Page 118 of If I Didn’t Have You

The smallest smile tilted my lips. “I thought maybe I’d take the mobile home and hit the road for a while.”

“And do what?”

“Not sure. Live.”

“Pop—”

“Your mother will be fine without me.”

His fists clenched hard as he stepped toward me. For a moment, I thought he might hit me, but then he took a deep breath. “She’s not fine without you. She’s depressed as hell. She doesn’t leave your chair and she’s eating herself into a carb coma.”

“What the hell is a carb coma?”

“Cookies, chips, bread. You name it. If it’s comfort food, it’s right beside your recliner in a cooler, along with wine spritzers and beer.”

“Beer? Your mother doesn’t drink beer.”

“It’s not there for her,” he bit out. “It’s like she thinks that by sitting in that chair, you’ll magically appear.”

Not that I was curious, but… “Where’s the chair?”

“In the den. Along with your old television.”

“She’s not painting anymore?”

He laughed at that. “She’s not doing anything anymore. She hasn’t left that chair other than to go to the bathroom, and Pop…it’s really starting to smell.”

My eyes crinkled with laughter at the picture he painted. Not that I wanted her to be miserable, but…

Yeah, I wanted her to be miserable. Because if she was still miserable, that meant I might still have a chance. Maybe things weren’t over between us, and there might be a way to make things work between us.

“Are you laughing?” Michael yelled.

“She’s eating Oreos, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“They were always her favorite. She’d eat a whole roll when she was pregnant with you.”

“Well, she’s eating more than a roll now. And I swear to God, I’ll deny this if you tell her, but I’m pretty sure she’s put on all the weight she lost, and then some.”

“Doesn’t matter,” I grinned. “She’s beautiful no matter what.”

“Try telling her that.” Sighing, he sat down. “Don’t make me go back there without you. She’s miserable, and none of us can fix it.”

I was definitely going back, but I couldn’t make him any guarantees. “I’m not sure she’ll take me back, but I’ll give it a try.”

“Thank God,” he sighed, flopping back on the bed. “Now I can get some sleep.”

I got up and dressed, quickly gathering my things.

“Where are you going?”

“Home. I have a woman to get back.”

“But I just got here!” he whined.

I let the door slam behind me and headed for my truck. It was time to go home.