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Grant shut me out. He thought Violet was right, so what could I do?
I pulled into the drive, parking my bike, then trudged into the house. I hoped Bethany and Violet were still at dinner; the last thing I wanted to do was talk about what had just gone down.
The door was still closed. At least that was good news; they were still out.
I scurried to my bedroom, shoved all Violet’s shit back into her suitcase, zipped it shut, and slammed it into Bethany’s room. She could deal with her tonight, I didn’t even care. Beth would get over it.
I needed a shower, but I didn’t want to risk running into them if they came home soon. So I settled for just throwing on my pjs and brushing my teeth. Afterwards, I changed my sheets (Violet’s signature scent was apparently eau de summer camp), then crawled into my bed, curling up into a tight ball and crying myself to sleep.
Grant
After the argument with Lana, I was in a pissy mood. I tried not to take it out on Huddy, but it was so damn hard. I read him one bedtime story and tucked him in, but then he asked for water thirteen times and I lost my patience.
“I’m sorry, bud, I didn’t mean to yell. You shouldn’t have any more water, though,” I said in a firm voice.
“It’s okay, Daddy,” he said, muffling into his pillow. Then he sniffed.
Shit.I’d made everyone cry today.
I sat on the edge of his bed and rubbed his back, like I did every time he had trouble sleeping.
“What’s wrong, bud? Why can’t you sleep?”
“I miss Lana.”
My chest squeezed, my throat thick. “Didn’t you see her today at lessons?”
“Yes,” he whispered.
“So why do you miss her now? You’ll see her tomorrow.”
“I heard you yelling at her, Daddy.”
“What?” I asked, frowning down at him. “When?”
“After my bath. I ran out to say hi to you and I heard you guys fighting.”
My heart sank, my mind reeling.How had he heard us? I thought we were quiet.I swallowed hard over the lump in my throat.
“I’m sorry you heard that, bud. Lana and I are still friends, though. It’s okay.” I brushed his damp hair out of his face.
“But I want her to be my mommy.” He sniffled, a fat tear rolling down his cheek.
“Huddy,” I said in a strangled voice, barely catching enough air to breathe. “You have a mommy. She’s not here, but she still loves you.”
“No she doesn’t, Daddy,” he said, shaking his head. “But Lana does. And she loves you. We could be a real family.”
His words twisted in my gut like a sharp knife.
“Buddy, sometimes even though things feel right, they’re not right for everybody. Lana needs to be free to do what she wants.”
“But she said she wants to be with you. Why didn’t you listen to her?”
I froze, a hard realization slowly sinking into my thick skull. Lana had said thatandshowed that, and still I listened to her mother.
“Huddy, I think I messed up.”
Hudson sat up, his eyes wide. “Are you going to call Lana?”
