Rush

It made a difference for me.

I was on the verge of tears when Delaney told me that she’d been searching for Case but didn’t know his real name.

“Why did Apollo call him Rush?”

I glance at her. “Case’s middle name is Rushton.”

Her chin bobs up and down. “Did they have different fathers?”

The pained expression on her face as she asks the question tells me that she’s embarrassed. She doesn’t know a lot about Apollo’s family. It’s as much as I know about them.

“Yes.” I keep the answer simple.

She takes a breath. “I went to the apartment a few days after Apollo died, and Rush wasn’t around. Your brother was there clearing out the place. There were a couple of other people helping him. I told Drake to tell Rush to call me. My number was in Apollo’s phone, but I never heard from him.”

“You never heard from Case?” I question back.

“No.” Her head shakes. “He didn’t call me.”

I turn to face her directly. “Ever?”

Her eyes lock on mine. “When Rush or Case … when he walked into Sweet Bluebells last week, it was the first time I’d seen him since the day Apollo died.”

Frustration taints her tone. I don’t blame her. I can’t blame her.

A little boy with blond curls runs past us. He resembles Mickey, but he’s shorter, and his eyes are a deep brown.

Delaney must spot the resemblance too because the next words out of her mouth are about her son. “Rush doesn’t know about Mickey. When I saw him at Sweet Bluebells, I didn’t tell him that Apollo has a son.”

Chapter 66

Emma

I try Case’s number again, but the call goes immediately to voicemail for the third time. I curse under my breath before I leave yet another message that’s exactly the same as the two I just left him.

“Please call me Case as soon as you can. It’s an emergency.”

“He’s still not answering?” Delaney is pacing the patch of grass in front of the bench. “Why do you think he’s not answering?”

A few hours ago, I would have thought it’s because he doesn’t love me, but I know that he does.

He said it when he was in Sweet Bluebells a week ago.

After he spoke to Delaney, guilt settled over him, and it drove him back to California.

“I messed this up so badly.” Delaney rakes a hand through her hair. “I should have told him about Mickey. I shouldn’t have yelled at him. I screamed at him, Emma.”

I stand to take her shaking hands in mine. “You have been holding this in for years. You were angry with him.”

“I was so pissed that he never bothered to call me back.” She looks up at the blue sky. “I didn’t want him to be happy if I couldn’t be.”

I want to tell her that she can be happy. She can open her heart back up to love.

She can move to California and teach her son how to surf because she has a built-in family there. She has Case and his grandfather.

I glance down at my phone’s screen. “I wish he’d call me back.”

Her finger flies in the air. “Text him. Maybe try and text him.”

It’s worth a shot, so I type out a quick message to him.

Emma: Case, please get in touch with me immediately. It’s very important!

I stare at the screen waiting for the delivered message notification, but it doesn’t come.

“What’s wrong?” Delaney cranes her neck to get a better look.

“It’s not delivering the message.”

“His phone is off.” Delaney shakes her head. “Maybe he’s in a meeting? Can you call someone else there to get a message to Rush…I mean Case?”

I smile. “I call him Rush too.”

Her gaze drops to her phone when it buzzes. “Mickey’s sitter is taking him for a walk. I’m going to tell them to swing by here to say hi to us. Is that okay with you?”

My hand darts to my mouth. “He’s Case’s nephew.”

Tears fill Delaney’s eyes. “I need Case to know that. I let my anger keep me from telling him, but I want Mickey to know his uncle and his future aunt.”

I laugh through my tears. “You’re not talking about me.”

“I am.” She swipes a hand over her cheek. “Case loves you, Emma. I saw it when he was talking about you at Sweet Bluebells. He’s crazy about you.”

“I feel that way too,” I confess. “I love him, Delaney.”

“We’re going to make a family out of the mess I made.” She looks to the left to see her son approaching with an older woman with red hair. “There’s Mickey. Let’s wait to tell him about his uncle until you talk to Case.”

“Agreed,” I nod curtly. “I’ll say hi to Mickey, and then I’ll try the Cabbott offices in San Francisco.”

I’ll find Case. I need to. He has a nephew that he has to meet.