Cherish Me (Rough Edges 3)

My alarm goes off for work, and as much as I’d love to stay and celebrate this victory with her, my job awaits and if I need to have Tuesday off then I have go in today and talk to Liam about it.

“I gotta go to work. Talk later?”

She nods, and heads back inside.

On the way to work, I think about all the horrible things Liam is going to say when he finds out I have a son that I’ve never met. How is this going to change his perception of Hazel? I don’t want them to fault her for it. And I will stand up for her if Damon or Liam have a problem with it. It’s over and nothing can change that decision. No sense in harping on it at this point.

I park my car, and head inside the station. Things can get hectic sometimes, but we haven’t had many fires lately. Not that I’m complaining. I hate to see families lose their homes and all their memories. So every shift that goes by without a fire, is a good day in my book.

“Look who is here. Thought maybe you were going to call in and hangout with Hazel instead,” Liam says.

“I’m an adult, you know. My decisions, my consequences.”

He laughs. “Sounds like something happened. I told you to stay away from her. You can’t take another heart break, brother.”

I love how he thinks he knows it all, and yet, Jake is unknown to him. Should I tell him or ask for Tuesday off? I haven’t made up my mind yet, but if we are going to fly out tomorrow afternoon, that doesn’t leave me a lot of time to make a decision.

“Can you work for me Tuesday? I’ve got to go out of town and take care of something.”

“Like what?”

“It’s a long story, and I’ll explain when I get back. Can you or not?”

He nods, and walks away, possibly finally getting my frustration. I know he wants to know everything but that doesn’t mean he gets to. There are some things I like to keep to myself, and even that’s hard in a small town.

Pedro walks over, and sits down at the table. “Wanna waste some time playing cards?”

“No, not really. I gotta make a call,” I reply, getting up and heading outside for some privacy.

The phone rings three times before she answers.

“Hey, I’ll cover the flight. There is a flight that leaves Dallas around two tomorrow afternoon and gets in around eight.”

“That works.”

“I’ll stay Tuesday and come back Wednesday afternoon as long as you don’t mind staying an extra day,” I say. She can say no, but is it wrong that I want to soak up as much time as I can with her?

“Nope, that’s perfect. You gonna take us to the airport or are we going to UBER?”

“I’ll drive and leave my truck there. That’ll make it easier when I come back to drive home,” I reply.

The conversation goes silent, and I want to tell her how excited I am about getting the opportunity to meet his parents, but I don’t. Her feelings regarding Jake eat at her, and I don’t want her to think I despise her for it. Do I think we could have raised him? Yes, but nothing I can change now. So, all we can do is be on our best behavior when meeting them, and hope they allow us to meet Jake.

“So, when do you go back to work? Aren’t you on vacation?” I ask.

“In a week or so. So, I’ll be coming back most likely to spend more time with dad before I have to be back at work. Just don’t know how much lucid time he has left and it seems to be getting worse. Episodes are getting more frequent.”

Hazel doesn’t need to stress about going back to Massachusetts because Jeremy and I can handle it. Yet, I know how she is, and she will stress about it anyway, no matter what we say. That’s how she is.

“I’m gonna do everything I can to help your brother. We can handle it. You go be a big shot, and make a difference. Talk to ya later.”

After I hang up, the flights are booked and the countdown starts. I haven’t exactly had anything to look forward to in a long time, so this is exciting. Not only will I be meeting the people responsible for raising my son, but I’m going to do it with Hazel by my side. I’d be lying if I didn’t say spending a couple of extra days with her doesn’t sound great. Having her close means a lot.

“So, Pedro said he overheard you talking about Massachusetts? You aren’t seriously going back to be with her, are you? What the hell has gotten into you? She’s only a girl. One that lives thousands of miles away. Do you want to have a long distance relationship? Especially, at twenty-six?”

There he goes again, getting into my damn business. “It’s got nothing to do with being with Hazel. Stay out of it until I get back. Fuck.”

The end of my shift has finally arrived, and I get in my truck and get the fuck out of there. Liam is pissing me off, sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong, and assuming he knows. What is his fucking problem? Why is he so worried about me getting back with Hazel?