Almost Easy

Chapter Fifty-Three:

“Hey, so, I don’t suppose you have another guest room that you wouldn’t mind filling, do you?” Hayden asked, sitting down at the dining room table with us. He’s been on the phone for awhile. He’s not much for talking on the phone. The only person he’ll willingly talk to aside from Jimmy is his mother. He’ll forever be a momma’s boy. But, with a mother like his – who can blame him? She’s the shit.

“I’m sure we have the room. Who would it be for?” Doug asked, before feeding himself a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

“My mother,” he admitted, quietly. He sat down in between me and Oliver, but didn’t say anything else.

“Hayds, is she okay?” I asked him, rubbing his back. He nodded, but didn’t go into any more detail. “I can’t even remember the last time I saw her. She’s really active with volunteer work. Her family comes from old money, so constant travel isn’t a problem for her. She’s been away helping educate and giving out medical supplies to people in need in Africa. She’s basically the most selfless person I’ve ever met.

When she married Hayden’s father, she was young. Needless to say, Hayden’s dad was a good man… to her. From what Hayden’s told me, when he was a kid, his dad started getting abusive while his mom was away. He was careful with where he would hit Hayds. He’d never mark places that were visible to everyone else. Just hearing his stories makes me cringe.

One night, his dad came home from work drunk off of his ass. He wailed on Hayden. I’m talking like… full-on, no remorse, holding nothing back, wailing.

I remember the night that we found Hayden. He was shivering on a wet street corner. It was already dark and even with the dim street lamps, we could see how badly he was bleeding. We tried to talk to him, but it’s like he was in shock. He was trembling. We got him to follow us back to Oliver’s place.

He stayed with us until his mother returned. He was able to email her, but that was really the only method of communication to her.

Oliver’s a military brat. His father is a marine. After his mother died, his father was deployed more than he was home. He would stay with neighbors or friends of his father’s. One family though, they were something else. They had teenagers when Ollie was just a kid. They used to torment him for kicks. He was hiding from them when I had run away from my mother’s house.
It was around that time that Hayden came into the picture. After that, it was us against the world. I got so lucky with them. They’re amazing guys and my family for life.

I know that Hayden’s relationship with his mother is rocky, because she’s gone so much. After she found out about Hayden’s dad, she left him. She stayed around for awhile, before leaving again. Oliver’s dad offered to let Hayden stay with them. So, really, not all that much changed.

“Yeah, she just wants to see me – to see us.” He spoke up, pulling me from my thoughts. “She found out that Lynn moved you to California and we came to see you. She wants to make sure that we’re all okay. She remembers what your mother’s like. She said that she just wanted to be a mom for awhile and that her mission work could wait.” He explained. I nodded.

“I can’t wait to see her.” I told him. Oliver was smiling. We all like his mom. “You’ll love her.” I told Doug. “You know, she’s single and not psychotic.” I hinted. He chuckled and gave me the look.
“You are aware that I am quite capable of picking out women for myself – aren’t you?” He countered. I smirked.

“And how did that work out for you last time?” I asked him. He didn’t say anything for a minute. “Just check her out. She’s gorgeous and you’re a babe. What could go wrong?” I tried.

“If you’re going to use that logic, then I should just go find your mother, Sweetheart.” He teased. I stuck my tongue out at him. “And, let us not forget that I did gain a daughter through all of this chaos.” He added.

“You have a point there.” I agreed. “And some guys that don’t look like they’re leaving any time soon.” I gestured to Oliver and Hayden. Doug chuckled.

“It doesn’t bother me. Zacky’s friends practically lived over her before. Two more teenage boys isn’t that big of a difference.” He assured them. We all laughed at that. Seriously, though, I can totally see Holland and Doug dating. They’re going to be staying in the same house and I can’t think of a decent reason why I shouldn’t play matchmaker. This is going to be fun.

Notes

In case you haven't already guessed, the new character adding to the mix will be Hayden's mom, Holland. :D Her character bio is up. The next chapter will be up tomorrow!

Thoughts? Comments?

Love you all,
Katie