Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 76203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
“It’s been so long,” Amanda, my former shrink and only friend in the world, said, sounding relieved. “I was starting to think the worst.”
“Sorry. So much has been going on.”
“Did you make it to Florida?”
“Yes. Had a bit of an… incident in Georgia. But we made it out and got down here.”
Amanda paused, then sighed. “Was it bad?”
“It was the worst it’s been. I’m still bruised.”
“Denali?”
“She wasn’t hurt, but she did see… a lot.”
“Oh, Runa.”
“I know. She probably should be in therapy.”
“I’m always going to advocate for therapy. But how is she doing?”
“She’s… thriving. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen her so happy. She really loves her father.”
“Oh,” Amanda said, sounding taken aback. “You found her father?”
“Yes! We were down here for a bit, looking around. And I finally got an address.”
“And you just showed up?”
“I wasn’t really sure of another way to get in contact with him. I know that was probably a little confrontational but he actually handled it really well.”
“I’m glad to hear that, but that could have been such a dangerous situation.”
“More dangerous than what we’ve already been on?” I shot back, confused by her response. She’d been supportive of me seeking out Denali’s father in the past.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean for that to sound aggressive. I just know how much you’ve been through. And some men can feel cornered when facing a reality they hadn’t planned. Especially if he already had a wife or kids. And we both know that some cornered men… lash out.”
“No, I know. When I pulled up to a single-family house with kids’ toys, I was anxious as hell. But he doesn’t have a wife or kids. He has an extended family with lots of kids.”
I wasn’t sure why I didn’t give Amanda all the details. She knew everything else. I guess I understood that York’s lifestyle was, you know, less than legal. And I didn’t want him to get into any kind of trouble because of me. I didn’t want Denali to lose her father after just meeting him.
“Oh, that’s fantastic. How is he with her?”
“I couldn’t have asked for more. Genuinely. As shocked as he was, he immediately stepped up. He’s been spoiling her.”
And me. But I felt weird talking about that. Not just the bedroom he’d designed for me. But the closet full of new—nice—clothing… in the exact styles I liked—as well. I’d needed to close my bedroom door, sit on the end of my bed, and cry when I saw it all.
I’d never been someone with a huge wardrobe or who particularly cared about materialistic things. That said, my life had been full of self-sacrifice for so long. I wore shoes that gave me blisters so I could afford diapers. I ripped underwire out of my bras when it poked through instead of getting new ones, dealing with an awful uniboob because Denali was growing so fast and needed a whole new wardrobe. I washed underwear in the tub because I only had five pairs and couldn’t buy more because baby food was surprisingly expensive.
It wasn’t about the clothes, per se. It was about feeling safe enough to be willing to accept them, not immediately think about how much they might be worth so I could sell them and get Denny something she needed.
It was about our life finally, finally feeling secure and safe.
Because of York.
While, no, I didn’t plan to be someone who relied on him for everything, it was such a relief to know I could if I had to. For a short time.
“I hope that’s not in place of actual time with her,” Amanda said.
“No, not at all. He can’t seem to get enough of spending time with her. We’ve been to the zoo, beach, bowling, gaming centers…”
“But has he spent any one-on-one time with her without distractions?”
“Of course. They’ve shared meals and she’s introduced him to every single one of her stuffies and figurines. And they’ve colored and done crafts.”
I’d left him to watch Denny while I took a cleaning job—because having my own money would never not be important to me—and walked in to find him sitting on the floor at the coffee table, carefully gluing sequins onto a paper dress for Denali to put on her paper doll.
I swear my heart felt two sizes too big at that image. I’d even taken a picture with my digital camera to keep. “I’m so happy for her.”
“Me too.”
“So, what is he like?”
“He’s… steady and reliable. He has a way of anticipating what she—or we—might need. He does things without being asked.”
“Has he made any demands?”
“None. I mean, he’s made it clear that he wants to be in Denny’s life, but he has also been careful not to step on my toes. He always checks in with me and asks instead of demands. It’s been great.”