Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Lorenzo
Is Leo okay? Dani mentioned he threw up …
Vanessa
I think he just had an upset stomach because he hasn’t done it again and he doesn’t have a fever. After he threw up, his mood got better, and he fell asleep.
Lorenzo
Thank you for taking care of him. You have no idea how much it means to me to know he’s safe with someone I trust.
As I click Send, I read the words I wrote and realize I mean them. Somehow, in the month that she’s been living with us, she’s managed to win me and my son over.
Vanessa
Keep talking like that, and I’ll be taking care of your needs.
I bark out a laugh.
Lorenzo
That screenshot of you in the hallway will be taking care of them plenty.
She sends me a laughing emoji, ending the conversation, but that’s okay because I’d rather discuss us in person. Which is what I’m planning to do as soon as I get home.
After my assistant brings the Thai we ordered in, the guys return, and we have lunch, discussing business and then moving on to tonight’s plans—as long as Vanessa agrees.
Once they leave, I respond to a few clients who need immediate responses, and then I let my assistant know that I’m cutting out early for the day. If I have any hope of getting Vanessa to go out with me tonight, I need to do it in person and then give her time to get ready.
On the way home, I stop at the store to pick her up some flowers. Anytime my dad wanted to make my mom happy, he bought her flowers. It didn’t matter what kind they were. Every time he gave them to her, her face lit up. I go with white anemones since the florist said they often symbolize love and protection.
When I walk through the door, I find her sitting in the living room, holding Leo while giving him his afternoon bottle. Dani said since he’s almost one, it’s time to consider weaning him from the bottle, but the thought of him moving to strictly solid food is hard to think about. I feel like two seconds ago, he was only a few months old, and now he’s nearly one, trying to walk and talk.
When Leo hears me walk in, he throws his bottle to the side.
“Dada!” he shrieks, making me smile.
Hearing my son call me Dad will never get old.
“Going on a hot date tonight?” Vanessa says with a smirk, nodding toward the flowers in my hand.
“Hoping so,” I say, handing them to her. “They’re for you.”
Reluctantly, she takes the flowers and brings them to her nose to smell them—and memories of my mom doing the same thing surface, causing my heart to squeeze in my chest.
“Thank you,” she says. “They’re beautiful. But, um, just out of curiosity, what are they for?”
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” I admit with a shrug, making her laugh as she sets them on the side table.
“Well, I know something you can do,” she says, her eyes twinkling with mirth.
I glance at my son and quirk a brow, wondering if she forgot he was in the room with us.
“Not that!” She laughs. “You can make dinner.” She stands and places Leo on top of his play mat on the floor. “I’m craving lasagna, and I looked up a recipe and was going to try to make it. But since you’re home, it’ll save me from screwing it up and you remaking it properly.”
I snort a laugh and shake my head. This woman is something else.
I glance at Leo, who’s now playing with his animal farm book. “How’s our boy feeling?” I ask, wanting to make sure he’s okay before I suggest we go out tonight and leave him with Bri and Kane.
I don’t realize what I said until Vanessa’s eyes go wide in shock, but I don’t take it back or rephrase my words because even though he’s not biologically hers, she loves and cares about him the same way I do.
“He’s okay. But, man, I never knew someone so tiny could throw up so much in one go.” She sighs. “That’s what led to me streaking through the house in the middle of the day. I forgot I was doing my laundry and had no towels, so I had to run to grab one from your room, giving you some low-quality content for your spank bank.”
“Trust me, that image was far from low quality.” I chuckle, not even bothering to deny that I screenshotted the image of her naked and flipping me off.
“He hasn’t thrown up since that one time this morning,” she adds, smiling softly at him. “So, based on my Google search, I’m thinking he ate something that didn’t agree with him, but he’s been fine since his nap.”
“Good. Then how about instead of me cooking lasagna, we go out for the best lasagna in Harbor Point?”