Trevor hit TALK. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hey, mom? All I get is a ‘hey, Mom’? Geez, we live in the same town and I haven’t seen you in close to a month. You’ve been quite the busy bee lately. How’s your hand?”

Trevor rolled his truck window down to let in some of the warm, late-Spring air. Spring and Summer were his favorite times of the year. “It’s good. I got my stitches out today. Everything healed just fine. We’re starting a new job on Monday.”

“I know. Your brother told me. Out at the old Stoneridge property, right? He was proud of you, ya know. Getting that job for Rock Solid. I’m so proud of both of you boys.”

Trevor tried to smile. “Thanks, Mom.” There was no reason for her words to bother him, but they did. Trevor landing the job had been a surprise to everyone. He knew Blake had every right to doubt him. Trevor knew he’d screwed up too many times to count. He’d done many more wrongs than rights in his life, but it still sucked that something as little as landing a job was a reason for them to be proud of him. If it had been Blake, it would be expected that he get it. With Trevor, it was an accomplishment.

“I talked to Blake on his lunch break. I told him I want you boys to come over for dinner tomorrow night. Jason might come, too. Your brother said he wasn’t sure if you could make it, you’ve had so much going on. I want to see your face. Can you come?”

“Hey, Blake will be there. That means you get to see my face. Why do you need me there?” The words had rolled out without being planned. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long day. I didn’t mean that. Of course I’ll be there.”

There was a pause on the line. Without seeing her, Trevor knew his mom’s mind was running, overthinking Trevor’s outburst, because once you’re an addict, you can’t just have a bad day. It’s because you are coming down, or in need of something. You can’t just have plans with a friend where you go jogging with him, eat pizza and put together an entertainment center, you have to be out partying.

And he got it. He did. Trevor deserved that. He didn’t have anyone to blame other than himself. That didn’t make it any easier to deal with, and right now, he didn’t have it in him to assure her he was fine.

“I’ll be there. I need to run, though. I have some errands to take care of today.”

“Okay...I love you, Trevor.”

“I love you too, Mom.” Trevor hung up the phone and wondered what in the hell he would do with his day.

***

“I can’t believe you decided to come.” Heather kept close to him as they made their way down the beach.

“I needed to get away. Things will be busy with the upcoming remodel. If I didn’t come now, it would be months before I had the chance.” Really, that wouldn’t have mattered. He wouldn’t have come because of that.

Heather wrapped her arm around Simon’s waist and gave him a half hug. She was a hugger. She’d always been that way. The first day they’d met in college, she’d hugged him. Simon hadn’t known what to think about that. Eventually, he’d gotten used to Heather’s affection, but it still felt awkward at times.

She was a surgeon’s daughter. She understood all the long hours and hard work. In the beginning, Heather hardly ever complained, and that had worked for Simon. She was exactly what he’d needed in a woman: smart, kind, understanding, and independent. She had plans of her own, so she understood Simon’s.

It wasn’t that he didn’t love her. He had. He still did. No, Simon wasn’t in love with Heather anymore, but he did love her. But even from the beginning, he’d been very aware of how well they would work. She didn’t get mad at him if he went a few days without calling. If he was so busy studying that he forgot her birthday. Because she’d known it wasn’t that he didn’t care about her. What he did just meant that much to him. He’d always wanted to save lives. He’d always wanted to fix hearts.

They’d been engaged by his senior year. It would be a while before they married. She got that. School came first.

They were married a couple years later. Things went well during his residency. He’d blown people away, being so young yet so good at what he did. He was hardly settled into his career by the time she wanted to have a baby.

Simon hadn’t. It wasn’t the right time. They had too much going on.

Like she always did, Heather understood. It was a year later that she started to tell him how lonely she was. How much she missed him.

Six months later, they started trying to get pregnant.