Her voice got low. “What does that mean for you?”

I blew out a breath but stayed silent.

“You’re going to jump on that, aren’t you?”

I needed to be honest. Tears welled up. I couldn’t lie to Hayley. “I already did.”

“You did what?” she yelled. She was going to wake the boys.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you.” My voice hitched and I stopped the sob that bubbled up in my throat. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath, but I couldn’t stop the tears. I was crying for my past, my present, and my future. “It wasn’t my story to tell and I couldn’t tell you that without telling you the rest.” I was babbling, but I hated lying to Hayley.

“Sis, you need to pull over. It’s okay, but you can’t drive when you’re crying like this.” Hayley was right. I pulled into an empty parking lot with bright lights.

“Okay. I’m stopped now.”

“Good. Tell me the whole story now.”

I spilled the entire thing. I started with the kiss on Halloween and ended with tonight and Matt telling me how happy Parker and I looked. Hayley knew my confession was hard but instead of berating me, she stepped up like she always did.

“It’s okay, Sutton. You’ve waited a long time. Have you talked at all?” Hayley asked.

“I told her we could talk when the divorce was final.”

“This is a lot to think about. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Grayson is gay. What a mess.”

“I know, but they are working on a solution on what’s best for the family.”

“Wow, just wow,” she said.

“That’s exactly what I said when they told me. It’s a lot to think about.” I started my car back up and got back on the road. “I’m headed home now. Get some sleep. We’ll text during the game. It’s been such a long week.”

“It’s been a long season,” she said.

“A long life.”

Minutes later, I slid into the garage and parked. I scrolled through the other messages on my phone. I had several text messages but scrolled until I saw Parker’s name. I opened the text thread and dropped my phone when I read her message.

The divorce is final. When can we talk?

It was after midnight, but I was too excited and texted her back. I’ll be home Monday by noon.

The bubbles made me smile. She was still awake. I’ll bring lunch. See you then.

* * *

Judy made a ton of appetizers for the game even though it was just the three of us watching it. Dad and I cheered the great plays and booed the bad calls. Watching the game was bittersweet. It should’ve been us, could’ve been us, but the better team won.