Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 121210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 606(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 606(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
“C’mon, babe,” Clay comments, but his words are filled with humor. “I’ll be gentle on your baby.”
“Don’t make fun of my new car, Clay. It’s newer than your truck.”
“I know it is. And I wouldn’t dream of bursting your bubble about it like that. She’s used, but she’s perfect.”
I snort. “Is that what you say about me, too?”
His smile is smug. “Yep.”
And I don’t hesitate to walk straight over to him and playfully slap him on his bare chest. “Excuse me?”
Clay chuckles, but he also leans forward to press another soft kiss to my lips. “Don’t worry, Josie. That’ll change when you finally let me tell people you’re my wife.”
41
Clay
Thursday, November 24th
“Breezy, remind me to get a restraining order on you after this dinner is through,” Bennett grumbles as he stands in the kitchen, taking in the view that is half of the whole town in his living room. “You’re never allowed in my house again.”
Breezy laughs, her black hair swishing back and forth with each tickled chuckle. “Get over yourself, Ben. I did this because I knew Summer would love it. Our girl is a social butterfly, and what better way to let her spread her wings than to have a house full of people who love and adore her on Thanksgiving.”
A barely there smile crests my buddy’s lips when he witnesses Summer giggling over funny faces that Pete Peeler and Reverend Bob are making at her. She waddles toward them, her determined strides only slowed down by the two metal braces keeping her knees and ankles stable. A peal of giggles leaves her lips when the sheriff and reverend hide their faces from her.
“More silly!” she squeals through her chubby toddler cheeks. “More silly!”
Pete sticks out his tongue. Reverend Bob turns his face into a blowfish. Summer cracks up even more. Charlie, a nurse Bennett recently hired to help out during the day, encourages Summer to sit down in a chair beside the two men.
It’s an intentional move, one born from knowing Summer’s condition and the fact that too much movement puts her at risk for fractures. But the calm demeanor with which Charlie handles it all makes it clear why Bennett hired her. It took him months to find the right person. Lots of grumpy Bennett meltdowns and lots of nurses getting fired for not taking care of his girl the way he wanted.
But the day Charlie came into their life, she was an instant fit, and even I noticed a slight change in my buddy’s mood. He’s still a grouch, still a grumbling pain in the ass, but some weight has been lifted off his shoulders.
It’s known that toddlers are…difficult. But a toddler who wants to move and run and play but has to be told to sit down and rest because her body depends on it? That’s a whole other level of challenging.
“Here, honey,” Charlie says. “Sit down.”
“No sit!” Summer squeals, but it’s not out of anger or frustration. Her tiny voice is only filled with fun and joy. “More silly!” She points at Pete. “More silly!”
Charlie finds a way to get Summer to sit in her lap. A discreet move that avoids a temper tantrum, keeps Summer smiling, and proves Charlie’s worth her weight in gold.
Pete and Reverend Bob keep entertaining Summer, and Ben watches on with nothing but love in his eyes. I’ve known this guy my whole life, but I’ve never seen him look at another person the way he looks at his daughter. It’s an unconditional love. A love that turns my asshole buddy into a big-ass teddy bear.
I look across the room to where Josie chats with Camille, a fellow waitress at the diner. They’re both laughing about something, their eyes fixated on their boss Harold Metcalf. He’s a goofy fucker and is currently dressed in his Sunday best—suit and tie—but his pants might as well be belted to his neck with how damn high he’s wearing them.
Camille whispers something toward Josie, and my wife’s head whips back in hilarity. I have no idea what she said or what Josie finds so funny, but I know, with every ounce of my being, I have never loved another human being the way I love her.
She’s everything to me.
And fuck, things have been rough since we got married. Since Rose died. The first month and a half, Josie’s grief was palpable. She was a shell of herself. Barely eating. Barely sleeping. Just surviving.
But the last two weeks, something has changed. There’s a light in her eyes. Her smiles come more often. She actually lets herself laugh. She’s still grieving, yes, but it feels like she’s starting to live again.
I’m ready for her to officially move in with me so we can start the rest of our lives, but I have to remind myself to be patient. Life is a cycle of seasons, and soon enough, another will come.