Page 88 of Houston, We Have a Problem
“Houston?” Kit pierces me with one of his all-knowing stares.
“I think I need a distraction,” I say, feeling another panic attack coming on.
“Video games?” Kit suggests. “I warn you—you will lose.”
“I don’t care. That could be distracting enough to make it worth it.”
For the next several hours, Kit and his friends do everything they can to keep me occupied, whether it’s with video games, eating enough brownies to make me want to puke, or a terrible game of two-on-two basketball in the backyard that nearly results in several broken bones because Kit and Cam get so competitive that Ben has to act as referee and keep them from playing dirty.
I don’t think anything could actually make me forget about my complicated situation with Darcy and Tamlin, but the Wonder Boys keep it pushed to the back of my mind until Ben gets a text from his wife telling him that their girls’ night is over.
Immediately, all three of Kit’s friends say they need to return home.
I would hate it if it wasn’t clear they were all eager to see their wives.
Kit sees them out, and when it’s just the two of us left, I know my time is up. Skyler will be home soon, and they were bad enough with displays of affection when they were dating. I don’t need to experience their newly married life at home.
“I should head back before it gets too late,” I mutter, moving toward the door.
Kit steps in my way. “Uh, if you think I’m letting you drive home in this state, you don’t know me at all. Give me your keys.”
“They’re…” I have to think about it. “I think they’re still in the ignition.”
Kit rolls his eyes before heading outside to retrieve them, and I’m too tired to stop him. He’s probably right; driving home would be dangerous. When he comes back in, he holds my phone out to me and says, “Don’t ask her about things tonight. This should be a face-to-face conversation.”
He’s right, but when I see half a dozen texts from Darcy, the urge to demand she explain things is almost overwhelming.
I stuff the phone back into Kit’s hand. “What did she say?”
Though he gives me a look that says,Are you serious?,he still opens up the messages and skims through them. “She said she got back from Albuquerque earlier than she thought she would and wants to know when you’re free. Then she said something about a chipmunk being at the same rest stop and waiting for her.” He snickers a little at something he doesn’t read out loud, and then he winces. “She texted about ten minutes ago, asking when you’ll be home because she wants to talk.”
I’ve told her before that those are some of the most terrifying words in existence. Or maybe that was Tamlin. At this point, I’m all sorts of mixed up. “What am I supposed to say to her? I’m terrified to talk to her. What if I’m wrong?”
“Maybe she wants to tell you the truth.”
“Maybe she is moving out of state sooner than expected.”
“Back to Missouri?”
“What if I’m wrong?” I repeat. “Tamlin is great, she really is. But Darcy makes me feel seen. I don’t want her to leave, but I can’t help feeling like no matter what the truth is, I’m going to lose her.”
Kit puts his hand on my shoulder, and the gesture seems to steady me where I stand. “You don’t know enough to panic about this yet. And you haven’t lost her yet either. There’s a lot of power in those three letters—yet—but don’t let them control you. Use them to your advantage and keep believing everything will be okay.”
I swallow the emotion that seems ready to choke me. “How did you get so wise, Morgan?”
Kit smiles. “I have three incredible friends who married three incredible women, just like I did. I pay attention, so I’ve learned a lot by knowing them. Maybe take a page out of Micah’s book and hope for the best.” He types out a text on my phone and hits send. “I’ll give this back in the morning, but for now you should probably try to get some sleep. I’ll tell Sky to be quiet when she gets home so she doesn’t disturb you. It’ll probably be pretty late because she’s obsessed with our nephew and never wants to put him down. Hang out here for a sec, and I’ll grab you a blanket and a change of clothes.”
“Kit?” I stop him before he can head upstairs. “Thanks. You didn’t have to drop everything to help me, but I appreciate that you did.”
He smiles. “It’s what family does, Houston.”
“Your friends are really great.”
“They are,” he agrees, his smile growing. “Get some sleep. I think you’ll feel better about things in the morning.”
I really hope he’s right.
Chapter Thirty
