Gentleman Nine(53)

“You didn’t see this coming so soon? Him leaving her?”

“I saw it coming. I was just hopeful that he’d stick around a little longer. And my aunt isn’t going to be able to stay there beyond tomorrow. I just got off the phone with her. She just told me she has to have surgery in two days. She lives two hours away. I have to figure something out.”

“Can she stay alone during the day?”

“She has been. Fred worked, so yeah. But he was always home by four, and sometimes he worked from home. The neighbor would look in on her from time to time, too.” He grabbed my hand and our fingers intertwined. His voice was shaky. “I really don’t want to leave, but I’m afraid I’m gonna have to.”

Panic set in. I wasn’t ready for him to go. And in my mind, there really wasn’t a reason that he had to. The wheels in my head were turning.

I didn’t even have to think twice when I asked, “Why can’t she stay here with us? Your contract isn’t for much longer.”

“I can’t burden you like that, Amber.”

“The only burden would be on you. She’d get your bedroom. There would be no burden on me.”

He shook his head. “It would be too much.”

“On whom? Not on me.” I squeezed his hand. “Besides, I really don’t want you to leave.”

His voice was hoarse. “I don’t want to leave, either.”

“It’s settled, then. Stay. I get home early enough to keep an eye on her in the later afternoon. I can change my hours with Milo to have them start later for a while. Then, there’ll be no gap between the time each of us gets home.”

Hope filled his eyes. “Are you sure about this?”

“It’s just a matter of weeks. Of course, I am.”

Channing pulled me into the hardest kiss. It felt like my lips were going to fall off.

“You’re amazing. I can’t thank you enough for this.”

“It will be okay. You’ll figure out a situation that works long term, too. Somehow, it will all work out.”

We sat quietly for a bit as I lay my head on his chest, feeling like I’d averted one small battle only to have to face another when his contract inevitably ended. This was definitely bittersweet.

He gently caressed my hair. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.”

He looked hesitant to ask, “Are you still concerned about…you know…”

The past few hours were actually the first time I hadn’t dwelled on my pregnancy fears.

“I’m trying not to think about it until I can take the test.”

“Good thinking. I’m so sorry that happened.”

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. It will be fine. I know it.”

“Yeah.” He smiled, although he looked nervous.

Christine emerged from the bathroom dressed in my robe. It was the first time I realized she didn’t have a bag with her. She hadn’t brought any clothing.

“Mom, what do you think about staying here a few weeks until my contract is up? I really can’t leave my job yet. I’d like to stay and finish up my responsibilities. You can stay in my room.”

“Where will you sleep?”

“The couch. It’s fine.”

She turned to me. “Are you sure, Amber?”

“I would love to have you. Honestly, I get lonely without people around.”

“Me, too. It’s why I had to come here,” she said.

“I totally get it, Christine.”

After Channing whipped up dinner for the three of us, his mother said, “You know, Channing’s father used to love to cook bizarre foods. He used to do it to entertain the kids when they were younger. ‘Guess what Daddy’s making.’ It was sort of a game. Of course, there wasn’t much time with him before he left us. But I think that’s where Channing gets it from.”

He didn’t respond, but I could tell by the look on his face that he was surprised and upset by the discovery of that correlation. That definitely broke my heart. Whether he realized it or not, in some odd way, maybe he was trying to connect with his father or the memory of him through food. The more time I spent with Channing, the more complex I realized he was.

Christine suddenly stood up from the table. “Channing, can you show me to my room?”

“Yeah, Mom. Of course.”

I cleaned up the kitchen while Channing got his mother situated in his bedroom.

The feel of his arms around my waist from behind prompted me to stop drying a dish. He kissed my neck. When I flipped around to face him, the worry in his eyes was palpable.

“She kept asking me questions about what happened with Fred, like she wasn’t sure. She’s confused. And I’m scared shitless.”

I wasn’t sure whether to admit my own experience with her but ultimately decided to tell him.

“Earlier, she asked me what I did for a living after we’d been talking about it for a while prior to that. So, I really got to see firsthand what you were talking about.”

“Yeah. That’s exactly the kind of thing that happens. All of the time.” He closed his eyes momentarily and buried his hands in his hair. “The worst is when she realizes how confused she is, and she just looks at me and tells me she’s scared. There’s honestly nothing worse than that. Nothing, Amber. I almost wish she didn’t realize it.”