My Way to You: A Second Chance Romance (Love in Everton Book 7)

by Fabiola Francisco

  I tug my hair and shake my head. This is crap. “Thanks,” I throw out before turning around and leaving the store. So much fucking security for no reason. I should talk to his manager, but I have a feeling I’ll be told the same thing.

  Heading back to the house, I change into shorts and a t-shirt. I tie my sneakers and go out for a run. I need to burn some of this stress, and sitting in the empty house won’t help at all.

  My lungs burn as I push myself further, running a loop around our neighborhood and a nearby park. By the time I return home, I have time to shower, grab lunch, and pick up my mom from her last class. I don’t want her to feel as if she’s a child, but she’s slipping on payments, and I need to make sure that she’s okay. She can say she is all she wants, but something isn’t right.

  …

  On the drive home, my mom tells me about her day. I’ve been biding my time until we get home, so I can talk to her where I can give her my undivided attention. Taking a deep breath, I turn to her before she gets out of the car. “I want to talk to you.”

  “What’s going on?” She eyes me suspiciously.

  “Let’s go inside.” I step out of the car and unlock the front door, and motion for her to walk inside. When my mom turns around, she looks at me with furrowed eyebrows.

  “Come on.” I take her hand and sit on the sofa. “I turned the TV on today, and it was disconnected. When I went to the store to ask them why, all they could tell me was that the error code on the screen meant the cable hadn’t been paid. I tried to pay, but they wouldn’t let me since you weren’t present and I’m not authorized on the account. What’s going on, Mom? This is unusual.”

  I hold her hands, smiling. I hope she’ll tell me what’s going through her mind.

  “It’s nothing. I just never watch TV, so I figured I didn’t need cable.” She waves me off, looking away from me.

  “Mom,” I squeeze her hand and wait for her eyes to meet mine. “Talk to me. It’s why I’m here. I want to help you, but I can’t if you shut me out.”

  She sighs, her shoulders tensing. “I’m fine, really…” her throat clogs with emotion.

  “Mom…” I hug her. “It’s okay.” She wraps her arms around me, and I feel the moisture from her tears wetting my shirt. I lean back to look at her. “I miss him, too.” I smile softly.

  “It’s so much harder than I thought,” she admits. “Your dad… He used to help me so much around the house while I taught. He’d pay the bills, know what day each one was due. He’d keep this house together while I went and worked on my dreams.” She wipes under her eyes.

  “Now, I’m doing it all alone, and it feels like too much to handle.” She shifts on the sofa, her shoulders slumping. “I’m drowning.”

  “I can help,” I offer.

  She vehemently shakes her head. “You have a life to live.”

  “Mom, I’m here for you, and so is Allyson. We’re a family, and we won’t let you deal with this alone.” I shake my head. I knew she couldn’t be as perfect as she was making it seem, but I hadn’t realized exactly how much my dad did in terms of running the house.

  “Show me all your bills, so we can check the dates and all that.”

  Scrubbing her eyes, she stands and disappears into the hall that leads to the bedrooms. When she returns, she’s holding a stack of envelopes. I take a deep breath, hoping to God that those aren’t all late payments.

  “Okay, let’s go one by one.” I begin to sort through them and put the different bills in their own pile.

  I grab a notepad and begin writing which day of the month each payment is due. My mom watches me intently, commenting on the electric bill or the mortgage. I focus on my task, feeling like I’m actually helping her instead of waiting for her to ask for help.

  “The mortgage is two months late,” I comment, looking up at her in confusion.

  “Is it?” Her eyes widen. My mom rubs her forehead and tears well in her eyes. I’ve never seen her so lost before. “I just assumed it would automatically deduct from my bank account.”

  “It’s okay. We’ll pay the balance, and we can set up automatic payments. Does that help?” I ask carefully, not wanting to upset her even more.

  “It’s too much, Easton. This house, the maintenance. If it weren’t for the lawn guy coming every month like clockwork, it would look like a jungle out there.”

  I look at her helplessly as tears run down her face. My phone buzzes with a message, and I curse under my breath. I let Camden know that I won’t be able to make it tonight with a short recap of what’s going on here.

  “Mom, what do you want to do?” I ask, after pocketing my phone. “Why don’t you move back to Everton?”

  “No,” she shakes her head. “I want to stay here. This job helps me stay somewhat sane, and if I don’t have that, I’m not sure what will become of me. Your father would want that.”

  “So then, what?” I look at the bills. Thankfully, the electric bill goes through automatically, or I’m not sure there would be working electricity in the house right now. How did I miss all this before I moved? I haven’t been gone for that long. I should’ve been on top of this, checked in with her more often when it came to the house administration.

  She grabs a frame that sits on the coffee table with a picture of her and Dad. “I miss him so much.” She hugs the frame to her chest. “We had all these plans for when I retired. Travel, visit Everton, sleep in,” she chuckles fondly. “We won’t do any of that now.” She sniffles, fresh tears swimming in her eyes.

  I rub my own eyes and breathe deeply, staying strong for her. “It sucks,” I say. “But we’re lucky to have lived a great life with him.”

  “We sure are, sweetie.” She looks longingly at the picture. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to lose the person you love sooner than imagined. I think about Faith, and the idea of not having her in my life kills me.

  “I think I want to sell the house.” My mom looks at me. “It’s too big for me alone, too many things to handle. An apartment might be better.”

  “Are you sure?” I ask slowly.

  “Yes,” she breathes out. “Every time I walk in, I expect to see your father here. When I realize he isn’t, it’s as if he died all over again.” More tears fall down her face and onto her shirt. “I can’t handle that day in and day out.”

  I take the frame and place it on the table, wrapping my arms around my mom. I soothe her as best as I can, the same way she’d do to me when I was a little boy and feeling sick or upset. I run a hand up and down her back, promising that everything will be okay.

  It breaks my heart to see her this way. Knowing I can’t do anything to bring my dad back. If I had that power, I would’ve done it a long time ago. My mom continues to cry into my shoulder, letting it all out.

  “I’m sorry,” she apologizes, rubbing the back of her hand against her nose.

  “Don’t apologize, Mom.” I stand, grabbing tissues from the bathroom. “You don’t need to be sorry about missing him. It’s hard on all of us, whether it’s been a year or ten. We’ll miss him every day.” I know it’s different for my sister and me, since we live and work away from here. My mom only had my dad, and they had built a life together.

  My mom’s eyebrows shoot up when we hear a knock on the door. “Are you expecting anyone?” she asks me.

  I shake my head. “No. Unless…” I stand and open the door, seeing Camden holding two boxes of pizza and a paper bag.

  “What are you doing here?” my mom asks from behind me.

  “I heard my favorite lady was feeling sad, so I brought her favorite wine.” He gives my mom a bright smile. She shakes her head, but a small smile tilts her lips up.

  “Thanks.” I grab the pizza boxes from him and walk into the kitchen. I see Camden kiss my mom’s cheek and say something too low for me to hear, but she laughs and pats his chest.

  “Poor woman who falls for your charms,” my mom tells him.

  “Eh, she’ll have to be a hell of a
catch,” he shrugs noncommittally.

  I chuckle. The same way I’ve always wanted to find Faith again and settle down, Camden is in no rush to do so.

  “So, what’s got you down?” He opens the bottle of wine, serving her a glass. Straight to the point, that’s Camden.

  “Nothing to worry you about. I’ve already got my son worried.” She gives me a pointed look.

  “With good reason,” I arch an eyebrow. My mom rolls her eyes at Camden as if they’re conspiring against me.

  “Beer?” I ask Camden.

  “I brought some too. If we couldn’t go to Tap Room, I thought I’d bring their beer to you.”

  “Thanks, buddy.” I pop the caps open from two bottles and hand him one before putting the rest in the fridge.

  “Cheers. To James. We all miss him, but we know he’s watching over us.” Camden grows serious for a second, and my mom and I inhale deeply. This time, my eyes water over as she wipes her cheeks.

  Camden would come over often since we lived in the city, and his family was about three hours away. He’d come along for family dinners, laundry days, and college football games when I’d come to watch them with my dad. He’s like the brother I never had.

  “I’ll drink to that,” I grin, looking at my mom.

  “Cheers,” she says, and we tap our drinks together.

  “I brought your favorite pizza, too, Charlene,” Camden says to my mom.

  “Thank you. Both of you,” she looks at us.

  As we eat, I call Allyson through video chat for a bit and have her join us before she goes to bed. We remember my dad, talk about our favorite memories, and honor him. Thankfully, my mom seems to be in a better mood by the time we finish. Three glasses of wine probably helped with that.

  I thank Camden when he leaves, grateful to have such a great friend. Anyone else would’ve gone for drinks with other friends and not dealt with my grieving mother.

  Walking back to my room, I hear quiet sobs. I peek into my mom’s room and notice her hugging a pillow as she tries to silence her cries with it. I frown, giving her privacy to release the emotions she’s feeling. Baby steps, I remind myself. I just wish I knew how much she was actually hurting, and I wouldn’t have moved to Everton so soon.

  Faith

  I sit back on the couch with Cali at my feet and smile when I see Easton’s name pop up on my phone screen. I answer the FaceTime call, excited to talk to him. He’s only been away for two days, and I feel like it’s been weeks.

  “Hey,” I say excitedly.

  “Hi, babe.” Easton’s voice sounds tired. The lines between his eyebrows are deep as he looks at me with sad eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” I sit up taller, worry filling me.

  He shakes his head, running a hand down his face. “I’m not sure. I learned that my mom is behind on quite a few payments. She’s struggling without my dad around to help with things like he used to. Basically, she’s dropped the ball on things. She admitted that things have been rough.”

  I wish I were there to hug him. “Oh, Easton…” I don’t even know what to say. “How are you?” I ask meaningfully. He can easily get lost in other people’s feelings and ignore his own.

  “I’m okay. Camden came by for dinner, and that helped her relax a bit, but I just heard her crying in her room as I was turning in for the night.” The pain in his face breaks my heart.

  “I don’t know what to do, Faith.” He shakes his head, taking a moment to collect himself.

  “I wish I were there with you,” I say quietly, chewing on my lower lip.

  “I wish you were, too. I miss you,” he smiles. “My mom said she might want to sell the house and move to an apartment. I think I’m going to extend my trip to help her. The mortgage is behind, so we need to get that squared away fast.” He scratches his forehead.

  I nod, understanding that he needs to be there for his mom, although a part of me wonders how long he’ll be away. Will he stay indefinitely?

  “Talk to me about anything. I just want to hear your voice,” he says, changing subjects.

  I lie on the couch and tell him about my day, the excitement buzzing around the school as we prepare for spring break. I angle the phone to the floor so he can see Cali, and she begins barking when she hears his voice.

  I giggle at her reaction, understanding exactly how much she misses him. After I let Cali out one more time, I go through my night routine with Easton on the phone so that I can settle into his bed and continue talking to him until neither of us can keep our eyes open.

  As I say goodbye to Easton, anxiety spikes through me that he may want to move back to Virginia until he’s sure his mom is completely fine. Dressed in his sweatpants and t-shirt, I hug his pillow and attempt to fall asleep. His scent surrounds me, but no matter how hard I try to imagine it, I’m extremely aware that Easton is not in bed with me.

  …

  I wake up feeling like a zombie. I want this week to end so that I can stay in bed for however long I want—or however long Cali will let me.

  Looking in the mirror, I cringe. I ended up falling asleep crying last night, and it shows today. Thoughts of Easton moving again kept me awake and broke my heart. I can’t help but feel like he’ll leave, and I can’t blame him. His family needs him right now, and if that’s where he belongs, then that’s where he needs to be.

  Piling on concealer and getting dressed, I wander around the house as if I were lost. I decide to skip coffee at home and let Cali out quickly so I can make a coffee run to Cup-O-Joe. A pastry will help me feel better, too.

  When I sit at my desk at work, I open my bag and bring out the cheese danish I grabbed at the coffee shop and take a bite.

  “Hey,” Poppy walks in, stopping in her tracks as I’m mid-bite.

  “Hey,” I say around a mouth full of danish.

  “Are you okay?” She scrunches her nose.

  “Yup.” I wipe my mouth with a napkin and take a sip of coffee to wash down the danish. “What’s going on?” I fold my arms on the desk.

  “Umm…” Poppy looks at me as if I were crazy. “You don’t look okay.”

  “I’m fine, just tired. I was up late last night talking to Easton.”

  “How is he?” she asks, taking a seat.

  “He’s okay.” I don’t want to get into details that he may want to keep private.

  “Hopefully, everything with his mom is good,” Poppy says. “Anyway, I came in here to ask if we could keep book club on Thursday. I know we were going to meet today since Easton will be back tomorrow, but I totally forgot that Knox and Sutton are performing at Cocktails, Dreams, & Mischief tonight, and they wanted us to go.” Knox and Sutton perform at the bar here in town every so often, and it makes sense that Harris will have to go since he’s part-owner of the music label.

  “That’s okay. Easton is going to extend his trip, so he won’t be back tomorrow, and I doubt he’ll be back on Thursday either.”

  “What? How come? Is everything okay with Mrs. Locke?” Poppy’s voice rises with worry.

  “I’m not a hundred percent sure. I mean, yeah, she’s okay, but she’s going through a hard time. He wants to stay a little longer to help her.”

  “Will he be back in time for the wedding?” She asks quietly, almost apologetically.

  I shrug. “I have no idea.”

  “You know he’ll come back, right?” She reaches for my locked hands and pats them.

  “I hope so,” I nod.

  When the bell rings, Poppy jumps to her feet. “Darn, I hate running out like this.”

  “Go,” I wave her off. “You’ve got a job to do.”

  She nods, promising to talk later, and I sigh when I’m left alone again. Too many thoughts are crowding my mind at the moment. When I check my phone, I realize he hasn’t written me a good morning text like he usually does, especially with the time change and it being later in Virginia.

  I type out a quick message, wishing him a good day and letting him know I’m here for him if h
e needs me. After, I put my phone in the top drawer in my desk. I have work I need to focus on if I don’t want to come into school during the break.

  I turn on my computer and get to work. Anything that will keep me busy will help me not think about the impending heartache settling in my chest. I let out a deep breath and keep my attention on the paperwork in front of me.

  I’ve checked my phone hundreds of times throughout the day. I’m at the point where I’ve placed it on the other side of the office, on top of the file cabinet, so I won’t get up to see it. This day could not drag any more than it has.

  Finally, my phone vibrates against the metal furniture, and I leap to my feet, praying it’s Easton. The silence is killing me and only fueling my worry that he won’t be back for good.

  Easton: Hey, babe… Sorry. Crazy day. Had to take care of some things for my mom and then I fell asleep. Just woke up. Are you still at work?

  I sigh, closing my eyes for a moment, trapping the tears threatening to make themselves known.

  Faith: I have about another thirty minutes. I’ll call you when I’m done

  Easton: Ok

  I stare at his last message, feeling insecure about where we stand. Leaving my phone where it is, I finish what I was working on and shut down. There’s no point starting something new when there are only twenty minutes left to my day, and my mind is all over the place. I begin to pack up and sit in my chair, counting down until four o’clock, so I can leave and call Easton. Maybe I can ask him what his plan is without seeming insensitive.

  At three-fifty-nine, I stand from my chair and grab my purse, making sure to take my phone with me on the way out. It’s a few seconds before I’m supposed to leave, but I’ve spent many times in this office way past my work hours, finishing up things that needed to be done.

  As soon as I’m sitting in my car, I press on Easton’s name in my phone and wait for him to answer. When it goes to voicemail, I leave him a message and drive to his place, letting Cali out.