Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 61542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Maybe she’s right. Maybe it’s dumb and even evil for me to stop Adam from ever seeing William again. I don’t want William to hate me when he finds out about this as an angsty teenager.
And to be honest, despite my bravado in front of Adam yesterday, I don’t really want him to sue me either.
And, speaking of the devil . . .
I squint my eyes at a dark figure standing outside my house. He’s got a tall, imposing figure, and he’s leaning back against a black sedan.
As I turn the car onto my driveway, the headlight hits the dark figure.
Just as I thought.
It’s Adam.
Why is he here? It was only yesterday that I specifically told him to leave me and William alone.
I guess I’ll find out soon enough.
I glance nervously at William, who’s asleep in his car seat. I hope we won’t wake him up—or worse, scar him for life with a vicious argument.
I turn off the ignition and step out of the car.
“Hey,” says the figure in the dark. It’s Adam’s voice. I’d recognize it anywhere. No other voice in the world makes my stomach flutter like his does.
“Hey,” I respond, trying to sound as breezy and casual as I can.
Katie
“Catch,” Adam says from the darkness.
Reflexively, I hold my hands out with my palms up and something lands on me. It’s kind of bouncy.
“What are you giving me a ball for?” I ask.
“I read somewhere that two-year-olds can kick and throw a ball. That one’s for William to practice with,” Adam says. “Maybe one day I’ll get to play it with him.”
Okay, it doesn’t look like he’s still hell-bent on suing me. That’s good news, at least.
But why does he have to be so nice about everything? Buying William a gift without even pushing to see him . . . He’s making it hard for me to stay angry with him.
“I hope you’re not angry anymore,” Adam says, as if he’s reading my thoughts.
I stay quiet.
I wouldn’t say I’m angry . . .
But, I don’t know. I haven’t had enough time to think. I’m not ready to make any decisions yet.
“Do you need help carrying William inside?” Adam asks in his deep, sumptuous voice.
“No. I’m good.”
I’m used to carrying William places. I’ve always had to be both his mom and his dad.
I’ve never had the choice to unload some of the burden on someone else, and I don’t want to start now. Something like that has the potential to go very wrong. I don’t want to grow dependent on anyone.
“Okay. Can I stay here and watch while you carry him inside? Just in case you need help.” He pauses, then hurriedly adds, “Not that I’m saying you need help.”
“Sure,” I say.
“Thank you,” he says sincerely.
Guilt fills my chest with heaviness. Should I let him carry William inside?
But then where does it stop? Do I let him into William’s room? What if he needs to use the bathroom?
And most terrifyingly of all . . . What if I want him to stay? Will I have the strength to resist, or will I simply forget that I’m supposed to try thinking with a clear head once he touches me?
There are many different ways this could go. Too many for me to take my chances now, while I still haven’t decided what to do.
I carry William in my arms from the car to the front door. The keys make a loud jangling sound as I stick one of them inside the socket.
“Good night, Adam,” I say.
“Good night, Katie,” he replies from the darkness.
I quickly slip inside and close the door behind me, but Adam continues to dominate my thoughts.
He didn’t call me “kitten” tonight. Not once.
I kind of miss it.
In fact, it stings, thinking about how I may never hear him call me “kitten” again.
“Hey.” Adam’s standing in bright daylight now, in contrast to last night. He’s also standing right on my porch, instead of outside, where his car’s parked.
“Hey,” I say. “Wow. Bright and early, huh?”
“Yeah. I know it’s your day off.”
“Don’t you have work today?” I check my watch.
“Don’t worry about me,” he says. “Does William like the ball?”
“Yeah.” I gaze into his mesmerizingly green eyes. “Actually, I haven’t . . . He hasn’t played with it yet. He woke up, had breakfast, and now he’s taking a nap.”
“Nice to be two,” Adam says with a smile.
“Yeah.”
“What did he have for breakfast? Macaroni and cheese? Tuna sandwich?”
My lips pull up into a smile. William ate both those things while Adam was here, and he remembers.
“Fish chowder and bread sticks,” I say.
“Ah. And I’m sure you cut everything into tiny little pieces to prevent choking,” he says.
“Yeah.”
“See? I’m learning. I read that somewhere.”
“Yeah. I notice.” I give him a smile.
Adam may be a lot of unknown things, but he’s not a bad dad. Keeping him away from William would do William more harm than good.