Page 97 of Worth Loving
“Do you really think now is the time for sarcasm?”
He was running everything through his mind.
Carly would stay with Jonah. It was for the best.
Bringing his son there for the first time was only going to be a distraction for everyone.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. We are all upset over this. Please say you’ll be here. He hasn’t asked you for anything in years.”
“Only for the first twenty-two years of my life.”
“And you still got what you wanted,” his mother snapped. “You walked away from us and did your own thing.”
“Are you jealous over that?” he asked, his schedule and son’s routine flashing through his mind.
“Of course not,” she said.
“It sounded it to me. Any one of you could have left and done your own thing, but you are all too attached to the money. Willow lasted four days.”
His mother snorted. “Willow likes to complain, but she’ll never make it on her own.”
“That’s sad. First, that you think it, and second, that you probably encourage it. Maybe you should help her stand on her own two feet.” Not that his mother ever did it herself.
His mother was silent and then finally said, “When can we expect you?”
No mention of him bringing Jonah either. Not that she’d like to see her only grandson.
All the more reason he had to do this alone.
“I’ll get there sometime tomorrow and go see Grandpa tomorrow night.”
He hung the phone up and walked back into the house.
“Everything okay?” Carly asked.
“Dad, are you staying home with me today?”
“Sorry, bud. Carly, can I talk to you for a minute? Jonah, why don’t you go upstairs and play?”
“I don’t want to. I want to know what you’re going to say.”
“I’ll tell you when I’m done talking to Carly. Go,” he said, waving his hand.
Jonah stomped off and he rolled his eyes.
There were worse things in life than your kid wanting to spend time with you.
“What’s going on?”
“My mother just called. My grandfather had a heart attack.”
“Oh, dear. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah,” he said, clearing his throat. He hated that he didn’t feel much about that news, but he wouldn’t be a dick either. “He is asking to see me and no one else before surgery on Friday.”
“Do you find that odd?”
“Everything about my family and my life is odd,” he said. “This isn’t anything different. But I’m already being blamed foreverything else, so I’m not going to have this on my shoulders. I don’t want to bring Jonah.”
