Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 116231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
“A high-five handshake?” I ask him, not sure I understand. He turns to Westley and they give each other a high-five then a side-five palm to palm, before doing it knuckle to knuckle, then fist bumping each other before turning and chest bumping each other.
“That’s cool.” I try not to make it seem that I’m really impressed with it. “It was nice of her.”
“She also helped me beat my level in my game,” Westley says, getting back on his stool to stick his fork in his pancakes, “but it took her like twenty tries and she refused to give it back to me until she did it.”
I laugh at his tone. “She smells nice,” Nora cuts into the conversation, not looking up from her plate, “and she’s pretty and she colors good.”
“Yeah,” I say, not adding in that she’s really fucking pretty and she smells even better.
“She’s cool,” Vincent repeats, before changing the subject. “Do we have to go to Mom’s house today?”
“Yeah, buddy,” I confirm, and he looks down and I wait for the other two to get up and put their dishes away before I turn to him. He must know that we’re going to have a talk because he doesn’t bother moving from his chair. “You two,” I tell Westley and Nora, “go get your teeth brushed and get dressed, and make sure you bring down all food items.” Nora skips to the stairs while Westley runs ahead of her. I look back at Vincent. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” he says, avoiding my eyes and then he must sense me staring at him. “It’s just…”
“Vincent,” I say his name, “whatever you have to say, you can say it.” He looks unsure. “Nothing is going to happen, I promise.”
“You won’t get mad?” he asks me and I have to lie to him.
“No,” I reply, knowing I’ll probably be pissed, but I’m going to have to push it aside for him.
“We were at Grandma and Grandpa’s,” he starts off and the back of my neck tingles. “We were going over for Sunday lunch and when we walked in, Auntie Claire was there.” He mentions my sister. “She saw Mom.” I inhale and I hold my breath. “She told her to stay the F”—he doesn’t say the word fuck—“away from her husband.”
“Buddy,” I start to say, not sure how the fuck I’m going to even spin this.
“Mom turned and left us there and then came back to pick us up after.” I exhale as he says it. “But then I heard Auntie Claire with Uncle Jeremy in the kitchen, and he said he hasn’t seen her in over a month.”
“Stop.” I hold up my hand. “That’s grown-up stuff, you shouldn’t have to even hear it.” I stop him before he continues what he heard. “I’m sorry you heard what you heard.”
“Did Mom cheat on you with Uncle Jeremy?” he asks me. I can either trash-talk his mother or I can be a man.
“Doesn’t matter,” I tell him. “What matters is that your mother and I love you guys.” Even saying the words, I want to pick up something and throw it across the room. “It sucks, buddy, to have to go back and forth to Mom’s house and to my house. I get it.” I smile at him sadly. “I hate when you guys aren’t here, but that’s the way it is.”
“What if I want to live with you?” I shake my head.
“Come on, your mother would miss you like crazy, and she needs you.”
“I’m mad at her,” he finally admits and wipes away a tear that escapes from his eye. “If it wasn’t for her, we would still be a family.”
“We don’t know that, buddy,” I say honestly. “What we do know is we love you. It’s hard for everyone, including your mother.” I walk around the island and pull him off the stool, and he wraps his long legs around me. “I’m here for you whenever you want, buddy,” I say into his neck. “I love you.”
“Love you too, Dad.” He dislodges himself from me. “I’m going to go and get dressed,” he mumbles low.
I nod at him. When he walks out of the room, I have to look up at the ceiling, knowing I’m going to have to have a conversation with Josephine. I really don’t want to, but it needs to be done.
I follow the kid upstairs, getting dressed in jeans and a shirt, grabbing my phone and heading out toward Josephine’s house. We pull up and the kids get out and, unlike all the other times with me hugging them outside, I walk up the steps with them. I ring the doorbell at the same time the kids open the door and walk in. “Mommy,” Nora yells, “we’re home!”
I don’t move from the front porch as she comes into view, wearing workout clothes, her eyes going big when she sees me standing here. “Hey,” I say to her.