Every Way (Brush of Love 4)

“You need anything else? Everything look okay with the house?” he asked.

“Everything’s wonderful. All I need to do is get electricity and water running in this place, but that’s on me. You know where to send the bill.”

“You’ll get it in the mail once I can draw it up.”

“I have no doubt,” I said, grinning.

I headed back out to my truck and took one last look at the house. Everything with it was complete. A couple of calls to the city of San Diego to get the necessities up and running, and the house would be ready to move into. I cranked up the truck and started wondering if there was any way I could start moving some of our things in now without Hailey noticing or suspecting anything was going on. The more I could take off her shoulders with this project, the more I figured she would appreciate it.

But my phone buzzing on my hip ripped me away from my thoughts.

“Hello?” I asked.

“Why in the world have you not called me?”

When the fuck was I going to learn to screen my calls?

“Hello, Mom,” I said.

“We haven’t talked in over a week. You and Hailey missed dinner three nights ago! Is everything all right? Is the baby okay?”

“Are you manic?” I asked.

“Is that some new terminology kids are using these days?” my mother asked.

“I haven’t called you because the last time we talked, I told you we weren’t going to be speaking until you apologized to Hailey.”

“No, you said we weren’t going to be having dinner until I apologized. But really, I don’t have anything to apologize about,” she said.

“Then we have nothing to talk about,” I said.

“Bryan, just listen to your mother for once.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“Whether you understand it or not, you do owe me an apology.”

“Oh, this should be good. Why do I owe you an apology?” I asked.

“Because you’ve made me cry more times in the past month than I’ve ever cried in my entire life. Michael couldn’t even go over and have his conversation with Hailey this past weekend because I was hysterical. Your antics are getting in the way of your father having a budding relationship with the woman who’s going to be raising our grandchild. The least you could do is support me, so you can support his decision to be around.”

“I’m not even sure half of that made sense, but my stance hasn’t changed,” I said. “You apologize to Hailey for the things you’ve said to her, or dinner still doesn’t happen. And Dad? He’s a fully-grown man. If he wants to come see Hailey, he will. Whether you’re crying or not.”

“Your father would never abandon me in a time of need, Bryan.”

“Then you understand completely why I’m backing my wife,” I said.

“I have done nothing wrong. The only thing I’m guilty of is speaking my piece about this entire scenario. You are my son. Don’t I get an opinion in any of this?” she asked.

“To a point. But I have chosen the woman I’m going to spend the rest of my life with, so your opinions are now moot. Hailey is under e

nough stress already, and I won’t have you causing any more of it.”

“Stress? Is the baby okay?” she asked.

“Hailey and the child are fine. I’ve already spoken with Dad, and I’ve explained to him that I’m worried about Hailey’s stress levels. I told him that if things between all of us don’t want to settle, then our time together will have to be minimized. It’s as simple as that.”

“Well, if she wasn’t on her feet all day with that blasted gallery and trying to rest for the sake of that child, she wouldn’t be in this position, and maybe we could have a family dinner.”