Page 115 of Beating Heart
She raised a brow. “It’s not, but I plan on spending most of my time here with my boys. I’m actually thinking of moving back to Magnolia Falls.”
I couldn’t speak; I just nodded.
She was coming back? Permanently?
My phone rang, and I startled as I moved toward the counter to see my mother’s name light up the screen.
“Cutler, we need to get back. Your dad is making us breakfast. Let’s go have some family time, all right?”
“Okay. You want to come eat with us, Sunny?” he asked as he moved toward me, and I silenced my phone.
I shook my head, fighting back the ginormous lump that was lodged in my throat. Would she be here all the time now? Would she try to reconcile with Nash? He seemed to despise her, but she was the mother of his child.
Would she fill that void in Cutler’s life? The one I was so eager to fill?
I couldn’t resent her for that. She was his mother.
“I’m okay, but thank you.” My voice came out shaky, and I saw the gleam of victory in Tara’s eyes. She was sending a message, and I was receiving it.
Loud and clear.
“Love you, Sunny,” Cutler said, as he hugged me one more time, and I wrapped my arms around him tighter than usual, breathing in all that sweetness.
All that sunshine.
“I love you, too,” I said, as I pushed to stand. They walked out the door, and I grabbed my phone and settled on my couch.
There were no texts from Nash.
I couldn’t blame him. He’d been as surprised as I was last night when she’d showed up early.
Had they stayed up and talked?
I dialed my mom back.
“Hey, sweetheart. Your text was a little cryptic this morning, and it looked like it was sent in the middle of the night. Is everything okay?”
Her voice always did something to me. Comforted me in a way I could always rely on. Provided a safe place for me to lose it if I needed to.
“Yeah. I’m just a little overwhelmed at the moment.” I tried to keep my voice steady when the tears started falling.
“About Boston?”
“Sure. That’s weighing on me pretty heavily. And, well, Tara is back in town.” I’d filled my mother in on everything going on with Nash and Cutler and me.
“Oh, she arrived early. I know she was supposed to come in a few days, right?”
“Yep. She was there when we came home last night. She couldn’t get into her Airbnb until today, so she needed to stay over there.”
She was quiet for a long moment. “And I’m sure that has you feeling a little out of sorts?”
“You could say that.” My words broke on a sob. “I trust Nash; it’s not about that.”
“What’s it about, sweetheart?”
I sighed as I ran my hand along Winnie’s soft fur as she cuddled up beside me on the couch. “I just… I don’t want to get blindsided again, you know? I don’t know where I’m going to live, and I’m not used to not having a plan. But I just can’t see it yet.”
“See what?”
