have hope that we’ll be able to work everything out when she completes treatment.”
“You look peaceful.”
“I am.”
Drew grins. “It looks good on you, I hope this is what y’all need, it’s what she’s needed for a long time.”
“I do too.” I rock back on my heels. “I just want to live the simple life with her.”
Drew laughs. “Nothing with us is simple, dude, you should know that by now.”
With her at my side, I can deal with the hard shit. All I need to know is she’ll be there when I wake up in the morning, right next to me.
“It’s quitting time.” I check my phone. “See ya.”
“Have fun.” Drew waves.
I’m in the car rider line five minutes before school lets out. I went to the clubhouse and borrowed Liam’s truck to pick Walker up from school, since mine is still at the house. I can’t seem to go back there, at least not yet. It’s too cold to be on the bike, and I thought maybe this kid of mine just might want to talk. Which is hard to do on a bike.
Liam picks him up from school most days if Mandy can’t make it, so I already have the little tag in the front with Walker’s name on it. I get a wary wave from the teacher doing car duty, but as Walker sees me, his eyes light up and a huge grin works its way across his face.
“What are you doing in Grandpa Liam’s truck?” He throws his bag down, pulling the seatbelt across his shoulder and buckling in.
“Thought the two of us could go have dinner tonight, and the bike is too cold, ya know?”
“Just us?” he questions, almost as if he doesn’t believe I want to hang out with him.
The tone of his voice kills me and I know immediately Mandy and I have a lot to make up to this kid.
“Just us. You get to pick where we’re going.”
His face falls quickly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He shakes his head.
“No, tell me, you were super excited before.”
“Dad, you’re not taking me out to tell me you and Mom are getting a divorce, are you?”
Fuck. Me.
“No, your mom and I are doing just fine. She wrote me a letter, and she’s doing amazing in her program. We should get to talk to her on the phone very soon.”
“Do you promise?” he asks, his tone and the wariness in his eyes let me know he doesn’t fully believe me.
Reaching across the console, I lift my finger up to his, catching his around the knuckle. “I promise, and I’ve never broken one we’ve shook on. Now have I?”
His brow furrows, obviously thinking back to all the times we’ve promised like this. There hasn’t been many, when I promise like this, I do it with the knowledge I can’t let him down. My word is my honor and I won’t make false promises to get him to trust me. Not after what I went through as a kid.
“No, you haven’t.”
“Then you know I’m serious. Now where do you want to eat?”
“Let’s get wings.”
Laughing, I turn the truck onto the main road. “You know I can’t take you into Wet Wanda’s. If your mom or grandmother finds out, I’m in deep shit.”
“But they have the best wings,” he whines.
He’s not wrong, but I won’t be ratted out by someone else.
“Choose another place, Walker. Both of us will be in deep shit. Do you want your grandma to stop making you dessert?”
He slumps slightly in his seat. “Fine. Pizza it is.”
His reaction makes me laugh, and I mock him. “Pizza it is.”
Chapter Ten
Mandy
“This is the hardest part,” I sigh, closing in on myself, wrapping my arms around my chest, seeming to hold myself together.
“Why?” Dr. Crawford asks.
“Because I have to admit what a shitty mother I’ve been to Walker. No one wants to admit when they’ve failed.” I shrug. “And I’ve failed him in a lot of ways.”
“Let’s talk about it.” She crosses her legs, getting comfortable in her chair. “Let everything out. Verbally vomit all the things you want to say to Walker. How old is he?”
“Eleven.” I grin, thinking of how he’s starting to look so much like Dalton. “This is his last year in elementary school, and next year he’ll be trying out for the middle school football team. It’s almost all he talks about.”
“Does your family have a history of sports?”
“My twin brother does, and so does Dalton, my husband. They both played football in high school, probably could