Max kept calling me, but I was determined not to answer.
That was the fifth missed call.
I needed things to end and having to explain it would just open the wound again. I needed to move on.
I would explain things to him, but I needed a couple of days to let it settle in my mind. I could not cry when breaking things off. Because I truly, deeply didn’t want to break things off, and Grey would just try to find solutions… and there wasn’t a solution to this. I wouldn’t take a gamble with custody. It wasn’t an option for me.
I would surely see them at the rink, but I needed to detach.
I called Jen over for dinner and explained the situation to her and asked if she could take Canyon to practices and games for a while. It would be hard, because I loved cheering on my boy, but it needed to happen. I gave her a very skimmed over explanation. She was skeptical but accepted.
She did ask if she could go after Grey, which annoyed the hell out of me, but that’s the kind of person she was, so I let it go. And it didn’t hurt that I knew Grey wasn’t interested in her.
But Max needed to stop calling.
I knew Grey was probably the one calling.
All of a sudden, I jumped at a loud noise.
Someone was banging on my door.
It was 11pm.
I sent up a quick prayer to God. Anyone but Kevin.
Canyon and Troy ran out of the bedroom. I ushered them with my hand to go back, but Canyon seemed to stand up taller and shake his head, defying me.
I was paralyzed by nerves until I heard a voice from behind the door.
“Juju! It’s me, Max!”
That jerked my body into action and I opened the door for him quickly.
“Jesus. Will you two ever stop being so damn difficult?” He grumbled jokingly, but the joke didn’t make it up to his serious eyes.
He peered up the stairs, seeing Canyon and Troy and then turned to me. “Grey’s in the hospital,” he said quietly.
I was not expecting that. I felt my stomach drop and fear crippled my body.
“Why?” I was almost too scared to hear the answer.
He looked again to the kids, wondering how he should phrase what he was going to say.
“Parents found him on the ground in the parking lot. He was hit with something in the head.”
I immediately turned to grab my purse and keys.
“Which hospital?”
“He wasn’t supposed to have any more concussions,” Max said quietly.
“I know,” I snapped at him. “Which hospital?” I demanded.
Max was still holding back.
“Why the hell would you come here and then not tell me?!” I demanded, hating the screech in my voice.
He avoided eye contact with me as he answered.
“I saw him checking his phone nervously all day.”
I felt red creeping into my face and guilt slammed into me.
“You know I love you,” he said gently. “And I know you’ve been through your own hell too. But Jules… Don’t come if you aren’t planning to stay with him. Don’t do that to him.”
