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)
“Daddy said I could bring toys.” She lifted her chin, ready to argue.
“Of course you can.” I wanted her to bring whatever she wanted to feel comfortable being away from me for a good chunk of the day. It wasn’t like it was the first time I’d ever left her, and I knew I could trust York, but my anxious mama’s heart was worried that she might miss me or want to come home.
I technically only needed two hours to go do a cleaning job, but York was going to have Denny for eight or so hours.
I honestly didn’t know what the hell to do with myself for six hours without my daughter to talk to or tag along on errands. But I guess it was good for me to dip my toe in the experience. If all went to plan, not long from now, Denny would be in school for six hours a day. And then after school some days, she might be scooped up by her father, leaving me alone for most of the day.
I guess the plan should be to figure out a career that would keep me occupied. It was a normal thing for most people to have thought about by my age. But my early life living out of tents and in national parks meant I picked up odd jobs. Then with a baby and a child on the run constantly, a nine-to-five was never an option. So I never even thought about one.
Given what I loved most in my past, I figured something outdoors would be ideal. A garden center, lawn care, maybe a park ranger—if they had that sort of thing around here. Or, if such a job existed, maybe working for some organization that helped women and children in high-risk situations or in shelters.
“Mama?”
“Sorry, munchkin. I didn’t hear you.”
“Should I bring food for a picnic?”
“Nope. Daddy is going to take you somewhere to eat for lunch. Then you’re probably going to have dinner at Daddy’s place.”
“With Eddie?” Denny asked, brightening.
“Probably. He’s a really good cook, huh?”
“The best.”
I wasn’t even offended. Even on my best day, I couldn’t cook half as well as Eddie.
There was a knock at the door, making Denny gasp and clap her hands in excitement.
I loved this for her.
I opened the door, and there he was.
My belly flipped.
My sex—well, let’s just pretend there was no reaction there. No muscle memory. No want.
“Hey, princess,” he greeted Denny when she rushed forward to hug his tree trunk of a leg. “Looks like you’re all ready to go.”
“She’s gonna need a bigger backpack,” I said, shaking my head. “Just let me grab shoes. I’ll move over her car seat.”
“No need. I bought one.”
“You bought one? To put in Che’s car?”
“Nope. Bought my own car. Gotta do dad shit like that now, right?”
Dammit. I didn’t need that little heart tug I got each time he stepped up and showed how good of a father he was—and would likely continue to be.
“Would you hate me if I come to make sure you installed it correctly?”
“I watched ten videos and still don’t know if it’s right.”
“You think these are bad,” I said, walking over to slip into some flip-flops, “you should see the pumpkin seat installation. I went to the firehouse and asked them to install it for me.”
We made our way down to the parking lot, where I found the most basic gray crossover known to mankind.
At my raised brows, he shrugged. “When I did my research, this is the safest car on the road. Zero d-e-a-t-h-s. I like that statistic.”
“Me too,” I agreed as I went around to check the installation of the seat, tugging the strap just a tiny bit tighter, then declaring it was good to go.
“You could come,” York offered.
“I think it’s important for you guys to have alone time. She’s counting on Eddie cooking dinner, by the way.”
“When he heard we were going to be over later, he started cooking. Apparently, Denny told him she likes lasagna. He’s got those prepped already. Plus about four other main dishes.”
“I hope you stocked up on sauces.”
“Dunno if I ever paid such close attention to the sauce aisle before. Got the goods. Plus some new ones to try.”
“You’re all set then,” I said as Denny climbed into her seat and fastened her own belt. “Oh, wait. No. Let me get you her CD case.”
“CD case? We in the nineties?”
“She is going to insist on her soundtrack music.”
“I got a phone and a premium subscription. We’re set.”
“Oh, okay. Good then.”
“Stop by for dinner later, if you’ve got nothing going on.”
“I’ll think about it,” I said before going to give my daughter a kiss, then watching her pull away with her father, waving at me out the window until they disappeared.
With that, I busied myself with cleaning the apartment before heading out to my job. To earn money I wouldn’t really need to spend on anything because York apparently also thought ahead enough to have groceries delivered to our door.