Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
He gave his ex a smile, then went down the hallway for the bathroom. He showered quickly, and then they hung out for a while, waiting for Reese to wake up.
When he did, the three of them went into the kitchen together to make breakfast—potatoes, bacon, eggs—the way they used to do as a family.
The moment they sat down to eat, August wasn’t surprised by Reese’s, “So what’s going on? I can tell it’s something big. Last time we cooked together like this was when you told me you were separating.”
He was observant as shit. There was no getting things past him. Lewis’s gaze darted to August, clearly asking for his help on how to start this. “Nothing is wrong. Something good is happening, actually. Your pop and I were talking about how much he misses having you around all the time. When we separated and then eventually moved, you automatically came with me, and now we’re wondering how fair that is. I know you miss Pop, and he misses you, so we thought it would be a good idea to give you the choice of either staying in Harmony with me or living with Pop in Orlando.”
The words nearly made August vomit. He hated saying them, hated offering. Christ, he still didn’t know if he could do this. How could he let go of his son?
“You don’t want me to live here with you?” Reese asked softly.
“What? No. That’s absolutely not it at all. I want you here, kiddo. You know I always want you around. It’s just that Pop wants more time with you too, and you’re older now, so we thought you might want the choice. No matter what you decide, neither of us will get angry or get our feelings hurt. We just want to be fair to you. If you stay here with me, you’ll still get to see Pop all the time, and if you go with him, then you know I won’t ever stop bugging you. It doesn’t matter that you’re fifteen and live in another state, I’ll still probably call to make sure you brush your teeth at night. I’m your stalker, remember? There’s no getting rid of me.” Jesus, these words were hard to get out. August tried his best to put on a brave front when really what he wanted was to beg his son to choose him.
“You’d stay here if I left?” Reese asked, surprising him.
The truth was, August didn’t know. He didn’t know if he could, but he also had Clint to think about. They were a package deal now, and while Clint said he would go with him, August didn’t know if that was fair. But again, this was Reese. How could he stay?
“I don’t know. You’re my favorite person in the world. I don’t know if I could be away from you for that long,” August answered honestly, and Reese gave him a small smile.
Reese turned to Lewis. “You want me to live with you?”
“I do. We’d have so much fun. I miss having you around, but like your dad said, no obligation. I won’t be angry or upset if you want to stay with August.”
Reese pushed his eggs around on his plate. It definitely would have been better to have this conversation after they ate, but that wasn’t how it had gone down.
“Can I think about it some?”
“Of course,” August said. “Take all the time you need. This isn’t something you have to know right now. We can keep on how things are going, but just know that you always have an option at any time no matter who you live with, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Deal,” Lewis added.
August said, “And I want to emphasize that none of this is because you’re not wanted; it’s because you’re wanted so much. Neither of us wants to let you go.” When Reese nodded, August plastered on a smile he didn’t feel. “Now let’s dig into this breakfast before it gets cold. I’m starving.”
They ate and talked and teased, but it was clear the mood had changed. He knew why for himself—he was sad at the thought of his son leaving, wondering what he would do and if that made him a bad father or boyfriend.
He figured that also had to be a lot of pressure on Reese. Was this the kind of thing you should leave up to your child? He didn’t know. Parenting was hard, and it didn’t feel like it ever got any easier.
After breakfast, they cleaned up, and then Reese and Lewis played video games.
A few hours later, while Lewis was making phone calls and getting some work done on his laptop, Reese said, “Dad? Do you think Clint has time to weld with me today?”
The question surprised him and made giddy happiness flood his insides. “I’ll ask him. He loves welding with you, and if he has time, he’ll want to.”