The Swap by Annabella Michaels

Author:Annabella Michaels
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Academia
ISBN: 9780998988887
Publisher: Anne Cook
Published: 2018-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

I looked up at Gayle in surprise as her hand landed on my leg. “If you don’t stop bouncing so much, security is going to think you’re up to no good,” she teased.

I blew out a breath. “I can’t help it. I couldn’t sleep at all last night, worrying about what was going to happen when we tell Brooklyn. I keep going back and forth between wanting to get it over with and wishing we never had to tell her at all. Now her flight is delayed, and I’m about to lose my goddamn mind. And how the hell are you staying so calm?” I demanded.

Gayle chuckled. “Oh, I’m not calm. Far from it, in fact, but I took two Valiums before leaving the house.” I stared at her, trying to see if she was serious. Gayle had always been strongly opposed to taking medicine. She rarely even took over-the-counter stuff, claiming she didn’t like the way they made her feel. Two Valiums should have knocked her on her butt, but she just looked mellow instead.

“Well, okay. Next time would you mind sharing though?” I joked.

She laughed at that. “Next time? How many times do you plan on getting divorced?” I laughed too then, and my shoulders began to loosen up. Until I checked the list of flights on the monitor and saw that Brooklyn’s flight had just arrived and then my stomach plummeted, and my nerves came back with a vengeance. Gayle grabbed my hand and squeezed it and her mouth settled into a thin line.

“It’s going to be okay. We raised a smart and compassionate daughter. She’ll be upset at first, but we’re not going to lose her,” I said, repeating what Oliver had said to me. Somehow, just saying those words brought a level of comfort to me.

I spotted Brooklyn as she walked toward the baggage claim area and my heart went straight to my throat. In the back of my mind, I’d been worried that she’d change too much once she was gone, but she was still the same beautiful young woman she was a few months ago when she’d said goodbye.

Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw us, and she came running toward us with her arm wide open. “Mommy! Daddy!” She screeched as she dove into our arms. The three of us stood there, hugging and crying and then laughing at ourselves because we were crying.

I bent my head and breathed in the familiar scent of her strawberry shampoo, savoring the moment. I’d been so caught up worrying about everything that could go wrong, that I forgot about the one thing that would be perfectly right. My baby girl was home.

Brooklyn climbed in the back seat and chattered the whole way home about her new school, which classes she loved as well as which ones she hated and about her new friends. She told us how disgusting the cafeteria food was and about how her roommate refused to clean up after herself, but that they loved each other anyway.

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