“Because I needed health insurance, and we couldn’t get it any other way. At least, not affordably.”
“You think Tate married you because of health insurance?” He chuckles. “Sorry, this is going to make me sound really old, but love is wasted on the young. Myself included.”
I wrinkle my nose. “What does that mean?”
“It means, I’ve seen the way he looks at you. How protective he is. How far out of his way he’s gone to make sure you’re comfortable and happy. To make sure you have everything you need, even when he can’t physically be with you.”
“How would you know that?” I ask curiously.
“Well, Sasha keeps us updated on everything going on with the bands on the label. More her mother than to me, but we’ve spent a lot of time together since she arrived and we heard all about how Tate fell in love with his pretty new wife.”
A flush creeps up my neck, heat flooding my cheeks.
“We, uh, I mean, he’s not in love with me.” I shake my head. “This was a marriage of convenience.”
“Why do you want to believe that?” he asks. “Is it guilt about your mom talking? Or maybe you’re projecting what your dad did onto Tate. Because he’s not your dad.”
“I know that’s part of it,” I whisper. “But it’s more complicated than that. He wants me to move to Minnesota, and I have to be in New York.”
“Why? They don’t have nursing homes in Minnesota?”
“They do, but Mom needs specialized care. The only reason they’ve kept her where she is now is because I can be there in minutes if she’s having a bad day, and my presence always calms her.”
“Eventually, that won’t be the case,” he says gently. “You know that, right? The disease is going to continue to progress until there’s nothing anyone can do to soothe her. She needs to be in a specialized facility.”
“There aren’t any near us.”
“But I bet they have them in Minneapolis.”
I blink. “Well, sure, but we probably can’t afford them.”
“Have you even looked?”
“No.”
Why do I suddenly feel like a terrible person?
“Summer, I’m not trying to interfere, but you look conflicted, and based on the look on Tate’s face this morning?—”
“Tate’s face?” I interrupt in confusion. “What are you talking about? He didn’t come down with me this morning. I left him in our suite.”
A faint smile plays on his lips as he shakes his head. “He was there. He just didn’t want you to see him—I’m guessing because you fought. He was standing in the shadows, by the stairs. And he looked like a piece of his heart was getting in the limo.”
“I’m so confused,” I admit after a minute. “I’ve gone over this in my head a million times and there’s no way to make this work. Is there?”
“I can’t answer that,” he says gently, kind eyes searching my face. “But the man you left behind this morning doesn’t look like a guy who isn’t willing to make it work.”
“But my mom?—”
“I think your mom’s situation has become a crutch to protect yourself from whatever you think has the potential to hurt you.” He reaches out and puts one of his hands over mine. “I’m not trying to be unkind, truly, but for all intents and purposes, your mom is already gone. Her body is still here, but her mind, the part of her that made her who she was, isn’t there anymore. At least, not very often. Hanging on to the mother you remember only hurts you—she’s no longer aware of it.”
“You’re saying I should just walk away from her?” I demand, gaping at him.
“Of course not. You have to make sure she has the best care possible, that she’s safe and comfortable. But she can’t be your priority. You’re going to have a child soon, who’s going to become your whole world. Trust me on that. Even if you’re right and the relationship with Tate isn’t going to work, your baby is going to need you far more than your mother. And for much longer.”
“I know but…how can I just abandon my mom?”
“You’re not. But it’s time for you to put yourself—and your child—first. Haven’t you sacrificed enough?”
