“I’ll see you tomorrow. But if you need—,”
“I won’t. Good night, Trey,” I whisper and quickly exit the car. I rush to the door as fast as I can, shutting it as though some stranger is chasing me.
“What the hell is that all about?” Holly asks, wiping her hands on the dishtowel. Chloe and Tara are running around, screaming and laughing. When I enter the family room, I release a relieved breath that Drew is asleep in Uncle Clyde’s arms.
“Where are Caden’s parents?” I ask, since there’s no sign of them anywhere.
“I sent them to the hotel.” Aunt Holly finishes loading the dishwasher. “And now, it’s bath time,” she pretends to chase after the girls, and they squeal up the stairs. “You,” she points to me, “stay,” she instructs and points to the couch.
Uncle Clyde gives me a tight smile, and I solemnly walk toward him, finally figuring out why Trey was my only option for a ride home tonight. I’m about to take Drew from his arms when he shakes his head and nods toward the seat on the couch. I don’t think I’ve sat down for more than five minutes all day, and I’m antsy without a child to hold or a task to complete. “Where’s Trey?” he asks casually, like he knows nothing of the break-up.
“On his way home, I assume,” I answer, fidgeting with my fingers.
“Why?” he arches his eyebrow, and I bite the inside of my cheek.
“Give it up, Uncle Clyde. I know you know.” I roll my eyes with irritation.
“Watch it, I’m still your elder,” he jokingly warns. “Stop being stubborn,” he tells me, and I curl my legs up under me on the couch. The sound of small footsteps running along the hallway has me thinking I should be up there instead of here. “Holly can take care of them,” he informs me and widens his eyes anticipating my answer.
“You know as well as I do that he doesn’t need us in his life.” Uncle Clyde and I have always had a close relationship. I still remember asking him question after question about my parents. With him being my mom’s brother, I would dig into their past growing up and my parents’ marriage. A pre-teen in the mountains of Colorado for an entire summer with no friends, can be much like a game of This Was Your Life. He always took my interrogations with ease and finesse, weaving in and out of certain topics only divulging necessary bits of information.
“True,” he nods his head with agreement. My head zips up, and his smiling face looks my way. “He doesn’t need an instant family. He just graduated, and now his girlfriend just became a guardian of three kids. Can you imagine what he must be thinking?” I’m not sure where exactly Uncle Clyde is going with this, but I remain quiet, waiting for the ‘aha’ moment. “What? That’s all I have.” He stands up and rocks Drew in his arms. “Time to get this little guy to bed.” He stands in front of me, and my vision follows him until he disappears out of my peripheral sight. “But, Kailey, remember, sometimes you want things you don’t necessarily need. From what I see, Trey definitely wants not only you, but these three kids.”
His thumping footsteps go upstairs and after ten minutes the house rests. No more little footsteps scurrying across the floor or laugher bellowing down the hall. Just silence. I turn on the television, needing the noise of distraction. Yukon Men is on, it’s a show Trey got me addicted to, and I half wonder if he’s watching it now too. Allowing myself to forget my life and live in someone else’s for just sixty minutes, I grab a pillow and lay down.
The clattering of pots and pans wake me the next morning. The television shut off and a blanket over my body, has me thanking Aunt Holly. Then my heartbeat increases. The kids. I quickly stand up and am about to run upstairs when Holly is smiling my way as she whisks eggs. “Relax and have a cup of coffee,” she says motioning with her hands.
“Chloe. Did she wake up? Have a nightmare?” I’m practically breathless from the anxiety.
“She did wake up, but I was able to ease her back down. It was only once.”
“Thank you. I guess I was more tired than I thought,” I place my head in my hands, staring down at my cup of coffee.
“Well, if you’d let your boyfriend help out, you’d be more rested,” she smirks my way and turns her attention back to the stove. Fluffy pancakes cook on a skillet and bacon sizzles in the oven.
“I don’t need the lecture from you too,” I prop my head in my one hand, bringing the warm delicious coffee to my lips.
“Kailey, he loves you. Anyone can see that. I know you can too,” she says, flipping a few pancakes and then pouring the eggs into the hot pan.
“It’s not about if he loves me,” I’m finally going to reveal my biggest fear. Something only Jen would have known.
“What then? I don’t want to hear the bullshit about not tying him down.”
“Of course it’s that. He deserves to live a happy life, have a family of his own someday,” I start explaining. “I made a mistake in Colorado. I should’ve fought him, not let him pursue me. I should’ve squashed it immediately. Then he wouldn’t be in this compromising position. He’d be free, living his life without this drama and heavy responsibility.”
“Why didn’t you?” This is not the question I thought would come out of Aunt Holly’s mouth.
“I had liked him for too long, and then suddenly he starts telling me he wants to date me. You know that one guy in high school that you just can’t stop staring at? The one who makes your body shiver with goose bumps just from the sound of his voice? The one you secretly hope to be seated next to or partnered up with in Biology class? The one that you hope one day notices you and falls madly in love with you for ever and ever?” I don’t know if I’ve ever been this honest with anyone about my infatuation with Trey before he knew I existed.
“Doesn’t everyone have that one crush? But it doesn’t mean that it can’t come true. That the prince can’t open his eyes one day to find out his Juliette has patiently been waiting for him.” She mixes up her fairytales, but I understand her meaning. God, I love Trey with every beat of my heart, and that’s why I won’t let him pay for my mistake.
“No, it’s just a fairytale. There’s a reason he never noticed me before. I was just a conquest he tried to conquer and now he’s mistaking it for love.” I can practically feel the coldness of the lies I’m spouting, but it will get me through today. If I can escape the funeral without Trey coming home with me, he has a chance, an opportunity to escape us and find his own life.
“Aw, sweetie, you obviously see a very different man than I do then,” she says, giving me a weak smile and turning her complete attention to the stove.
I’m shocked she actually lets the subject rest, that’s never been her way. Eventually, the girls come downstairs, sleepy eyed and tired. No doubt from their late night. Usually we’re stricter with the bedtimes, but we’re all in uncharted territory.
Chloe sits in her chair while Tara climbs into my lap. My fingers run through Tara’s hair cut in a short bob, similar to Jen. Their resemblance is uncanny. My heart aches for my sister. I already miss her, and it’s only been a few days. Since Tara is nuzzling up to me, pushing her head in the crock of my neck, I know she’s missing her too. The kitchen quiets and even the charismatic Chloe is silent and solemn. Aunt Holly flitters around, placing food filled plates on the table, grabbing the margarine out of the refrigerator, and opening drawers and cabinets for silverware and plates, stacking them on the table. “Don’t just sit there, set the table,” she demands, and Chloe and I start placing plates and silverware out. Tara jumps off my lap and turns on the television, sitting down in her Dora pillow chair.
“Look who woke up?” Uncle Clyde comes downstairs with Drew his arms. I’m surprised to see how fitting of a father he is, since he and Holly never had children of their own. Drew squirms out of his arms and after Uncle Clyde lets him down, he waddles into the room with Tara. Standing up, Uncle Clyde hugs me. “Did you do any thinking last night?” he asks.