Page 74 of When I'm Gone

They’ve officially lost me. “What now?” I ask

Easton drops his head to my shoulder, and I can feel his smile. “Every time a fortunate child whines, an angel sobs with heartbreak,” he recites. “I’d forgotten about that.”

Brady snorts. “I don’t know how. Mom used to say it to you a hundred times a day.”

“Is that a thing? Because I’ve certainly never heard it.”

Easton hums. “Just our mother’s way of guilt-tripping me when I’d cry is all. She made it up.”

“Sounds like her.” Brady sighs.

We’re getting off track here. “Did you really get the best score today?”

He snuggles a little deeper into my side. “So they tell me.”

I press a kiss into his fine hair. “I can’t say I’m surprised, but I’m so happy for you. You’re going to crush the GED exam.”

Brady whoops in agreement. “Yeah, you are.”

“So embarrassing.”

I shake my head fondly. “You’re not wrong, but maybe we should let him have his fun.”

“Yeah, let me have my fun. I’m proud of you.”

I’d bet money Easton is beet red with all this positive attention, but he deserves it. Ever since his prep class started, he’s been walking to the community center that’s hosting it every day since it’s during the workday. He has made a couple of friends and gotten familiar with the neighborhood well enough that he’s taken up running while Brady and I have been busy, which puts my mind at ease knowing he’s not holing up in the house with only me to talk to. To top it off, he’s really been putting the work in to make sure he’s ready when it comes time for his exam.

He’s really blossoming here, and it makes me so happy I can barely stand it.

I was worried that he’d be as miserable in Washington as he has been everywhere else he’s lived, but I’m seeing a whole new side of him instead.

Easton takes every opportunity to blow me out of the water with his strength and resilience. He is so determined to end up better off after all he’s been through, and make sure that he doesn’t lose himself again.

“You know,” Brady hedges. “I’ve been thinking about something.”

“Does it hurt?”

Easton glares at me playfully, dimple on full displaybetraying his eyes. “Fuck off. So anyway. Mom has been extra stalker-ish since my birthday and she’s not cooling down. But maybe if I send one of these burner numbers a selfie of us, she’ll see that and leave me alone.”

My Chaos chews on his bottom lip thoughtfully. “She really bothers you? I guess I thought you were exaggerating.”

Brady makes a noise. “I wish I was. She’s persistent.”

I’d argue for the need of a straightjacket. That woman is a danger to others if I’ve ever seen it. It’s the one issue Brady and I can never talk about properly. Personally, I’d just change my number and forget the whack-job ever existed. He is hung up on that she has to be the one to give this shit up. Let him go, instead of the other way around. One would assume that after four years without so much of a word from her oldest child, she would have, and one would be dead wrong.

Time is only making her crazier. She insists that Brady needs to move home, back into her house and everything will be okay again. Charles Darwin would have a fucking heyday with some of the shit I’ve seen on his phone from that woman. Talking about her sweet, handsome boy. How no one can love him like her—I sure hope not—and that he needs to turn away from his life of sin and embrace the lord again.

I suppress a shiver. I don’t hate many people, but I hate Tiffany Callaghan with a passion that would rival hell itself.

“Do you really think it would help?” Easton asks quietly.

He’s silent for a couple of heartbeats. “She needs to know that I stand by walking out after you four years ago, and I don’t want to call her and have to get into it. She’s vicious. This is the only way I can think of that will make my point.”

“So let’s do it,” he says.

There’s a few moments of fumbling while Brady fishes hisphone out and they get situated before, “Smile, Ace. Look like you love us.”

I do,I think before I can help it.

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