Page 104 of Totally Shipped
“Rex?”
“Rex.”
She smiles. I think she’s picturing baby Rex. Then her face shadows. “She sent me a letter, saying she had seen on TV that Rex was missing, presumed dead.”
“Does she know he’s alive now?”
“No, I didn’t want to tell Thomas about her.”
“I still don’t understand.”
“Rex’s mama, Linda, she said in her letter that she knew Rex didn’t want anything to do with her. Thomas had made that clear.”
“Thomas?”
“Linda said she’d been in touch with him many times over the years, and he always told her Rex didn’t want anything to do with her.”
What? I can’t have heard that right.
“But Meemaw, Rex thinks his mom has just always abandoned him—that’s all he knows,” I say.
“Oh, honey. I know. And now Rexie will find out his own father deliberately kept his mom away from him. I don’t know what to do, so I thought I’d tell you.” Her eyes are wide, begging me to take on her pain. “And what if Linda is not a good woman? I don’t want her in Rex’s life if she is bad. Brandi and I were worried she only got in touch because there might be insurance money for her, her being Rex’s mom and Rex dying in an accident.”
I nod. That’s possible. It’s not like she came forward after the mountain fire, when Rex could really have done with some more love.
She pats my hand. “You’ve such a head on your shoulders, dear Gray. I know you’ll figure out the right thing to do.”
It feels as though someone is reaching into my chest and pulling out my heart. It’s too much.
“I’ll take care of everything,” I choke out. She gives me a relieved smile. I’ll take this burden for her, of course I will but…
But…Fuck me. Meemaw, excuse my French, but Fuck me.
After we talk, I Rex pokes his head around the door. “You two have enough private time yet?”
I give him a tight smile and stay sitting. Moving seems like too much effort. My body is leaden.
“Sure did, honey,” Meemaw says. “Now come back here and hold my hand.”
My eyes are full of tears as Rex and I sit either side of her. We sit there through the night and in the morning she’s left us.
“Meemaw?” Rex whispers. “Are you there?”
We both know she’s not.
Rex’s hands drop limply to his sides. His eyes look heavy and swollen with tiredness and tears.
I blink a few times, keeping my own tears at bay.
The sun starts to rise on our first day without Malia Malone.
It’s time to meet Brooke. It’s weird to be meeting her for the first time. And we’ll meet Daisy’s parents.
And, potentially, Rex’s mom.
I have the name and address Meemaw gave me.
My head is going to explode. Shit.
