As soon as I get to my parents', I wrap Owen in a big hug.
“Mom!” He wiggles. “You’re suffocating me!”
I giggle, then kiss his cheeks. “I missed you!”
My mom chuckles. “He got hungry, so I fed him some mac ’n cheese.”
“Thanks. Guess that means you’ll have extra time to take a bath,” I muse, ruffling his greasy hair. “Because you definitely need it.”
“Mom!” He groans, rolling his eyes, then walks away.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I call out as we head out the door.
On the way home, Owen tells me all about his day.
“Speaking of school, have you seen Anthony in class lately?”
“No, the teacher said he’s sick. He’s been out all week.”
Hmm…well, that confirms my suspicions then. She might’ve taken him out of school so people thought she left, but I’m not convinced this is over. And the thought scares me to death.
Since Belinda fired her, who knows where she could be now.
“You go wash up, then put on some clean jammies,” I tell him when we go into the house. “Clean underwear too.”
“I know!” he bellows.
“Excuse me? Wanna lose that attitude?”
“I don’t have an attitude,” he snaps.
“Sounds like one to me,” I counter.
When he’s finally in the bathroom, I call Noah.
“Hey, baby. I was wonderin’ where you were,” he says, which reminds me I never read his text message from earlier.
“Sorry, Loretta ambushed me after work.”
“What?”
“Yep, she was waiting for me at my car,” I tell him, then continue to explain what we discussed.
“Do you believe her?” he asks when I’m done.
“Yeah,” I say honestly. “She loves Owen too much to jeopardize their relationship. She knows she’d lose the only person connected to her son if she tried to harm you.”
“So she knows about us then?”
“She does,” I confirm. “She wasn’t that shocked, though. It was actually a good conversation and one we needed to have, but I told her I wasn’t ready to leave Owen with her yet.”
“How’d she take it?”
“Uhh…she understood but was still upset.”
“Well, I guess it’s nice to know she’s not trying to kill me, but it’s still worrisome that Brittany’s MIA.”
“Anthony hasn’t been in school either, so something is definitely up. I still think she’s planning something.”
“It’d have to be something really good with Eric around.”
“Hopefully, she’ll give up and just go away,” I say, but it’s wishful thinking.
“So besides that, how was your day?”
Noah has me smiling and laughing in seconds as usual. We talk about work and what we hope to do this weekend at the house.
“Mom!” Owen calls.
“Oh shoot, I better go. Owen’s yelling for me.”
“Alright, baby. I love you. Text me before bed so I can say good night, okay?”
“I will. Love you too.”
Once we hang up, I walk to the bathroom and peek inside. “What is it?”
“I forgot a towel.”
I chuckle. “Hold on.”
After Owen is dried and in his pajamas, we curl up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and watch one of his favorite cartoons. As he’s sucked into the screen, I decide to group text Gemma and Everleigh to give them an update.
Everleigh: She WHAT?
Gemma: OMG…the audacity!
Katie: Put down your pitchforks…let me explain.
After several long messages, I finally get out the whole story about Loretta and what happened with Brittany and Gabe. It feels like Deja vu as I’ve now repeated this twice in just a few hours.
Everleigh: I’m just gonna say it. The rat bastard is lucky he’s dead for not only cheating on you but for knocking up another woman and promising to leave you.
Gemma: Everleigh!!!!
Everleigh: What? You’re thinking it too!
Katie: Trust me, I know…but I could’ve left too. We were young and stupid.
Everleigh: Don’t you dare make excuses for him!
Katie: I’m not, but it takes two people to break up a marriage.
Everleigh: Yeah, Gabe and his whore.
Gemma: ANYWAY…so we know Loretta isn’t trying to get Noah killed, but we still don’t trust her.
Katie: I do, but I’m just not ready to fully let her back into our lives, at least not until Brittany is taken care of. If she sees Loretta with Owen, it might make him a target. I don’t know, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.
Gemma: Yes, use your mama instincts!
Everleigh: I’m about to hire my own hit man to find this bitch.
I snort.
Katie: Don’t worry, Eric’s here and is doing everything he can to find her. He’s not gonna let anything happen.
Gemma: He’s really good at what he does.
Everleigh: Pretty hot too.
Rolling my eyes, I send a reply.
Katie: Don’t even think about it, Everleigh Blackwood.
Everleigh: I’m just admiring the way the man looks in a tight black T-shirt and combat boots, okay?
Gemma: That’s her weakness.
I chuckle in agreement.
Katie: She definitely has a type. The bad boy vibe.
Everleigh: They’re the best in bed. What can I say?
She sends a tongue sticking-out emoji.
Gemma: You have daddy issues.
Katie: Or mommy issues.
Everleigh: Let’s be real, I have both.
Though I know we’re just teasing, it’s true. Tyler helped raise her due to their junkie mother and nonexistent father. When he left for the military, she moved in with their grandparents, and neither of them has had a relationship with their mom. Everleigh didn’t let it define her, though, and neither did Tyler. She worked her ass off, started her own boutique, and is thriving.
Katie: I gotta get Owen to bed and then myself soon, so I’ll talk to you guys later. Can’t wait for the grand opening next weekend!
Gemma: OMG, I’m so nervous but excited! I’m so ready for it to be here.
Katie: I have no doubt it’s gonna be amazing!
Everleigh: There’s an open bar, though, right?