It's Time

Let's Talk

Ms. Grace decided to stay back with Spencer to drive his car home. This way, I can drop off Julia, and it gives Spencer and me a moment to calm down. My mind is still reeling from our conversation— if you can even call it that. He completely shut me down, and I get his concerns, but he wasn't even willing to hear me out.

"Ms. Olivia!" Jace runs over to me. "We won, we won!"

I pick him up, squeezing his little body against mine. "I saw, J-man. I was in the back with Mr. Spencer. He told me to give you a fist bump for him." I form my hand into a fist, and his tiny hand crashes into mine.

"Can we go back to your house, pretty pleaseeeee?" He begs, and I don't have the heart to tell him no, so I glance at Julia, hoping she'll intervene.

"Mr. Spencer needs to rest after his big game, buddy. I'll text Ms. Olivia later to see if we can set up a time to stop by. How does that sound?" She reaches out for him, but he clings tighter to me.

I rub his back, attempting to soothe him before he breaks out into a full tantrum. "I'll call your mama as soon as Mr. Spencer is feeling better, I promise." He nods his tiny head on my shoulder, and I give him one more squeeze before attempting once again to hand him over to Julia. He goes this time, and I see a single tear falling down his cheek that breaks my heart.

"So?" Julia hesitantly inquires as we walk to the car.

"I heard what you said, Julia. I have to talk to Spencer, and right now, the priority is his health." My tone is dismissive, and I don't mean to be, but Spencer and I have gotten into more disagreements in the last week than the entire time we've been in Chicago, and coincidentally, Julia is the center of each argument.

"I understand it's a big ask, and I'm more than willing to talk about it more with you and Spencer, but Liv, I've never been more certain of anything in my life. Look at how he's taken to you guys in such a short amount of time. I may have brought him into this world, but I know deep in my soul that his home is with you guys."

I simply nod at her. I can't have this conversation because I'll cave and tell her we'll take him. Then me, Jace, and Julia will all be royally screwed. I'd be out of a relationship and on the first flight back to Cali, so it's better if I just change the subject.

"So, how did you guys enjoy the game?"

"That was dope. Well, outside of Spencer's injury, of course." Brandon is the first to respond. For a moment, I forgot he was even with us.

"I'm glad you could make it, Brandon. And, I'm glad you had a good time. Spencer will be back out there lighting up the field in no time, so you'll get to see a lot more of him."

Traffic is awful, making this already long drive excruciating. It takes over an hour and a half, but I finally make it to Julia's and drop off the game day crew. As much as I hate driving, I'm actually looking forward to my trek home. I have been mulling over a lot in my head, and alone on this drive is the perfect time to gather my thoughts. Spencer and Julia have both given me a lot to think about. Of course, instead of just sitting with my feelings for a moment, I lashed out at Spencer. I'll definitely have to fix things the moment I get home, but more importantly, I need to stop slipping into self-destruct mode.

Ms. Grace is sleeping on the couch when I walk in. Bentley runs over, jumping up and scratching at my legs. I pick him up, rubbing behind his ears. The house looks to be in one piece, so I tell him he's a good boy before placing him back on the ground.

I walk over to the couch and grab the knitted throw, gently laying it on top of Ms. Grace. I'm honestly relieved she's sleeping. Hopefully, this means Spence and I can talk. Our bedroom door is open, so I peek inside, but it's empty. Naturally, I head up to the game room. Spencer would usually just play video games in the family room, but he's probably upstairs since his mom is sleeping out here. I cautiously head upstairs, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.