“Congrats, man. You’re lucky.”
“I know.” He put an arm around Becca.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” Gavin offered.
Becca gave him a look.
“I mean soda or anything?”
I shook my head at Becca. “I’m capable of turning down alcohol.”
“I know. I just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable…”
“Stop worrying.”
“Okay. But do you want anything?”
“A Coke would be great.”
Gavin got one out of the fridge and tossed it to me.
I went over to the window and looked out. I had to hand it to Gavin, his condo had a nice view. I’d have thought about buying it off him, but it wouldn’t have been practical for Emily and Noah. I liked that I had to take them into consideration.
The place filled up. I caught up with Becca a bit, and tried to enjoy the party, but I was getting worried.
I checked my phone for the millionth time. Emily ran late a lot and sometimes didn’t call, but it was getting extremely late even for her. I was just about to slide my phone back into my pocket when I got a text. Sorry, we’re not going to make it. I’ll give you more details later.
Are you okay? Do you need me?
Enjoy the party. I’ll fill you in later.
Let me know if you need anything
OK
“Is everything okay?” Becca asked, taking a seat next to me on one of the bar stools at the counter.
“Yeah, but Emily’s not coming.”
“Is she okay? Noah?”
“I think so. She said she’d tell me more later.”
“Oh. Well, if you need to leave, I get it.” Becca bit her lip. It made her nervous and she barely knew Emily.
“I’ll wait until she calls.”
I tried to relax, but I didn’t like it. Why didn’t Emily tell me what was going on? I was about to walk outside to call her when I heard the tinkering of a glass. Someone was going to toast.
Gavin easily commanded the attention of everyone in the room. He was definitely the biggest guy there. “Becca and I are so happy you could all be here to celebrate with us tonight. We’ve missed you guys so much the past few months, which is why we’re excited to share some other news.”
Was she pregnant too? Becca didn’t seem like the type to have kids so quickly, but as Emily would say, sometimes it wasn’t planned.
“We’re moving back in May!” Becca squealed.
“Oh my god, that’s awesome!” Molly hugged her.
“Wait, did you take the job with the Blue Rocks?” Tom asked, referring to the local Minor League baseball team. Gavin had been doing some assistant coaching for the Boston Red Sox.
“Yeah. And Becca’s lined up a great job too.” Gavin beamed at her.
Becca grinned. “I’m working for the DA in Wilmington!”
“That’s incredible, Becca!” I gave her a hug. I knew how much she wanted to be a prosecutor. I was glad she was going to be doing it close by.
My phone vibrated. I had a new text. Can you talk?
I slipped down the hall and called her. “What’s going on?”
“It’s my dad,” Emily choked out.
“What about him? Is he worse?”
“Mom says if I want to talk to him, it’s got to be now. They sent him home with hospice.” She could barely talk, she was crying so hard.
“Oh, Em. I’m so sorry.”
“I need to go up there. I’m going tonight. I can’t wait.”
“I’ll come with you. Can you stop and pick me up at my house, or should I get a ride to you?”
“You don’t have to come, Jake.”
“I want to. If nothing else, I can help watch Noah.”
“We’ll pick you up. Can you be ready by nine?” Her voice sounded stronger. Maybe knowing she’d have me with her helped.
“Yes. I love you, Em.”
“I love you too.”
I walked back to the party.
“Is everything okay?” Ben put down his beer.
“No. Emily’s dad took a turn for the worse. I need to get home and pack.”
“Are you going up to Ridgeview?” Ben asked.
“Yeah. I don’t have much time, and don’t want to ruin the mood. Can you tell Becca I left?”
“Sure.” Ben hugged me. We weren’t the kind of brothers who hugged, but I appreciated the gesture.
***
I walked outside my house and locked up before Emily had even pulled into the driveway. I didn’t want her to waste any more time. Even without traffic, it was still a five hour drive. I got right in, leaning over to kiss Emily on the cheek before turning around to say hi to Noah.
“Thanks for coming. I know you wanted to spend time with Becca.” Emily pulled out onto the road.
“This is much more important.” I took her hand and squeezed it. She was shaking.
“Have you talked to your mom again since you called me?”
“Yeah. He’s all settled in. Mom sounded so scared though.” She took her hand from mine to brush away a tear. “I can’t imagine what she’s going through. They’ve been married thirty-five years. How do you say goodbye to someone after so long?”
“I don’t know.” The truth was, I’d only been dating Emily a few months and I already knew I couldn’t say goodbye to her.
I tried to keep Emily relaxed as she drove, but I knew how upset she was. Noah fell asleep before we even left town, so most of the ride was quiet. I wished I could just take over the driving to let her sleep.
I’d had my hand on her leg for a while and went to move it.
She placed her hand on top of mine to stop me. “No, don’t. I need to feel your touch right now. It’s what’s keeping me from breaking apart. I don’t know what we’d do without you, Jake. You’re my rock.” She glanced over at me for a second as she said it before returning her eyes to the dark road.
There was something about those words, something on her face. I turned around and watched Noah sleep. I already knew it, but holding Emily’s hand and watching Noah solidified it all for me. I needed them in my life forever.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Emily
I couldn’t have made the drive without Jake. I would have tried, but I probably would have stopped somewhere along the way. Having the conversation I needed to have with my dad would be hard. Doing it knowing he had almost no time left would be nearly impossible.
Mom greeted me with a hug. She didn’t let go for a minute, and I was once again grateful for Jake. He carried a sleeping Noah inside.