Ripped - Cassia Leo Page 0,26
Locke seems to be ready to assume the throne the minute my dad checks out.
Parker Construction doesn’t usually do home renovations, unless it’s a family project. And the downside to that is that my dad still has to prioritize his manpower for the important government projects. That means sometimes our little bedroom addition project gets sidelined so he can send his guys out on a real job. But my dad has been generous with us, so I don’t complain. We’re only paying for labor and materials, so we’re saving about forty grand right there. Plus, I know that the job is getting done right because my dad won’t allow his guys to cut any corners where his grandchildren are involved.
My mom answers the house phone. “Adam, honey, are you home already?”
I can picture my mom standing next to the kitchen counter, her perfectly curled light-brown hair and the same green eyes as me sparkling with the usual mischief.
“No, I’m stuck at DFW for the night. My flight got canceled because of Hurricane Ingrid. It’s screwing up all the flights to the Southeast right now.”
“Yes, I heard about that on NPR this morning. Well, I hope they get you out here nice and early tomorrow. I went by to see the girls a few days ago and they are just going bananas without you there.”
“Yeah, Lindsay mentioned that,” I reply, trying not to sound annoyed that I’m getting guilt-tripped from multiple people now. “Is Dad around? I need to talk to him about the project.”
“Is everything all right?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I want to talk to him.”
“No, honey, I’m not talking about the project. I’m asking if everything is all right with you and the girls. You sure changed the subject awful quick there.”
I heave a deep sigh as I lie back on the hotel bed. “Lindsay wants me to retire. This might be my final WSL tour.”
“Oh, I see,” she says, her sweet southern accent turning a bit sour. “Is that what you want?”
“I have twins on the way and Kaia’s in private school now. The girls can’t travel with me anymore. They need me there.”
“Adam David Parker, you didn’t answer my question. Do you want to retire or not?”
I shake my head as I stare at the plain colorless ceiling from where I lie on the plain colorless bed thinking about my plain colorless post-surfing life. “I don’t know. I mean… No, I don’t want to retire. I want to ride this wave for as long as I can.”
“Then that’s what you should do. You won’t be a good father, or a good example, to your daughters if you’re miserable.”
“It’s not that simple. Lindsay needs me around. You said it yourself, the girls go crazy when I’m not there. And I didn’t marry Lindsay just to turn her into a single mother to four kids. What kind of man would I be if I did that?”
She huffs at this question. “I think she’s expecting too much of you at a time in your life when you need more from her. This is your dream, Adam. You’ve worked your entire life for this. She should support you. That’s part of being an equal partner in a marriage.”
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Is Dad there?”
“Think about it,” she says before she hands the phone to my dad.
“What are you on about now, Margaret?” my father says, still addressing my mom as he brings the phone to his ear.
I smile as I hear her in the background telling him to mind his own business. “Hey, Dad. How’s it going?”
My dad groans. “Oh, you know, just trying to keep the world from falling apart one day at a time. We had to take Ernesto and John off your project and put them on the VA hospital reno. Some problems with the nurse call system got them behind and now they need to double up on labor to get back on track. But I’ll have Jen call the union and see if they can reactivate a few guys. We’ll get them back to work at your place soon. Is everything okay in Mila’s room? I don’t want my girl in that room until it’s 100 percent up to code.”
“I’m actually not home yet. I’m stuck at DFW. Just calling to check in and see how everything’s going.”
“Ah, I see. Well, don’t you worry ’bout a thing, son. We’ll get this project completed by the time those babies take their first