Page 97 of It's Always Us

He nods, taking another bite. “You’re going back with him?”

“Mark and I need time, and I can’t sit around drooling over what the guys are working on.”

Grandpa takes a sip of his drink. “Pal, I want you here, and I’ll miss you like crazy, but this is what you’ve waited for. Don’t waste it. I want you to be happy.”

A burn rises in my throat, and I swallow it down. “I’ll be back for my next doctor’s appointment, but I need you to check in on Bree and make sure—”

He holds up his hand. “I’ve got it. Maybe I can bring her to the garage. I’ve got a lot to teach her.”

“After tonight, I need you to—”

He pulls his sandwich away, cutting me off. “It’s time for you to let this go and finally live your life. I’ll make the rounds.”

I smile, knowing if there’s anyone I trust with this, it’s this old stubborn fart.

“Have you told him you’re infiltrating his space?” He lifts his sandwich and takes another bite. I shake my head. “That boy could use some good news.”

I smile. “I’ve gotta go.” I stand, needing to find my phone, but pause before heading upstairs. “I’m going to miss you like crazy, too.”

I leave him to his obnoxiously loud newscast while I break the big news one more time to a woman who once needed help. She needed help, and it changed everything.

I find my phone on the floor at the bottom of my bed. I scoop it up. I glance at the time, noticing I’m going to be late.

SEXY BABIES’ DADDY: Tomorrow. Noon. *Airplane emoji*

My stomach leaps into a flip thinking about spending the weekend with Mark and telling him I’m going back to Phoenix for a while. The flip-flop is followed by a swell of nerves that ripple through me. Being with Mark this weekend will be one thing. Having all eyes on me will be another.

ME: **Kissy face emoji**

I shove my phone in my back pocket, along with my anxiety. I have somewhere I need to be and a more pressing matter to deal with. A little matter that had major consequences and maybe still does. It’s like a swirling whirlpool that’s churned for years and has the power to spin out of control and pull the weak under.

I made a choice, and even now, looking back, I wouldn’t change it. I close my eyes, reliving the moment I stood in the stands, watching Mark celebrate his first college win. Tears ran down my cheeks, everything in me wanting to slide over the rail and onto the field. I wanted to run to him. To hug him and kiss him and let him know I was there. I wanted him to know I’d always be there, but I didn’t. I couldn’t so that he could be free.

SEXY BABIES’ DADDY: Voice Message:Just so you know, there will be a whole lot of that happening this weekend.

Excitement and anticipation for my trip are overshadowed by restlessness and worry about what lies before me this evening. I used the ten-minute drive to pull myself together. Taking a big, deep breath, I barely have a chance to knock when the door swings open.

“Alex!” Bree’s arms fly around me, and she hugs me tight only for a second before she steps back, her little brow scrunched. She doesn’t say anything as she tries to comprehend what’s different. I bite my lip to keep from smiling. The bubbly, confident little girl is now speechless, her mouth hanging open.

“Ummm . . . ” Her eyes light up with wonder.

“Hi. Can I come in?” I ask as she continues to study me.

She moves back inside, and I follow as she closes the door. I survey the small space, ensuring things are as they should be.

“Mom, Alex is here,” Bree yells like she’s looking for backup.

Linda appears, pulling down the hem of a fuzzy sweater. “Sorry, I just got home. I’m running—”

She stops mid-sentence, staring at me in my new clothes. A plain heather gray shirt with extra room in the middle to stretch over my bump and an old flannel hanging open over the top. Thanks to Krissy, I now have jeans that fit, and when I put them on, I realized I was an idiot for waiting so long.

“So . . . ” The two ladies stare at me. “I have some news.”

“Looks like it.” Linda’s dark, colored-in eyebrows raise, and she smiles softly.

“I uh . . . I guess I should start with a couple of months ago, I got married.”

Bree’s eyes bug out. “You did?!” She bounces on her toes, clasping her hands together.

---