Page 23 of Tiny Precious Secrets (The Brothers of Calloway Creek The Montanas #4)

Asher

I haven’t stopped smiling for two straight days. While I had to extend my time in New York for a day to finish the business that took me there, most of the visit was spent with Allie. Contemplating our situation. Planning our future.

Our future. One that involves us being together. Thus, the smile.

It was hard leaving her this morning. But I have a lot to do. I have to finish a few home renovation projects, sell the convertible, and put the house on the market. But most importantly, I have to tell Bug.

As the plane touches down, I wonder how she’ll take the news. I think she’ll be happy about having a little brother and sister. But she’s a teenager. I don’t pretend to know anything about the workings of an adolescent brain. Not even when I was one myself.

I pull into Mel’s driveway and exit the car. Mel’s mom is weeding the flowerbeds.

“Thanks for keeping her an extra day.”

“It’s fine. I know they appreciate every minute they have together.” She sits back in the grass, rubs her knees and shields her eyes from the sun as she looks up at me. “You’re not really considering moving to Oregon, are you?”

I laugh a little. “Is that what Bug said?”

I’m not sure why I’m surprised. For the entire week after she found out Mel was moving, she left not-so-subtle hints. Printouts of Crater Lake National Park and Mount Hood. Information about schools. Even house listings.

She shrugs. “Teenagers say all kinds of crazy things.”

“It was a bit of wishful thinking on her part. She knows I can live anywhere since I’m not tied to an office.”

“You like it here?” Barb asks.

I nod. “I do like it here. And I’m going to miss it.”

She looks at me confused. “You’re… moving?”

I thumb to the door. “I’d better grab Bug. We have a lot to talk about.”

“You were in New York.” She stands and brushes off her jeans. “We know all about New York. Bug gives us an earful every time you go. Does this have anything to do with Hannah Montana and the extra day you spent there?”

I roll my eyes. “Hannah Montana, huh?”

“That’s what she calls the woman—or the ‘girl who’s barely older than she is’ —whenever it comes up.”

“Her name is Allie. And she’s twenty-eight.”

Her head moves from side to side as she studies me. “Ahhh. So not Oregon. New York.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Asher, the second you said her name, it was written all over your face.”

“Please don’t say anything to Mel yet. I have to tell Bug.” I sigh. “I’m just not sure how she’s going to take it.”

“Bribery works.” She climbs the porch steps. “When we told Mel we were moving across the country, we softened the blow by increasing her allowance, buying her a new gaming system, and promising to get a dog.”

“Bribery. Right.”

“Dad!” Bug comes bounding out the front door.

I hug her and she squeezes me tightly. I love that about her. While a lot of kids her age act too old to get a hug from their parents, she’s never been shy about it.

“I missed you, Bug. Sorry I had to extend by a day.”

“It’s okay. Mel and I had fun.”

She runs back inside, grabs her bag and backpack, and hugs Mel. They share a look. A conspiratorial one. And I fear I may be in for a long night.

“Where should we go for dinner?” I ask, pulling out of the driveway. “The Rainbow Room?”

She puts down her phone and stares right at me. “Why do you want to take me to my favorite restaurant? The one we only go to when it’s my birthday or other special occasion?”

“I just feel bad about leaving you so much. It was a lot easier when Aunt Marti was around, don’t you think?”

Her eyes are back on her phone and she shrugs. “The Harrells don’t mind when I stay with them.”

“I’m glad. But that doesn’t keep me from feeling guilty. Don’t you miss the times you got to stay with Aunt Marti and Charlie?”

Another shrug. “Sure, but they’ve been gone for a while now. Plus, you take me up there every few months.”

“How’s Mel feeling about Oregon? I’ll bet she’s excited to get out of the heat and humidity. It sure does get sweltering here in the summer. The idea of living somewhere where you don’t sweat the second you walk outside is kind of appealing, wouldn’t you say?”

“Never bothered me,” she says, tapping away on her phone. Probably texting or snapchatting or whatevering Mel even though we literally just left.

“So is Mel upset about moving?”

“She’s still pissed. But the idea of getting a dog is growing on her. She says she’s going to get the biggest dog there is. What do you call them, Great Danes? Those dogs are huge. Did you know their poops are bigger than human poops? We read their poops can be as big as a size fourteen shoe.”

At a stoplight, I turn and stare. “You researched Great Dane poop?”

“We researched a lot of things.”

Those two together are dangerous. On more than one occasion, Bug had enlisted Mel’s help in getting rid of the woman I’d been dating.

“Bug, is she trying to get back at her parents for moving?”

“Of course she is. Why wouldn’t she? They’re ruining her life. And mine. ”

“That’s not really fair, sweetie. Her father got transferred. It’s his job.”

“He could have found a new job.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“When you have kids, you have to do what’s in their best interest. By choosing to become a parent, you have to put their needs first. That’s what you always tell me.”

My eyes close briefly. It’s true. I do say that.

Why do I feel like this is going to go badly? I’m about to drop a lot of bombs on her. Her world is going to change. That’s not something I should tell her in a public place.

“Maybe we should just go home.”

“Home? No way. You promised me The Rainbow Room.”

“I just didn’t realize how tired I’d be after the flight. It’s been a long week.”

“Da-ad,” she says in that whiney but endearing way.

“Fine. We’ll go.”

I’ll just wait until we’re home to tell her.

~ ~ ~

“Dad, will you just say it?”

I push mashed potatoes around my plate. “Say what?”

“Whatever you came here to say. One: you never bring me here on a random Thursday. Two: you’ve never been this quiet at a meal. Ever . Three: you’re starting to freak me out. Are you sick or something?”

“Sick, no. I just may have misjudged the situation. I do have something to discuss with you, but I think it’s best we do it at home.”

Her eyes narrow to slits. “At home? As in you don’t want to tell me here because you think I’ll get mad?”

“Something like that.”

“Dad, I’m thirteen. I’m not a baby. Just tell me.”

I look around the crowded restaurant. It’s loud enough in here that any reaction she’ll have shouldn’t ruin anyone’s dinner. I’m just not sure what to start with. Moving or babies.

“Bug, sweetie, we can’t move to Oregon. It’s just too far away from most of the clients I work with. We need to stay on the East Coast.”

“ That’s what you brought me here to say?

” She shrugs nonchalantly. “Not a problem. Mel and I came up with a plan. I’m going to do homeschool high school.

That way I can go visit her all the time, like one week a month.

She swears it will be okay with her parents.

The house they’re buying even has an extra bedroom.

And you can afford the airfare, right? You get so many points or whatever because you travel all the time.

It’s the perfect solution, don’t you think? ”

“You’re not going to homeschool.”

“What if it’s in my best interest? Think about it, I wouldn’t have to worry about going into high school without a friend. And we wouldn’t have to move. I’m happy. You’re happy. Mel’s happy. Everyone’s happy.”

“Bug, I said it’s not an option.”

“You have to at least consider it. You never say no without giving things consideration.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll consider it.”

She smiles. “Good. Good talk. I know all the websites and stuff we need to make it happen and—”

“I’ll consider it, sweetie, but we’re moving.”

She looks at me. She studies me. Hard . Then she huffs loudly, drops her fork, and looks out the window. Her lips purse. She sits back in the booth and crosses her arms.

“It’s because of her isn’t it?” She looks disgusted.

“Oh my god, you’re moving us to that Podunk little town.

That’s what this is all about. The ‘it’s too hot in Florida’ and the ‘don’t you miss Aunt Marti?

’ Is that what you were doing up there all week?

Did you lie to me about going up on business? ”

I reach across the table and grab her hand, but she pulls away.

“Bug, I need you to listen. There’s more.”

Suddenly, her face turns from disgust to sadness. Her eyes become glassy. “Please please don’t tell me you’re getting married.”

“I’m not getting married. Not yet anyway. The more is that…” I’m looking into my daughter’s teary eyes, praying what I’m about to say will excite her and not destroy her. “You’re going to be a big sister.”

Her jaw drops. The tears balancing on her lashes fall. She pushes herself out of the booth and runs to the bathroom.

Fuck . I definitely should have waited.

I sit here for a while, waiting for her to return.

She needs a minute to let it all sink in.

But then ten minutes become fifteen and I begin to worry.

I settle the bill and walk past the bar to where the bathrooms are.

When a woman and child come out of the ladies’ bathroom, I peek inside and don’t see anyone around.

She must be in a stall. I knock loudly. “Bug?”

No response.

“Bug, let’s go home and talk about this.”

The woman who just left turns around. “Are you looking for the girl with the blue hair?”

“Yes. She’s my daughter.”

“She left a few minutes ago. I saw her using the Uber app on her phone.”

“Oh, Christ.”