Page 102 of To Belong Together
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Tim had been shadowing John around the house as though the next contract depended on each beat he hit and word he said. But the manager had yet to barge into John’s bedroom, so he made his way there to call Stacy.
He sat in the armchair by the windows. Like the living room, one wall of the bedroom afforded a view of the woods through tall, broad windows. Numerous paths wandered into the forest, carpeted by old needles and leaves.
He’d been putting off this call, hoping he might get more of the story from Erin herself, but he hadn’t seen her since Monday. Though she’d replied to his texts, she hadn’t called or suggested getting together.
Even if that changed, he’d rather approach the conversation with more information than he’d had last time. He’d been blindsided when Erin mentioned Nicole.
Besides, he needed peace with his sisters. He’d left the reception, but the reason he’d agreed to move back to Wisconsin when Gannon proposed the idea was to be close to family. He wouldn’t give up on them.
He prayed for wisdom and hit the button to make the call.
“John.” Stacy’s reluctance to talk came through the line as clearly as his name.
“Hey, Stace.” He hated leaving off part of her name, but Mark had said she went by the nickname, and John wasn’t out to make enemies. “You have some time?”
“Not much. I’m at work like a normal person.”
The jabs had started already. Great.
He clenched his teeth and forced out his pre-planned apology. “I never considered how having me as a brother affected you and Kate. If some bad things happened because of me, I’m sorry.”
Stacy laughed. “Bad things like what?”
“Like whatever made you and Kate go after Erin.”
“Go after her? I hardly spoke to her.”
“You seemed pretty pleased with Kate telling her I had a girlfriend.”
“Sure. You pumped Kate’s head full of doubts a week before the wedding. As far as I’m concerned, you deserved what you got.”
“Maybe, but Erin didn’t. I need to know what happened.”
“Then you’ll have to interrogate Kate.”
He repressed a growl. Kate wouldn’t return from her honeymoon until next Saturday. He’d rather have answers before then, but he sensed he’d hit a dead end with Stacy. On the Erin front, anyway. “Look, I tried to stay connected with you with the vacations and texting or calling, but I should’ve made it home more.”
“The vacations are nice. I wouldn’t mind more of those.”
“The point of them was to stay close as a family.”
“Was? You’re canceling this summer?” The anger in Stacy’s voice reminded him of Nicole’s reaction when he’d told her he wouldn’t cover the debt from her irresponsible lifestyle. A debt she’d lied to hide from him.
He rubbed his forehead. The similarities between Stacy and Nicole made him want to call off the trip to the Maldives, but if he did, his entire family, including those who truly cared about him, would be disappointed. Still, he left Stacy in suspense by not answering. “I assumed you knew you were some of the most important people in my life, but I must not have shown it as well as I thought.”
“Well, there’s the tattoo.” Skepticism dried Stacy’s voice. “Kate told me what happened at the hospital, you trying to show off that drawing she did.”
He rubbed his chest where the small stick-figure family had lived for almost a decade.
“Sounds like it was super-awkward, the way you gushed about how much you love her. Something about thinking about her all the time. Get a girlfriend already.”
That was what he got for candor. No wonder John usually kept his mouth shut. “I was trying to do just that.”
He let the silence stretch. For this to work, he couldn’t be the only one admitting to mistakes. Also, he wouldn’t apologize for whatever “super-awkward” speech he may or may not have given while recovering from head trauma. He did love his family, which was why he had the tattoo. If knowing he cared made his sisters squeamish, so be it.
“Erin was mad, I take it,” Stacy finally said.
