn mortgage is not nothing, and you know it. But go, and when you’re back, I’ll make us a late dinner and we can talk.”

I lean in and kiss her cheek. “It’s good to see you, Mama.”

She reaches up and pats my cheek in return. “You too, Rhett.”

With that, I head out the door, and drive to the stadium. My thoughts drift to Evie, as I realize she’d be in her interview right now. I’m sure it’s going well, which brings up all kinds of mixed feelings.

I want her to be happy. And successful.

I also want her to be here. Not there.

And I need her to be here now , so I can figure out how to tell her that.

But I want her to be there, getting her dream job.

I want it all. And somehow, we’re gonna have it.