Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 125135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Holden: Okay. Have a good day.
Her response was a smiley face, a damn emoji.
Over the next few days, I spent a ridiculous number of hours contemplating how I should handle things. I bounced back and forth between professing my undying love and making her life easier by being the one to formally break things off so she could have her freedom. My head was a fucking wreck. The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to do the right thing by Lala, not make things harder on her.
In the end, I decided I needed to see her in person to figure out what that right thing was. So I drove up a day early without telling her, hoping that catching her off guard would help me make the decision. I wanted to see how she reacted when she opened the door after not seeing each other for three full weeks.
My heart started to pound when I pulled up in front of her apartment Friday evening. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead and upper lip as I walked up the path, though it wasn’t the slightest bit warm out. Standing at her door, I wiped my hands on my pants and took a deep breath.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
But it wasn’t Lala who opened.
It was…her mother.
I tried to hide my disappointment and act polite. “Oh. Hey, Mrs. E.”
“Holden? Laney didn’t mention you were coming.”
I shoved my hands into my jeans pockets. “That’s probably because she doesn’t know. I thought I’d surprise her.”
“Oh. Well, she’s not home right now. I’m waiting for a delivery that was supposed to come earlier this afternoon, but the shipping company got a flat tire and said they were going to be a few hours late.”
“Is Lala still at work?”
Mrs. E shook her head. “She had a doctor’s appointment and then some errands to run.”
“Oh. Okay.” I forced a smile. “So much for surprises. But I’m glad I got to see you, Mrs. E. You look great.”
“Would you…want to come in for a cup of tea, maybe? It’ll probably be a few hours before Laney is back, but perhaps we could catch up for a few minutes?”
“Sure. Of course.”
I’d practically lived at the Ellison’s house when I was a kid. Yet I suddenly felt awkward. That might’ve had something to do with being certain she’d invited me in to tell me to keep the hell away from her daughter.
We made small talk as she filled the teapot and got everything ready, and I did my best not to sweat rings under the armpits of my shirt.
“Here we go…” Mrs. E set two mugs down on the kitchen table and took the seat across from me. She smiled warmly. “My husband said he might stop by to keep me company. So we might not have too long with just the two of us. I hope you won’t mind if I speak candidly and don’t beat around the bush.”
Fuck. Here it comes. I swallowed and nodded. “Of course. We go way back, Mrs. E. Say whatever is on your mind.”
“Thank you, Holden.” She cleared her throat. “I’m not usually one to meddle. But I know you have feelings for my daughter. And I also know how close you and my son were.”
I looked down, ashamed. “I’m really sorry, Mrs. E. I know Ryan would want to kill me if he was here. And I also know I’m not a parent’s ideal pick as boyfriend material.” I shook my head. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. I swear, I didn’t.”
Mrs. E reached across the table and patted my hand. “I want to tell you a story. I’m not sure if you’ll remember this or not, but about a week before Ryan died, he started sleeping on the couch downstairs. He was too weak to go up to his room.”
My heart felt heavy as I nodded. “I remember.”
“Well, this one day in particular, you were over, and Ryan had fallen asleep on the couch. Laney was outside raking the leaves on the front lawn, and you went out to help her. At least that’s what you said you were going to do.” Mrs. E smiled fondly. “But when you got out there, you scooped up a big bunch of leaves and threw them at Laney. The two of you had a leaf fight on the lawn. You chased each other around for the better part of an hour, laughing nonstop like two schoolkids.”
I smiled. “I remember that day.”
“What I don’t think you know is that Ryan woke up in the middle of the leaf fight. He was thirsty and went into the kitchen. I’d been folding laundry in the other room, and I came in to find him watching you and Laney through the window.” She turned to stare out Laney’s kitchen window and covered her heart with her hand. “The smile on his face as he watched was as big as the ones you two wore. And you know what he said?”