“She left, Greg. I was changing Nate, and she and Izzy were downstairs. Gone for five minutes but when I got back down, she was already gone. Izzy won’t tell me where she went because she said she just needs this time. Fuck, I’m sorry.”
“She’s gone?” I question.
“She’s gone.” With each word, the hope I have been hanging on to is slowly dying. “She didn’t have her car here, so I think it would be a safe bet that one of the other girls has her. Didn’t hear that from me though. I have to live with one of them and I would prefer to be whole. Check in, yeah?”
I don’t know if I answered him. I might have, but when the dial tone’s beep meets my ears, I wake up and disconnect the line. I sit there even longer wondering what the hell I’m supposed to do now.
I look back at the book sitting on the coffee table and wish that love was as easy as it is in romance books. Sure as shit would make what I am feeling right now a little bit easier if I know there is a happy ending right around the corner. Even the dude on the cover seemed to be mocking me. Looking at me like I should have known better than to even try to keep something from the woman I love. Fuck me, but I should have. I am getting ready to get up when I notice the title, Withstanding Me by Crystal Spears. Oh, irony . . . you really are a douchebag.
*
I make it about thirty minutes before I am in the truck and heading to Lilly’s house. I’m not even expecting Melissa to be there but I need to speak with someone that’s not attached to me as a friend. I need someone on her side that will understand her.
Since it is Tuesday and Cohen spends his mornings at a daycare center for some interaction with other children, I know it will be easier to have a chat with Lilly. I just hope like hell that she doesn’t hate me when I finish laying it all out there.
“Greg? What are you doing here, honey?” Her smile is bright when she answers my knock, but as soon as she sees my face her smile drops and she wavers slightly before grabbing her chest. “Meli-Kate? Oh Lord, is my baby okay?”
“What? Oh God, Lilly . . . I’m sorry. I didn’t even think what it would look like just showing up. She’s okay. I just needed to talk.”
“Oh, thank God. Sure thing, darling. Just come on in and let me get the laundry switched over.”
I follow her down the short hallway and have a seat at the kitchen table. She brings in a load of towels and sits with a smile. “Alright, lay it out honey. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“I don’t even know where to start.”
“In my experience, the best place is always the beginning,” she says softly and pats my leg.
So, I do. I start from the beginning and tell her about Grace, how I dealt with Grace’s death, starting the business, Izzy and her issues, and finally Melissa. Never once does she look at me with disgust. She sits there patiently listening to me lay it all out and just folds her towels. I expect her to kick me out when I tell her about how I knew Simon, but she just nods her head and continues folding. Finally, when I finish, I sit back and wait for it. Surely, she wouldn’t want a piece of shit like me around her daughter.
“You have a good heart, Greg. I knew that the second you walked in the door with Cohen on your shoulders and a big smile on your face. Never once in the last month have I worried about Meli-Kate. Seems like all I’ve done since I lost my Sofia was worry about that girl. She wasn’t happy and she didn’t live. I saw her happiness come back when she met you. So I might not understand completely why you didn’t just tell her in the beginning, but I know you didn’t mean to hurt my baby.”
“No ma’am, I would rather cut off my own arm than ever hurt her, but that’s what I did anyway. Trying not to hurt her, I did and now I have no idea if it can be fixed.”
“Sweet child, true love can always be fixed. When you love someone as much as you and my Meli-Kate love each other, there isn’t a single mountain in the world too high to climb when things need to be fixed.”
I take a deep breath and try to control the turbulence that is wreaking havoc on my body. “I can’t lose her.” And it is as simple as that. Losing her would be unimaginable.
“And you won’t, dear. She needs time to process this. I know my girl, she is hurting, but she is staying away because she needs to figure out her head. Her heart will fix her quick and she’ll be ready to talk.”
For the first time since Axel’s call this morning, I have a small feeling that maybe there is some hope and it will be okay. At this point, I have to believe that, because if Lilly isn’t right, I don’t know what I’ll do.