I smile at my beautiful daughter—Natalia’s double—when she looks back at me and waves frantically before following Harmony back to the table she was sitting at.
“Dad?” Clay whispers.
“I know, bud. Let’s go home and watch a movie.”
He nods his head against my shoulder, his body relaxing and in turn letting me relax.
My mom has been telling me that I need to seek help for Clay for months now, and Harmony said effectively the same thing at the beach the other day, but I was still undecided.
After last night and today; my mind’s firmly made up.
I need to get him help; if he won’t talk to me then maybe he’ll talk to someone he doesn’t know. Sometimes talking to a stranger is easier than talking to someone that you’re close with.
A message pings through to my cellphone as I’m helping Izzie wrap her petal shaped tissue paper around the green painted wooden stick. I walk over to my office, digging through my purse to find it and pulling it out.
I read the message from Tristan stating his address and telling me that it’s okay to bring Izzie back whenever. He must’ve settled Clayton down.
Thinking about Clayton has my stomach in knots and I grip onto the edge of my desk, the smile dropping from my face. I’ve tried not to think about it all afternoon, but I feel so guilty; he wouldn’t be this way if I hadn’t had thought of this stupid Mother’s Day task.
“Miss J?” Izzie calls.
I pull myself together, pasting a smile on my face before I turn around and walk out of the office. “Yeah?”
“I can’t get this to stick.” She pokes her tongue out between her lips in concentration and I chuckle as I walk over, helping her with the final petal.
“Perfect. Are you ready to go home now?”
Her face screws up. “Home? But we’re having fun.”
“I know, sweetie, but your dad wants you back now,” I explain.
She sighs dramatically. “Oookay.”
I turn as I look for my mom, finding her watching Izzie and me from across the room. I raise a brow at her in question and she smirks at me, shaking her head before getting up and walking over.
“Would you mind clearing up?” I look down at Izzie, stroking a hand over her blond locks. “I’m going to take this little princess home.”
“Of course. Will you be back, or do you want me to close up too?”
“I’ll meet you at home,” I reply, narrowing my eyes at the gleam in hers. “What?”
She turns and waves me off over her shoulder. “See you at home.”
I shake my head at her and look down at Izzie again. “Are you ready?”
She picks up her bunch of tulips and the four cards that she’s made today; one for her dad, one for her nana, one for Edward, and one for Amelia—who I’ve gathered is a sort of live-in helper from Izzie’s comments today—and we’re out of the door and skipping down the sidewalk together toward my car.
I open the door for her and she climbs into the back seat, straightening up as I lean across her to buckle her in.
I pull back and she grins at me. “You smell pretty.”
I smile. “Thanks, Izzie.” I shut her door and climb into the driver’s seat.
“Can we listen to music?” she asks, so I turn on the radio, glancing back and seeing her head bopping around to the music that plays through the speakers.
I type their address into my GPS, not really needing it because I know exactly where their house is, but I do it anyway in case I manage to get lost.
It’s only a ten-minute drive away and as we get closer, I grip the steering wheel tightly. I don’t know if I can look Clayton in the eyes again and not blame myself for causing his meltdown. Holding him as he sobbed in my arms for his mom was heart-wrenching on its own, but knowing I caused it all? I hate myself.