Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 101524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“When are you not hungry?”
“I don’t know.” Cooper shrugs as the doorbell rings.
“That’s probably Cat,” Billie says, getting up and walking out of the kitchen, coming back a second later with Kristy right behind her.
“Mom,” Cooper shouts, jumping off his stool and running to his mom and wrapping his arms around her waist.
“Hey,” Kristy says, her smile seeming forced when she sees me at the stove with Logan.
“I didn’t know you were stopping by,” he tells her, and she shrugs.
“I wanted to talk to Billie about Friday,” she tells Logan while Billie takes her seat back at the counter.
“What’s Friday?”
“I got you an appointment to take your driver's test in the afternoon.”
“Oh,” she mutters, not looking at all excited about the idea. “What time?”
“Twelve, I’ll pick you up early from school, and we’ll go do your test, then go to lunch after to celebrate.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready.”
“You’re ready,” Logan tells her, taking a can of crushed tomatoes from me when he sees I’m struggling with his can opener.
“You’ve mastered parallel parking, which is the hardest part,” Kristy adds, and Billie shakes her head.
“I don’t know.”
I can hear the hesitation and nerves in her voice before I decide to chime in. “I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging or anything, but I took the road test three times before I passed, and it wasn’t a big deal.”
“Three times?” Billie repeats with her eyes wide as she stares at me.
“Hey, no judging.”
“I’m not.” She presses her lips together to keep from smiling.
“You are, but it’s okay.” I shrug. “My point is, if you fail, you can just take it again.”
“Okay,” she laughs, then looks at her mom, “I’ll go Friday.”
“Good.” Kristy smiles at her, then me, and mouths thanks.
Nodding, I ask her without thinking, “Do you want to stay for dinner? We’re having baked ziti.”
“And pizzookie for dessert,” Billie adds.
“Oh.” She looks to Logan, who is standing next to me, and starts to shake her head.
“Please, Mom,” Cooper says, holding up his hands that are pressed together.
“Umm.” She looks at me. “Are you sure?”
“Of course,” I tell her, and she studies me for a long moment before nodding.
“I’d love that, thanks, I just need to run out to my car and get my bag since I left it on the passenger seat.”
“I’ll go with you,” Cooper tells her, then asks Zuri, “Do you want to come?”
“Sure.” She gets up and leaves the kitchen with the two of them. As I hear the front door open Billie gets off her stool staring at her phone.
“Cat’s almost here, I’m going to go out and meet her.”
“Sure,” Logan says.
Alone in the kitchen with Logan I start to add the ground beef and Italian sausage into the pan for the sauce and he steps up behind me wrapping his arms around my middle.
“Thanks, baby.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You think you didn’t, but you did.” He touches his mouth to my neck, which sends a tingle down my spine. “How did I get so fucking lucky?”
I don’t have time to reply before the front door opens again, but I’m thinking the same thing as the kitchen once more fills with people.
Twenty-Two
LOGAN
“Love you, Gigi, love you, Dad, see you Sunday,” Coop says over his shoulder while running out of the dugout to join his mom and sister, who are walking ahead of him down the path to the parking lot.
“Love you, too,” I yell after him, then shout, “Slow down,” when he stumbles over his own feet.
“It’s okay, I’m okay,” he shouts back, righting himself before looking back with a wide grin.
“That boy.” Mom laughs, taking a seat on the bench in the dugout. “I’m surprised Nalia didn’t show up with Zuri for the game today.”
“Zuri has a soccer game at noon, so it would have been cutting it close for them to show up to Coop’s game.”
“Are you going to go watch her play?”
“I’m gonna head over there after I get done here.” I toss the last of the baseballs into the bucket that got knocked over by one of the boys when they were leaving the dugout after the game.
“You two have been spending a lot of time together.”
“Yep,” I agree, feeling her stare at the side of my face.
“Billie mentioned that you’ve all had dinner together every night this week.”
“We have.” I pick up my duffel and hook it over my shoulder.
“And Kristy said that she had dinner with you guys.”
“She did.”
“She was a little upset that the kids have been so open to spending time with Nalia.”
I grab the bucket off the ground as my jaw gets tight. “She told you that?”
“Not in so many words, but yes.” She steps out of the dugout ahead of me. “She doesn’t understand why the kids are so against spending time with Aaron but okay with spending time with Nalia.”