Page 39 of Seizing Mack
Weird. Yeah. More like a sucker punch to the gut.
Nick wished Brandon a good night, then got into his car and drove back to his place, feeling stunned by the unexpected turn of events. He tried to wrap his mind around it, but wasn’t having much luck.
Liz wasmarried.
And she’dgiven his car away. His car. Hisbaby.
Had Liz even tried to reach him? Or had she written him out of her life, given up on him completely?
He couldn’t blame her if she had. The tragedy all those years ago must have been hard on them, too. He’d left, but his family had had to deal with the daily reminders. Liz had once told him that yeah, he’d lost Annie, but she and their parents had losthimbecause of what happened, and that hurt, too.
He hadn’t fully understood what she’d been saying then. They hadn’t lost him. He was still alive, even if he wasn’t part of their day-to-day lives. Liz understood that he needed time and space, at least at first. She kept those early communications short and sweet. Wishing him a happy birthday. Reminding him of their parents’ anniversary. Letting him know they’d sold the house and were retiring to Florida.
He should have responded beyond the obligatory annual birthday and anniversary wishes.
At first, it had been too painful, each card, letter, and text reminding him of what he’d lost. Then he’d thrown himself into his job, working sixteen-hour days and thinking of little else. After a while, Liz stopped calling and writing altogether.
It begged the question, what else didn’t he know?
The kid — Brandon — had given him Liz’s cell number to substantiate his story, but there was no doubt in Nick’s mind that the kid was telling the truth.
The microwave dinged, letting him know that his dinner was ready. As he sat at the counter with his reheated takeout, Nick thumbed his phone and sighed. He wasn’t going to call Liz. Not when she was on herhoneymoon. Nick had waited more than ten years to have this conversation; he could wait another month and a half. Besides, he wasn’t planning on going anywhere.
Instead, another face came to mind. His thumb tapped out a text message. “You there?”
