It is the whole liking thing that I’m having trouble with.
“Enjoying the morning view?”
I nearly drop my mug as Tessa comes barreling into my inner thoughts.
“Jesus. You scared the crap out of me.” I glance over at her teasing smile, ignoring it as I take my first sip of my now cold coffee.
She waves at Nolan who does the same, smiling wide as he does it. Ben seems to only notice me, and I try to ignore that also.
“If I were to ask you how wet you are right now, what would you say?” Tessa inquires.
“My God. Is there any topic that’s off limits to you?”
She thinks it over for a moment, twirling her hair around her finger. “Nope.”
I step away from the door and sit down on the arm of the sofa. “Why didn’t you tell me Ben has a kid?”
She shrugs once. “I told you he isn’t the same guy he used to be.”
“Just because someone isn’t the same guy, doesn’t mean they have little dimpled lookalikes running around. Did you really think that was how I’d interpret that?”
She moves to the chair next to me and slumps down in it. “I figured you’d find out eventually, especially if you give Ben a chance and actually hang out with him, Little Miss Unwilling to Let Go of the Past.”
I ignore that last dig. “Where’s the mom in all this? I’m assuming, considering what’s transpired over the past several days, she isn’t in the picture?” I take another sip of my coffee, contemplating the idea of Ben being married to someone. My stomach rolls at the thought.
“Ugh, don’t get me started on that bitch.” Tessa gathers her hair off her neck while I wait for her to elaborate. “She’s so bitter about not being with Ben that she uses that against him. They were never together. It was just a drunken hookup that she’s tried to make into something more, but because Ben isn’t interested, she gives him as little time as possible with Nolan. Shit is fucked up.”
“That’s horrible. She shouldn’t be able to keep his own son from him.”
“Yeah, well, tell that to the freaking judge that gave her primary custody. Ben still gets to see him but not nearly as much as she does. And he should definitely get him more. He’s the better parent.” She pushes to her feet and pulls her phone out of her pocket. “I’m gonna run to the hospital and drop off the transcriptions I did for Doctor Willis this week. Wanna come?”
I stand and glance once more out the sliding glass door. “Nah, I’d better give my mom a call. See how she’s doing.”
Tessa looks at me knowingly, silently communicating that she is here for me if I need her. I’ve never kept any of the details about my mom’s illness from her, and she and I spent several nights on the phone together, while she just listened to me cry.
I walk back into my room and set my coffee mug on my dresser, swapping it for my phone. After three rings, my aunt’s voice comes through the other end.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Aunt Mae. How’s everything going? How is she?”
“She’s fantastic, Mia. Here, I’ll hand her the phone.”
I wait anxiously for my mother’s voice, and after only a few short seconds, I’m rewarded with it.
“Hi, sweetheart. How are you?” Her voice is strong, and I can hear the smile behind it.
I can’t help the tears that fall down my cheeks, but I keep my voice steady. “I’m so good, Mom. I miss you, though.”
“I miss you, too. How is everyone there? Are you and Tessa staying out of trouble?”
“Yes, of course. We haven’t done anything illegal yet.”
My mom’s laughter fills the phone, a sound I went several months without hearing when she was at her worst. “And her brother? Is he behaving himself around you?”
I hesitate, not really knowing how to answer that question. “He’s… different. I don’t know. It’s strange getting used to this Ben when I was anticipating the old one.”
“Well, time changes people,” she states obviously. “It’s certainly changed you over the years. My little girl became this beautiful young lady.”
I smile and lie back on the bed, playing with the hem of my dress. “You sound really good. How is your strength? Are you eating? Are you having any more of those dizzy spells?”
“Oh, honey, I’m perfect.” More tears fill my eyes, and I sniffle quietly away from the phone. “Your aunt and I went for a walk yesterday at the park. It was too nice of a day to stay indoors. I fed some ducks for you.”
“Oh, the duck pond. I love that place.” I sit up when I hear crying coming from down the hallway. Little, dimpled look-alike crying. “Hey, Mom. Can I call you back?”
“Sweetheart, enjoy yourself. Don’t worry about me. I’m feeling great, okay?”
I swing my legs out of bed and stand up. “Okay. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
I smile and toss my phone on the bed, walking toward the cries that seem to get more hysterical the closer I get. Nolan is sitting on the kitchen counter, wrapped up
