She walks back over to Tyler, “Can I hold him, please.”
We move off to the side to allow the line to continue moving. Jace won’t let go of Tyler. Beverly seems put off by it, but he is a small child, and the ways she is acting scares him. He doesn’t know her or what’s going on around him. I shouldn’t have brought him, but I never want him to resent me anymore than he will already when he is old enough to process all of this.
“Brian called me from his flight, and told me he was on his way to see his son. I thought he had knocked up a random girl, and then I find out that you were the one. The next thing I knew I couldn’t reach him to find out how things were going. Then I get the call that they found his car. Aria, why did you keep his son from us?”
“There is nothing that I can ever say to justify my choices. I can only hope to have you in Jace’s life. And that you can help me to tell him all about his dad, and what a wonderful man he was,” I answer the best I can without upsetting her further.
I give her my phone number and tell her she can see Jace any time she likes. We don’t go to the cemetery with the family, today has been hard enough on all of us. We take Jace to a nearby restaurant for an early dinner before we have to catch our flight. I can’t believe I was able to get through this day.
I spend the next few days trying to settle Jace back into his routine of daycare. We could use some normalcy after the past two weeks. I have returned to work it is helping to keep my mind busy, but there are moments when I am driving in my car and a song will remind me of Faye or Brian. Tyler wants Jace and me to move in with him, but I am afraid of too much too soon. He is used to living on his own, and Jace can be a handful at times.
He says he is sure and he is ready to give Jace the family I have always wanted for him. We are driving up to see his parents next weekend. They can’t wait to meet Jace. I am so scared of what could happen next. I’m not a superstitious person, but Faye always said deaths come in threes. Every night, I wake up from the same nightmare. Brian’s body is being pulled from the wreckage, and then I am back at the funeral home looking down at his body, his wounds are open and he is looking at me. He opens his mouth like he is about to scream and before any sound comes from his mouth, I wake up clutching my chest.
Caroline thinks I need to see a shrink to work through the nightmares, but I feel like Brian is angry with me and trying to tell me to “get fucked.” I have fifteen days before I have to make a decision about our living arrangements. I don’t know if I want to give this house up, with the money I am making from working two jobs, I think I can afford the rent.
Caroline has found someone to do an estate sale for the antique furniture and other odds and ends that I won’t be keeping of my mother’s. They are coming later today to pick the items up. Tyler is coming over to oversee the process since I have a late spray tan to do at the salon. He is also keeping Jace tonight while I work at the club. He is trying to prove to me that he is ready for the responsibility.
I finish marking the items for the sale so all that Tyler has to do is watch them load them into their trucks.
The furniture is nice, but it just isn’t my style and having my mother’s things staring at me every day is just another of the many reminders that she isn’t ever going to walk through the doors of this house again. I wish she were here to give me advice on my relationship with Tyler, even if she wasn’t the greatest at giving it. I took my time with her for granted. Another regret I will carry with me the rest of my life.
Chapter Eighteen
I am in the middle of my shift at the club when I get a text from Tyler.
Tyler: you need to come home ASAP.
Me: Please, just tell me. I can’t take any more bad news.
Tyler: Just come home and drive safe, it’s not life threatening but you need to come home.
I don’t even bother changing out of my costume. Tyler has me really freaked out right now. Pulling up on my street I see that there is an unfamiliar black car in my driveway. I grab my purse and walk through the door to find Tyler locked in an intense stare down with Brian’s mother.
“Mrs. Case, what brings you by unannounced.”
“You said I could see Jace anytime I like and this man was refusing me, telling me I can't see my grandson.” I give Tyler a look telling him he better explain.
“I didn’t know who she was at first and the circumstances I met her under were intense. I di
dn’t recognize her when I opened the door. And well, I wasn’t sure what you would want me to do. But then she started yelling and threatening to call the police. She was muttering, saying something about grandparent’s rights,” he tells me remaining calm.
“What are you wearing Aria? Are you some kind of hooker?” She eyes my clothes with disgust.
“It’s for my job. Why are you here?”
“I came to see about my grandson and it is a good thing I did. Obviously, you aren’t capable of providing him with proper care.” She picks lint off her pants and flicks it at my floor. Her attitude is pissing me off.
“I told you that you could see Jace anytime you want to, but I assumed that you would call to make plans to do so before just showing up.” My hands are resting on my hips and my foot is tapping. “Tyler, where is Jace?”
“I took him over to Carol’s, the way this lady is acting was scaring him. He didn’t want anything to do with her. I wasn’t going to force him to hug her and he was upset.”
“That’s another thing Aria. Do you just leave Jace with strangers at any given time?”
“Hold on one minute. You may be Jace’s grandmother, but I won’t allow you to come into my home and judge me, when you clearly know nothing about my life, and how I raise my son.”
“Oh sweetheart, I have seen enough. You can bet your sweet ass you will be hearing from my lawyer. No grandson of mine will be raised by a stripper and her pimp.” She turns her nose down at me.
“Excuse me.” I see the vein popping out in Tyler’s neck indicating he is about to go the fuck off on this old bitch. If I weren’t raised better, I would let him give her a piece of his mind. But I was, so I hold my hand up to him to signal I got this.