The sincerity in his eyes, his voice, is my unraveling. “And maybe if I would have told you how important that was to me before, you would have understood just how badly I wanted to be the one you leaned on.”
“I’m so sorry that I made you feel like I didn’t trust you to do that.”
He slowly shakes his head before his lips upturn. “Are we going to spend the rest of our lives apologizing to each other?”
I shrug, returning his smile. “It’s a step up from fighting?”
“You know, I loved some of those fights.”
I nod. “Me too.” Apprehension covers his features. “Is everything okay?”
“It is now.” He softly shuts the door. “He’s my strength, Clarissa. He’s my reserve. All I have to do is lay eyes on him, and I’m whole.”
“You know, Dante means strength,” I say softly. “Well technically, it means endurance. The minute I found out he was coming, I knew I was going to need it in abundance. I’m not trying to guilt you,” I say, placing my hands on his jaw. “I’m saying you’re exactly right. As much as he needs us to guide him, we need him too. He’s got a quiet strength, a kid’s resilience we need to see, need to be reminded of. He’s got a lot of it because he’s your son.”
He pulls away from my hands and lets out a breath before looking back at me. “Thank you.”
Ignoring the pain from his rejection, I focus on him. I’ve been selfish enough. His phone rattles in his hand and he glances down and frowns.
“Troy, what’s wrong.”
“It’s Theo, says he needs me to come over, says he needs my help.”
“Are you two doing okay?”
“This is the first I’ve heard from him.”
“Are you gonna go?”
“Yeah, I owe him an apology.”
“Hopefully you two can work it out?”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“So, what’s wrong then? Are you nervous about the draft?”
“Yes and no. I’m pretty sure I know where I’m going.”
“Where?”
“The Giants.”
“New York?”
“Yeah.”
“Congratulations,” I say, hiding my devastation. New York. He’s leaving us. And it’s not a short drive. I suck up my own feelings and try to put on a brave face. “That’s amazing.”
I can sense the tension building in him as he fists his hands at his sides. “Yeah.”
“Why don’t I get the feeling you’re excited?”
“I don’t want to leave him.”
“You won’t.”
He scans my pajamas with a smirk. “Grand girls—”