Don't Let Go(85)

She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. “I’m sorry,” she said, eyes still shut as if she’d found some Zen place.
I glanced at Seth, who sat there like an instructor, arms crossed, waiting to see what she would do.
“For?” I said.
“Skipping school again,” she said softly and took another breath. “To be with Mark.”
I was going to throw up. Right there in the basket of chips. I grabbed a cardboard coaster and mangled it instead.
“Becca, you—went way beyond that today. Not to mention ignoring my texts and calls.”
“I know, Mom,” she said. “I’m sorry. I just—I had a lot on my mind.”
“Oh, I can imagine you did,” I said, grabbing a chip and breaking tiny pieces off. “Did Seth mention who saw you?”
She leaned forward on the table. “Yes.”
“Do you want to know how fun that was?”
Seth rested his hands on the table and pushed back. “Ladies, I’m gonna let you two talk,” he said. “I’ve got to get on the road home in about an hour, and I have some people to see first.”
“Already?” Becca said, frowning.
He reached across and bumped fists with her. “I’ll be back,” he said. “We’ll work something out. I’ll come visit, you can come visit, whatever. We’ll keep in touch.” He smiled crookedly, sending me down the Noah Express again. Ruthie would slap me. “I’ve got a little sister now, with lopsided hair. I have to keep up with that.”
Becca smiled and took out her phone. “Selfie before you go—come on,” she said, nudging me out with her elbow.
I moved before I was pushed out on my ass, and she slid next to Seth so they could put their heads together for the picture. He nodded toward me as they stood. “Take one of us, Becca,” he said, looping an arm around my shoulders. I knew quite well what I looked like after the rain escapade and my hair drying on its own, but I didn’t care. I hugged his waist and smiled. I had a hundred pictures of him with other people. Now we’d have two at least that would mean something. And the one with him and Noah that I hadn’t looked at yet. Didn’t let myself the night before, and for sure I couldn’t now. Not after—all that.
“You have my number, Bec,” he said, hugging her tightly. “Send those to me before you get your phone taken away.”
“I will,” she said, hugging him hard.
“And use that number. I’m expecting it,” he said.
“I will,” she said, her voice a little wobbly. “Thank you.”
Then he turned to me, reluctantly, as if he didn’t know how to do this. I didn’t either. But when we locked eyes, I was shocked to see genuine emotion in his.
“Thank you,” he said, grabbing my hand.
“Thank me?” I said, surprised. “I didn’t do anything, baby. You were the brave one coming here. And doing this today? God, Seth, thank you.”
“No, you made it easy,” he said, shaking his head slightly. “I didn’t know what I would find here, and you made it all—okay.” His eyes misted. “I honestly feel like I have another family in my life now, and I didn’t expect that.”
Oh, holy hell, that did me in. Tears filled my eyes. “I’m so glad you feel that way,” I said. I smiled up at him and laughed as they spilled over onto my cheeks. “I know, I know, I’m a walking waterfall.”
He grinned and hugged me so tight, it was all I could do not to completely break down. I was holding my son. My son, the man. When we pulled back, he swiped at his own face.
“I don’t want to sound condescending or go all parental on you,” I said. “But, Seth, I am so proud of the man you’ve become.” My voice choked on the new tears that wouldn’t be denied. Especially when his face struggled to hold his in. “You tell your mom and dad—thank you for me,” I said. “For being such fantastic parents.”
My voice caught on the words. I heard Becca sniffle behind me, and Seth lost the fight. He blinked tears free from reddened eyes and nodded as he wiped them away quickly.
“Damn, you two can even make me cry,” he said on a laugh, and Becca laughed with him, going to hug him again. “Not many people can break me like that.”
The words sent goose bumps down my back, echoing Noah’s from that very morning.
“Well, I have to go say some other good-byes and go by Nana Mae’s and Noah’s, still,” he said, making another pass at his face. Crying was embarrassing him. I’d become accustomed to it.
“Oh—um—something to be aware of there,” I said. I filled him in quickly on the whole Noah-Shayna-baby debacle so he didn’t say anything awkward.
“Wow,” he said, scrubbing hands through his hair. “That sucks.”
“Yeah.”
He narrowed his eyes and darted a glance toward Becca, then me. “So—I don’t want to sound condescending and go all know-it-all on you,” he began, making me laugh, “But you and Noah—”
“Oh, seriously?” Becca said, contorting her face.
“Go check your Facebook while you can,” I said, giving her a way out of the ick factor. She took the out, dropping back into her seat.
Seth chuckled and then met my eyes again. “I’ve only known you and Noah for less than two days now, and I can see it.”
I averted my gaze to the floor. “So I’ve heard,” I said. “It’s just complicated.”
He nodded. “Well, I’ve been told that sometimes the harder, complicated relationships that you have to fight for are the ones worth something,” he said, bringing my gaze back up. He had a small grin on his face as he held his palms up. “Or something to that effect. But hey, not my business. I can go check my Facebook too.”