Page 86 of His Greatest Treasure

After spending an hour curling my hair, I made sure to unplug the cord from the wall and sent a selfie of it and me to him with a message that I hoped made him smile when his shift ended.

Me: Proud of me yet? No fire today.

“Does Oliver even get nervous?” I ask Gracie.

Nova bounces down the stairs, her backpack weighing heavy on her shoulders with the amount of clothes she packed for a one-night stay.

“He said he gets nervous at work,” Nova says.

I arch a brow. “When did he do that?”

“When he braided my hair. He said football makes Jamie nervous too.”

“Oh,” I whisper, remembering that night and the way I nearly burst into tears when Nova thanked him and kissed his forehead. “That was nice of him to share that with you.”

“Yeah. I like him. He’s really nice.”

Gracie laughs softly and opens the back seat of her car. The booster seat already installed draws my attention. It’s not the same one that Oliver transferred over the night she drove us home.

“Did you go out and buy a new booster seat, Gracie?”

“Who, me? Of course I did. My son needs his in the SUV, especially if you’re going to be driving it. I hope it’s an alright brand—things have changed since I had to have boosters for the boys. Tyler just went into the store and asked for the best one . . .” She takes Nova’s backpack and sets it on the middle seat. “Speaking of driving Oliver’s SUV, have you heard anything from the insurance company on your car? Or the shop?”

Nova practically dives into the car and settles into the seat before doing the seat belt up herself. Gracie double-checks it before leaning back and looking at me.

I sigh. “They’re still investigating. It’s only been a few days, so I expect it’ll be weeks before I know anything. My car’s totalled, though. I’ve told the shop to junk it.”

RIP, bumper stickers. You will be missed.

“The man responsible for this should have to pay out of pocket. Leaving a mother without a car and a way to get around? Absolutely ridiculous,” she hisses.

“I’ll make do. I didn’t have a car when I first got to Canada either.”

Gracie frowns, her eyes filling with guilt. “Things are very different now for you than they were then. Not a single one of us did right by you when you moved here?—”

With a shake of my head, I cut her off before she can apologize further. “I didn’tletanyone help me. Didn’t want it. What were you supposed to do when I refused to answer everyone’s calls and kept myself hidden? Even if you had forced my location out of my parents and shown up outside of my house, I still would have turned you away. I wanted to do everything on my own. It was a choice I made and am trying to learn from.”

“I should have tried harder. I’ve always taught my boys to fight for what they believe in and those they care about, and I should have pushed. It makes me sick to think of everything you’ve had to do on your own and the toll it must have taken on you. Raising a child is hard enough with a million people in your corner helping every day, but with no one? Oh, honey. I’m just sorry we weren’t there for you.”

I shrug a shoulder, playing off the sudden ache in my chest at the reminder of long, sleepless nights and silent shower cries with a newborn tucked in a bouncer outside of the tub.

“You’re all here now.”

Her frown tugs up the slightest bit. “Yeah, sweetheart. We are. And I know Matt and Morgan were there for you as much as they could be. I’m just . . . It’s menopause, I think. I’m a mess.”

“They were the most supportive parents ever. The amount of money they spent flying here over the first few months after I had Nova could have probably bought them a second house in cash. I wasn’t ever truly alone.”

“Good. Good, Avery.” She nods, swiping a thumb beneath her eyes. “I should get a move on before my son shows up and sees you in that dress. You look phenomenal. He’s going to lose his mind.”

“You think so? It’s been a while since I’ve dressed up like this.” Doubt seeps into my tone despite my best efforts to keep it hidden.

Gracie closes the back seat and holds me by the arms, her touch a comfort. “You’re going to, as Jamie says, rock his shit, Avery.”

My laugh comes from deep in my gut. I roll my glossy lips together and hug Oliver’s mom, wishing for a heartbeat that it was my mom here instead.

“Thank you, Gracie. For this and for watching Nova. She’s been so excited about the sleepover since I told her about it.”

She pulls back but keeps me close with her hold on my elbows. “Anytime, sweetheart. I mean that. Anytime. Not only just when Oliver pulls you both out of the house, but if you’re ever needing a break. You hear me?”

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