“That won’t be long.”
“What do you mean?”
“Alex’s lease is also up in about two months. We’ve been talking about him moving in here for a while.
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
Cruz looks around the room, avoiding eye contact. Then it hits me.
“It was because of me, wasn’t it?”
“Not necessarily. We talked about moving in together a year ago, but the timing wasn’t right. Now, it is.”
“What’s so different now?”
“There were a lot of uncertainties. You were always my first priority, and we didn’t ever want you to feel uncomfortable living with a couple. Then we had the question of what would happen with Thad when he was released. Who knew if you would want to live with your dad for a while after being apart for so many years? I may have to move in a year, anyway, for Law School. It was easier to keep things the way they are.”
“Why didn’t you talk to me, discuss it? Alex is always welcome here. I adore him. And I would have stayed out of your way.”
“That’s exactly why. This is your home, too, and the last thing we wanted was to change your routine.”
Guilt floods me. An apology doesn’t seem like enough, but the only think I can say is, “I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for.” He lifts my chin gently, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Promise me, no matter what, wherever you move or where you’re living, we still get movie nights.”
“Absolutely,” I smile widely. “I doubt Robbie Hayes could ever appreciate the brilliance of a good chick flick.”
He nods in agreement. “So, how will this work out exactly?”
“We discussed me moving my personal stuff to storage until we find a house. I’ll take the necessities to his place. There’s really no rush.”
“Leave your room the way it is. Don’t pay for storage. We won’t need the extra bedroom.”
“Okay.”
“Now, tell me more about the cruise. Was it everything you expected?”
“I guess. It was nice. How was your weekend?” I try to change the subject.
“Nice? Sun, sand, unlimited eating and drinking, nightclubs, shopping, excursions… and you say nice?”
His eyes grow wide in understanding as my face flushes.
“Are you kidding me? Did you see any of it?”
“Of course. We spent a few hours on the beaches we ported. Then when we were at sea, we went to the pool… but we spent a lot of time indoors.”
“Indoors being the code word for screwing your way up and down the Caribbean?”
“Can we not talk about this?” My cheeks start to burn.
“Little Star, are you embarrassed? We’ve always talked about sex. Why clam up now?”
“Correction. We talked about your and Chloe’s sex lives, not mine. I wasn’t having sex. So can we drop it?” I walk to the kitchen, shaking my head as Cruz taunts me from the sofa.
“I can’t wait to tell Mom about this!”
The ringing of my cell phone shuts him up. “Hey, Dad,” I answer cheerfully.