The Reality of Everything - Rebecca Yarros Page 0,145

a lot right now.”

“Right, and all these other parents are just going to think I’m the loser mom who can’t show up for story time Thursday, and they all know that I haven’t been here as much as I would have liked. Gossip in a small town never dies.” She pursed her lips.

“How well I know it.” That was pretty much the story of my life. “But the more you’re here, the more they get to know you, the less they’ll talk.”

She shook her head. “How does Jax do all this and still get to keep his precious career?” There was an edge of panic in her eyes.

Ugh, and there went my stupid heart with the aching again.

“Well, first, be a little easier on yourself. Jackson hasn’t been a kindergarten dad yet, so he hasn’t done all this. It’s brand-new territory. Is something else stressing you out, Claire?” The level of agitation seemed a bit unjustified.

She warred with herself for a second, then sighed. “I have an audition today, and they agreed to do it through video chat, which is pretty much unheard of. But the only time the director has is exactly when Fin gets out, and Mom has a doctor’s appointment, and Brie has some meeting, so I’m going to have to cancel it. I’m trying so hard to do both—to figure out how to be Finley’s mom and not lose my career, but…” She shook her head and looked away.

I bit my tongue and reminded myself that I couldn’t judge her for the way she’d abandoned Fin for the last five years since she was here now and obviously trying her best. “Why don’t I bring her home with me?”

Her gaze snapped to mine.

“Really. Just leave her booster at the front office, and I’ll carry her home. No big deal. It’s not like you live across the island, remember? Just come grab her when your audition is over.” I could get Fin’s opinion on the paint colors for the guest room and maybe even sneak in some shell hunting.

“I can’t ask that of you,” she protested, but there was a spark in her eye.

“Yes, you can. I love Finley. I love spending time with her, and honestly you’d be doing me a favor.” I lifted my badge. “And I’m background checked and everything.”

“But you and Jax…” She hesitated.

I suddenly wished I had his pendant around my neck instead of in the truck. “This isn’t about Jackson. It’s about Fin.”

She glanced nervously as parents snapped pictures of every conceivable “first” of the morning. “Okay. Thank you. I guess I didn’t realize it would be this hard. Or maybe I did, and that’s why I stayed away so long.”

“It’s not a problem,” I assured her. “I’m always available to help, if you’ll let me.”

She flashed a Hollywood smile, but it was tinged with a note of desperation.

I started taking Finley home every day.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Jackson

There was no such thing as a three-day weekend here, so the fact that it was Labor Day weekend made no difference to me. I sat in the operations center with my laptop, scouring the internet for the world’s most obnoxious blow-up apple for Morgan’s classroom.

Hastings rolled his eyes every time I sent him on random missions, but he never complained. The guy’s cast had been cut off last week, but he’d been denied his request to replace me down here. Honestly, I couldn’t be pissed. This was my job, and like it or not, deployments were a part of it.

A fact Morgan knew all too well, which didn’t exactly work in my favor. Once I got home and had her back in my arms, it would only be a matter of time before we went through this again. Hell, I’d be up for Lieutenant Commander in two years, so a PCS wasn’t going to be far behind.

I missed both my girls like hell, and we weren’t even halfway through this deployment. Seeing Fin’s face every morning and night was its own special form of torture. I could see her, but I couldn’t hug her, and each time the screen went black hurt my heart more than the last. I’d missed her first day of kindergarten, which was something I’d never thought I’d say.

But she’d had Claire, right?

And Morgan.

Fuck, I missed Morgan. I missed her smile and her laugh. I missed walks on the beach and the moments she’d open up. I missed waking up in the middle of the night with her body wrapped around