My eyes suddenly welled up with tears, the wave of emotion coming from nowhere. “I really miss you guys.”
“Honey, don’t cry,” said Grams. “It’s not long, and you’ll be home with us. You want to tell me what has you so emotional? My Kennedy is usually so put together.”
Where did I begin?
My no-strings-attached arrangement with Dane? My stepmothers’ pregnancy? My fathers’ complete disregard for my brothers’ memory? Grady’s attack?
“I’m fine,” I sniffled. “I’ve just had a lot going on. It’s been overwhelming.”
“It will get easier, sweetheart. You just have to take one day at time, and give it your best shot. You might be a Monroe, but you’ve got your momma’s blood in those veins, and nothing will get you down if you don’t allow it to.”
Grams liked talking about my mother – her daughter – and she’d made sure to tell me I was just like her when I lived with them in Georgia. It was better than being like my dick of a father.
“One day at a time,” I repeated. “Are you guys ready for Thanksgiving?”
“Almost,” she replied. “It’s not going to be the same without you this year.”
“I know, but I thought it would be easier to spend the day with Jade and her family. We only have four days off, and I wouldn’t want to waste two days traveling. I’ll be in Georgia for three weeks in January, and you can fatten me up with those pies you like to bake.”
She chuckled. “I’m counting down the days my sweet girl.”
We stayed on the phone for a few more minutes, and when I ended the call I felt like a weight had been lifted. Remembering the piece of paper in my hand, I thumbed it open, and smiled.
I left the ibuprofen next to you bed. Drink it.
Hope you’re feeling better.
P.S You snore in your sleep ;)
“I do not,” I mumbled with a giggle. Silly boy.
I stuck the note in my desk drawer, and I slipped into a pair of grey sweats. I fixed my hair, and headed into the kitchen to make something to eat.
Jade was sitting on the sofa, legs crossed underneath her, with her phone pressed to her ear. She looked up, and the tears streaming down her face alarmed me. Had something happened to Grady?
Please, no!
“Okay, mom. I’ll see you at the airport soon. Yes…Reid is coming with me. Okay…love you too.” Jade spoke in fluent Spanish, and I relaxed slightly knowing she couldn’t have been upset over Grady.
She ended her call, and I sat down next to her. “What’s wrong?” My panic was barely contained. “Is it Grady?”
She shook her head, and wiped her face. “No. They’re waiting for Grady to wake up on his own. The doctor’s said he’s breathing fine on his own, and his brain activity is normal. They’re just waiting for him to wake up now.”
“Then why are you so upset? That’s good news?”
“It’s my grandmother,” she said with a sob. “She died of a heart attack late last night. I’m flying to Barcelona with my parents in three hours so we can attend her funeral, and see my mom’s family.”
“I’m so sorry, Jade.” I hugged my friend. I knew how close she was with her abuela, and could only imagine how devastated she was. She’d spent almost every summer in Spain when we were in high school, and always brought me something her grandmother had made.
“You said Reid is going with you?”
She nodded. “He didn’t even hesitate. God, that boy…”
“He loves you,” I said quietly.
Jade’s mouth lifted on one side, and she looked at me with more than just sadness in her eyes. It was resignation.
“We can’t seem to get it right,” she laughed sadly. “I think we’re both scared - ”
The front door opened, and Reid walked in as if he knew we’d been talking about him. He shut the door, and came to kneel on front of Jade, the look on his face a mixture of concern and love. Staring at them, I wished they would just pull their heads out of their asses. They belonged together, but they were both being stubborn dummies.
“Flights are booked,” he said gently. He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and the intimacy of the gesture made me feel like I was intruding. “We have an hour before we need to be at the airport. I told your parents we’d meet them there, and told mine I won’t be here for Thanksgiving.”
“Thank you,” replied Jade. Her lip trembled, and then she turned her head in my direction. “Will you be okay on Thanksgiving?”
I’d completely forgotten about that, despite mentioning it to my grandmother on the phone a little while earlier.