Parting Chances (Fighting Chance #1) Read online

  “We should get out there. Caleb wants to have a mother/son dance and I know your mom is getting tired.” Dad stood.

  “Okay, you go. I’ll be out in a few minutes. I need to clean this up,” I said pointing to my face. I hadn’t looked in the mirror yet, but I was sure it was a mess.

  “You look beautiful, Haley.” My dad kissed my forehead and left the room.

  I found my face wipes in my bag and ran them under my eyes, clearing away any trace of makeup. I didn’t have the energy to reapply anything, so two minutes later I made my way back to the living room. Eli was still sitting next to my mom, and he looked up as I entered, concern etched on his face. I gave him a small smile, hoping it would reassure him that I was okay. Way too emotional, but okay.

  “Hi, Mom,” I said when I approached them.

  “Honey! So this is the boy you’ve told me so much about!” She winked and gave me a thumbs up, and just like that, my mom knew exactly what to say to get me out of my funk. Now, instead of wanting to cry, I just wanted to hide.

  “This is Eli, yes. Eli, you’ve already met my mom.”

  Eli nodded and shifted to the side, so I could sit between him and my mom.

  “Yes I have. She’s a wonderful woman,” Eli said, giving my mom his signature lopsided grin. And holy hell, my mom started blushing.

  “Oh, Eli.” She swatted her hand out at him then pressed her palms to her cheeks.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but could I have this dance?” Caleb broke into our little group and offered his hand to Mom. Caleb helped Mom stand while Meg maneuvered the IV cart around the chair. Caleb led Mom to the front of the tree, Meg a safe distance behind with the cart. When the music started and “Beautiful In My Eyes” came through the speakers, I almost lost it again. That was my mom’s favorite song for as long as I could remember. She made Dad dance with her to it on their anniversary every year.

  Caleb held Mom tight, and they were barely swaying. Mom’s eyes were closed as her head rested against his chest. I saw two tears sneak out the corner of her eye and had to look away. I buried my head in Eli’s warmth, knowing if I watched them dance any longer I was going to start sobbing all over again. It was bad enough I could still hear the song. That wasn’t making anything any easier.

  As the song hit its closing chords, I finally looked back up. I probably shouldn’t have, because at some point during the song, Caleb had scooped Mom up in his arms and was now cradling her gently. Her head still rested against his chest, her arms wrapped lightly around his shoulders. She had a soft smile on her face, but I was unsure if she was still awake. When there was nothing but silence in the room, Caleb placed a light kiss on Mom’s forehead. Then he tilted his head toward my parents’ bedroom, letting Meg know that’s where he was going to take her, and the three of them took off down the hallway.

  After a few minutes, Caleb came back out with more tears in his eyes. I know weddings were emotional, but I had a feeling this one topped the cake.

  “All right, let’s eat,” Dad announced, brushing his own tears away and leading the way into the kitchen.

  Dinner was much the opposite of the previous hour. There was nothing but laughter and happiness around the table. Caleb even broke out his big brother act and interrogated Eli for the better part of twenty minutes. To Eli’s credit, he took everything in stride and always kept his arm on the back of my chair, brushing my shoulder with his thumb every now and then.

  After dinner, we said goodbye to Emma’s parents and Emma and Caleb. The newlyweds were going to drop her parents off at the airport before heading to their hotel for the night.

  I had finished packing up my suitcase and brought it out into the entryway when my dad found me.

  “I know today has been rough, but there is one more thing I’d like you to do.”

  “What’s that?” I turned my attention to him, my heart falling at his somber expression.

  “I think you should go say your goodbyes to Mom,” he spoke softly.

  Goodbyes, he said goodbyes. And before I could stop them, the tears started rolling again.

  “You think…” I choked out, not able to finish the thought.

  He nodded. “She’s so weak. The pain medicine is what is really keeping her going. I honestly have no idea, but when she was at the doctor’s last week, they didn’t give us a very long timeline. And I would hate for you to not be able to say goodbye to her.” He patted my shoulder and went into the kitchen, just as Eli was coming out.

  “That your suitcase? I can load it…” Eli trailed off as he took in my face. “Are you okay?”

  “No, not really,” I muttered. Then stood straight and nodded. “Yes, that’s my suitcase. I have something I need to do, so if you could just wait with my dad until I’m done…” Eli was already nodding. He lifted my suitcase with one hand and wrapped his other around my waist, hugging me tight.

  “You can do this,” he murmured into my hair, then he pushed me lightly down the hallway.

  I didn’t bother knocking when I got to my parents’ room. Meg was in her usual spot, and Mom opened her eyes when I shut the door behind me.

  “Haley. Honey, are you leaving?” she asked as I crawled into bed next to her.

  “Yeah, soon.” I put my head down on her chest, letting the tears go.

  “Honey, are you okay?” She placed a trembling hand on my shoulder, giving a weak squeeze.

  “Why does everyone keep asking me that? Of course I’m not okay. You’re dying, Mom. Dad says you don’t have much time left. I’m sad because you won’t be around to experience things every Mom should. That you won’t be here to give me the advice only a mother could give her daughter. Of course I’m not okay! Who would be okay with this? And I’m not leaving. If this is the end, there is no way I’m going home.” I sobbed into her chest, very aware that I was yelling.

  “Oh, Haley.” Mom sighed. We were quiet for a while, and the only sounds were my uncontrollable sobs. When I finally started to taper off, Mom moved my head so I was looking at her.

  “I need you to listen to me, okay?” she asked and waited for my nod, which I gave her. “First, yes, you are going home. You still have work and a life over there. But more importantly, I don’t want you to see me like that. I sleep all the time as it is. When the end comes, I’m sure it’ll be worse. Or I’ll be in even more pain than I am right now. I don’t want you to see that. I want you to leave with the memory of me still alive, still able to talk to you.” She paused and took in a deep breath. “Okay?”

  “Okay,” I choked out. I definitely didn’t want to leave her, but I also didn’t want to disrespect her dying wishes. So I guess I’d be going home, waiting by the phone for the dreaded call.

  “And I’m sorry that I can’t be there for you. I would give anything to change what is happening, but that’s not possible. And I’m so sorry for that. You’re my baby girl. Don’t you think there are so many things I want to see you do? To be there for you when you need me? To watch you grow into the amazing woman you are already becoming? No, I won’t be here in person for all of that, but I’ll be there with you. I’m never going to leave you, not really. I’ll always be right here.” She reached out and touched my chest, right above my heart. “You’re going to move on with your life, you’ll graduate college, get a fantastic job, marry the love of your life, and I’ll be there for all of it. I am going to miss you like hell, kid. You better believe that. But know that I will always love you. Always. And I know he may not be the best at it, but you can go to your dad for any advice you need. And he’s going to need that when I’m gone. He’s going to need you and Caleb more than you know.” She paused to wipe away the tears now cascading down her cheeks. “I love you, Haley. I will always love you.”

  I wrapped my arms around Mom and hugged her tight. “I love you too, Mom. I’m going to miss you so much.” I held onto her until she drifted off to sleep. I heard someone sniffle in the corner and realized Meg was still there and heard our entire conversation. I
placed a kiss on Mom’s forehead. “Goodbye,” I whispered and crawled out of bed. When I got to the door, I paused and turned back to the room, taking my mom in. I stared at her unblinking until my eyes started to dry out, but I needed to commit every part of her to memory. When a machine beeped and Meg stood to administer more medicine, I opened the door. I looked at her one last time before walking out and shutting the door behind me. My forehead rested against the wood for a moment. “Goodbye,” I whispered again before heading down the hall to find Eli and Dad.

  ***

  Fifteen minutes later, after a rough goodbye to my dad, Eli and I were on our way home. Eli hadn’t mentioned anything about my red blotchy face or what had went on in my parents’ bedroom. He just held my hand and listened to the rock music I had requested. I needed something to clear my head, and I couldn’t hear one more love song today. My head rested against the seat. My eyes burned from all the crying I did today, and I closed them in an attempt to soothe them. I had only meant to close my eyes for a little bit, but the next thing I knew, Eli was carrying me up to my apartment.

  “Thank you for being there today,” I mumbled into his chest, unsure if it was real life or if I was dreaming. Eli had somehow gotten my key out and entered the apartment. He shut the door behind him then carried me to my bed.

  “Of course. There was no other place I’d rather have been.” He slid my covers back and placed me gently on the bed, then covered me up. “Goodnight, Hales. Sweet dreams.” Just as he was about to turn and leave my hand shot out and gripped his.

  “Stay. Please, stay.” I don’t know why I had said it, and I’m sure if I had been more awake, I would have been blushing at my assertiveness, but I needed my Eli bubble right now. Today was long, tough and draining, and I just wanted to make it all better. And he made it all better.

  “You sure?” he asked. Always the gentleman he was. I nodded and scooted over, making room for him. “Okay, let me get your suitcase and lock everything up.” He left the room and my eyes closed. I must have fallen asleep as he got the stuff from the car, because the next thing I felt was the bed dip and Eli’s citrus-woodsy scent tickle my nose as he pulled me to him. Despite the heartbreaking day I had, I fell quickly off into a dreamless sleep.

  After working double shifts the past two days, I was grateful when I clocked out after only eight hours on Monday. When I got home, I was tempted to crawl under the covers of my bed and sleep the rest of the day away. Working forty hours in three days was a little ridiculous. But since I had spent the entire last week with my family, it was only fair for the other workers to get to spend time with theirs too. And Robb was always short staffed around this time of the year, so it was expected to put in as many hours as possible.

  I shook my head, clearing the idea of sleep and jumped in the shower. I hadn’t seen Eli since he left on Saturday morning, though we talked daily. We planned to meet at his house to exchange those Christmas presents we never got around to before.

  Forty-five minutes later, I was in front of his house. As I got out of the car, I picked the small gift bag off the passenger seat. Eli already had the door open when I approached.

  “Hey, there,” he said, holding the door open as I walked through.

  “Hi.” I kicked off my shoes and threw my coat very ungracefully in the direction of the coat rack. “This is for you.” I held out the present to him. After he took it, I moved into the living room and face-planted on the couch.

  “Tired?” He asked the very obvious question while picking up my legs and taking a seat on the couch, then placing my feet on his lap.

  “Forty hours in three days. What do you think?” I rolled over with a groan.

  “Robb needs to hire some more people.”

  I scoffed. “Of course he does. He’s needed to since I started working there. But he doesn’t, and it’s a great job any other time of the year, so we never complain.”

  “Well, then suck it up.” He grinned at me, and I kicked at him with my feet. “Hey! Watch it!” His hands moved over his crotch in protection mode.

  I rolled my eyes at his puppy dog face and moved my feet from his lap, tucking them under my butt as I sat up. “Are you going to open that?” I asked, pointing at the bag sitting on the armrest.

  Eli grinned and tore the tissue paper out. His grin expanded when he got to the present. He pulled out two new Jeopardy games and laughed. He put his hand back in the bag and lifted out the last gift as my cheeks lit up. The picture frame was just like the other black ones he had covering the wall in his room. I tugged on my shirt, feeling more embarrassed as he just stared at the picture. It was definitely not a good idea to put a picture that was captured at my brother’s wedding of the two of us in there. Why did I ever think that would make a good present?

  “I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “I thought it was a nice picture, and I remembered your wall…” I trailed off, picking at the hem of my shirt.

  “No. This is perfect.” He wrapped his arms around me. “Thank you, Haley.” I breathed him in, relieved he didn’t think it was the corniest gift ever. He pulled back and held the games. “And as for these, I hope you’re prepared to get destroyed again.”

  “Please.” I laughed. “Don’t get so cocky. I’ve been studying up.” Okay, I really hadn’t, but I wasn’t about to let him win every single game of Jeopardy we played. I would win at least one.

  “Come on. Your present is in my room. And let’s see those new mad skills put to the test.” He took my hand and led me upstairs. My heart thumped as I took each step. I hadn’t been in his room since trivia weekend, and the thought of sitting on his bed with him—in an empty house—made my breathing spike out of control. Why on earth did Kyler and Noah decide to vacation in Florida for winter break? Didn’t they know I was not responsible enough to be left alone? Eli had let go of my hand when we entered his room, and he went straight to his wall of photos. He took one of him and a buddy out from the middle and replaced it with the picture I had given him. It was right above the one taken freshman year.

  I smiled as I took in both pictures next to each other. We looked happy in the one from freshman year. We looked in love in the one from the wedding.

  Oh, Christ. Did I just say in love? What the crap?

  Eli was busy digging through his desk drawer to notice me fanning myself. I seriously needed sleep. My mind was starting to think things that were utterly ridiculous. I wasn’t in love with Eli. There was no way that was possible. Heck, we’d only started being…something more less than a month ago. No, definitely not in love. Thank goodness I hadn’t said that out loud. I turned a darker shade of red at the thought.

  “Found it!” He turned around holding a long narrow box with a grin on his face. He walked over to me and placed the box in my hands. “Merry Christmas, Hales.”

  Jewelry usually came in a long narrow box. My heart thudded against my chest. I stared at the box for another moment before untying the ribbon and slowly lifting the top. A small giggle escaped my lips as I took in what was resting inside.

  “Wonder Woman?” I asked, picking up the silver necklace with the small but beautiful Wonder Woman charm. I held it out to Eli so he could put it on me.

  “Well, that was one hell of a costume you wore that night.” He laughed as he hooked it around my neck. “And that was kind of a turning point in this…something more.”

  A blush crept up my cheeks. “Well, thank you. It’s lovely.”

  I sat on the bed, fingering the charm while Eli opened one of the games I got him and put it in the player. I couldn’t believe the thought he had put into this present. It was simple and…slightly geeky but beautiful, just like the amazing man that gave it to me.

  “You ready?” Eli asked, holding out the controller, breaking me out of my thoughts.

  “Prepare to go down.” I grinned and grabbed the controller before scooting over so he could crawl on the bed too.

  ***

  “Gah, I can’t believe you won. Stupid controller.
What the crap was that dumb answer at the end? I clearly did not click on Saint Bridget. I would have beat you if the freaking controller didn’t have a mind of its own!” I complained and threw the controller on the bed.

  “Oh, don’t blame the controller, Haley. Just admit it. I’m amazing.” He tossed me a wink as he loaded a new game.

  Well, yeah, but I won’t admit that out loud with you right there!

  I nudged his shoulder and picked up my controller as he loaded another game. My phone jingled in my back pocket as the categories were loading.

  “Pause it!” I yelled at him and pulled the phone from my pocket. “No cheating.” I eyed him before looking down at my phone. I had hoped it was someone I could just ignore; you know like those traitors, Kyler and Noah. I wanted to get back to the smack down I was about to give Eli.

  Dad’s name flashed across the screen, and my heart hit the floor. After what happened during Christmas break, this phone call was sure to deliver the worst news of my life.

  I glanced at Eli with panicked eyes. I couldn’t have this conversation. I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t ready. The phone stopped ringing as Eli sensed my overwhelmed emotions and gave my knee a light squeeze.

  “Answer it,” he said as it rang again.

  One deep breath, and I slid my finger across the screen and pressed the phone to my ear. “Hi Dad,” I choked out. Tears were already in my eyes.

  “Sweetie.” That’s all that Dad said before the flood gates opened. His voice was broken, like a man who just lost his wife of twenty-five years. A man who now had to call his children and tell them their mom had just died.

  “When?” I sobbed.

  “She passed away a half hour ago. She said goodbye and drifted off to sleep. Ten minutes later she was gone…” Dad choked out, which only caused me to cry harder. Dad was always the strong one in our family. I had never seen him completely and totally break down before. Sure, he had shed his share of tears, but it had never been like this. I heard his muffled sobs through the phone.