He shrugged, as if he wished I wouldn’t make a big deal of it.
“I’m gonna head to bed. Long day tomorrow.”
“Are you seeing her after school?”
“Yeah. Coach gave me the afternoon off from practice.”
I watched him climb back upstairs, and I just stood there in the middle of the living room, blinking at the laundry on the floor.
“Are you seeing her after school?”
I felt full to bursting with so much pride!
It was one of the sweetest things I’d ever seen him do.
I thought that would be the end of it. I really did.
***
The next afternoon, I was sitting in the living room, drafting an email I didn’t want to write, when my phone buzzed against the granite countertop. Diane’s name lit up the screen. I smiled before I answered. I figured she’d already seen Aaron and was calling to tell me how sweet he was.
It was one of the sweetest things.
“Hey, you,” I said warmly. “Did he get there yet? I should’ve warned you. I almost dropped a basket of clothes when I saw him. How is Lily…?”
“Rachel,” Diane cut me off quickly, her voice flat and tight. Not like the Diane I knew. My heart beat faster.
“Di? Is everything okay? Is Lily?”
“Lily’s fine.” She paused, and I heard her breath shake. “Rachel, you need to come down here to the hospital and see for yourself what your son did. I don’t know how to feel about it. Please just come.”
