The Single Undead Moms(71)
She sounded more hurt than angry. And to be honest, the idea of hurting her seemed so much more painful than her being angry with me. But she needed to hear this, and I needed to say it.
“I didn’t trust you,” I told her. “Well, not so much you but definitely Les. You take him fishing, you talk about how much Rob enjoyed a certain spot or how Rob always liked using a cane pole. You watch Rob’s favorite childhood movies with him and eat Rob’s favorite foods. You don’t bother learning Danny’s favorite childhood movies or Danny’s favorite foods. That’s not fair to him, and it’s really unfair to you, because you are missing out on the opportunity to get to know who he really is. Because who he is, is really freaking amazing.”
“I can’t believe—I can’t believe that after all these years, this is what you think of me. As a mother, I would think you would understand what it would be like to lose your son. I would think you would understand how hard that loss would be.”
“I did think about it,” I told her. “I thought about it every day. I still think about it. So you should understand how desperate I was to make the decision I did. And you should think about how desperate I am, now that you and Les are trying to take Danny from me.”
Marge’s dark eyes narrowed. “Are you threatening us?”
“Not at all,” I told her. “I just think you need to consider this from my point of view. Consider how different this situation could be. If you two would just compromise, figure out a way for us all to be in Danny’s life instead of trying to make it an all-or-nothing situation, we might be able to get through this without destroying the relationship we have. Because as it stands, you two are doing a pretty good job of convincing the courts that Danny would be better off with me.”
Marge shook her head, biting her lip. “Les would never allow it. He’s convinced he’s doing the right thing, bringing Danny to stay with us. He’s going crazy, ignoring the court orders, saying he has every right to check up on his grandson and no judge is going to stop him. And it just keeps getting worse every time the judge sends one of those letters. He would be furious knowing I’m here talking to you. Getting Danny home with us has become his whole reason for living. I’ve tried getting him to talk to somebody, but he says he knows he’s doing the right thing.”
I sagged against the porch railing. This wasn’t new or unexpected information, but it was still distressing to find out that your worst suspicions were true. “I’m really sorry to hear that.”
“I’m sorry it’s come to this,” she said. “In a million years, I never would have guessed our lives would turn out so . . .” My mother-in-law was polite enough not to finish that particular thought, which I appreciated.
“What, vampire daughter-in-law wasn’t on your list of potential outcomes when you watched me toddle down the aisle?”
Marge made an undignified noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. And against my better judgment, I said, “If I let you in to see Danny, could you talk to him without upsetting him or pumping him for information? Without reporting back to Les or the judge? Just a regular visit with Mamaw?”
Marge’s eyes brimmed with tears, and she nodded frantically. “Yes, I could do that.”
“Could you do it without telling Les about it? Or anyone else?”
Marge’s head stopped mid-nod. After a long silent moment, she said, “Yes, I could do that.”
I was trapped in the vampire version of Adventures in Babysitting. I remembered watching that movie when I was a kid and thinking, Wow, Elisabeth Shue’s night could not possibly get worse, and then being proven wrong over and over again. Nostalgic déjà vu was a bitch.
It started off easily enough. I had to drive to Murphy to pick up a packet of gift cards for gas at a service station owned by a student’s grandfather. Considering it was more than five hundred dollars in gas cards that would be raffled off, I didn’t think it was asking too much for me to drive an hour to pick them up. Wade had to work late on a special order, so Harley was keeping Danny company with Kerrianne and Braylen.
I hoped I’d made the right decision, letting Marge visit with Danny. They’d both enjoyed it enough to warm even the cockles of my still heart. They fell right back into their dynamic, without a mention of their separation. Danny simply kissed her cheeks, told her about his new friend Harley and their “sick-person campout.” He showed her his new room and his new Ninja Turtle and asked for a bowl of her soup. It was as if he’d seen her just a few days before.