AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I rolled my eyes. “What everyone wants to hear about themselves.”
“I think you got caught up in old roles with an old friend because it was easier than you thought to see her again. But she’s a different person, Ian. So are you. If you think about it, you’ve both had an entire lifetime apart from each other.” He slapped a hand on my shoulder. “Just give it breathing room. You two can figure it out, but it’s not going to be the way it used to be between you two. That version of your friendship is gone.”
His words hung over my head for the rest of the day, and even though I wasn’t usually a worst-case-scenario thinker, unease churned in my gut the rest of the day. The absolute worst thing that could come out of my offer was that Harlow and I as roommates was the iteration of our friendship that might cause lasting damage.
And that wasn’t something I could live with, not now that I just got her back.
I pulled out my phone and shot off a quick text.
Me: Told my mom I’d help her with some stuff tonight, so she’ll probably feed me. You and Sage can do your own thing. Don’t worry about me for dinner. I have a bunch of new orders anyway, so I’ll probably be putting in a lot of extra hours at the shop.
Harlow: Okay. I was planning to grill some steaks tonight, so there will be leftovers if you change your mind. Mashed potatoes and corn too. I just left the grocery store.
Me: I take it writing is going well today.
Harlow: If you start harping on my daily word count, Wilder, we’ll have issues.
Me: Consider me warned. I’ll leave you alone.
The words felt ominous as I typed them out, but I didn’t hesitate when I pressed send. She didn’t answer right away, and I took a deep breath and tucked my phone away before I got back to work.
Chapter 6
Harlow
A few things became very clear upon the Keaton girls relocating to Ian Wilder’s home.
First, the water pressure in the upstairs bathroom alone made it the best life choice I’d made in at least two years. The moment that blissfully hard spray hit my always-tense shoulders, I moaned so loudly that I was scared Ian would overhear and think I was enjoying myself a bit too much.
I mean, I was enjoying myself, but not the self-induced orgasm kind of enjoyment.
Second, Sage and I got along roughly seventy-five percent better when we weren’t sharing a bedroom. I loved my daughter. Would stand down a moving train for her, take a bullet, all the beastly things that mothers would face in a heartbeat for their offspring. But holy shit, sharing a bed with her was enough to test even the strongest maternal bonds.
She was a violent sleeper, that girl was. At least four times a night, I was woken up by an appendage smacking me in the face or stomach or chest. It reminded me of when she was little. She always wanted to sleep with me when she was sick, and I could never say no.
No matter how exhausted I’d be the following morning, it was worth it to be able to lay next to her and watch the soft rise and fall of her chest. But when she wasn’t sick? Momma needed her space to get some good sleep.
Not only did we get along better, but she was happier, too. She immediately begged for some posters for the walls, and when I asked Ian, he gave me this look like I was crazy for asking.
That was the third thing I’d realized. He was so fucking unflappable he didn’t even seem real.
“Why would I say no to some posters on the wall?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Remember when I put those glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling, and my mom freaked out because the green shit stained the paint?”
He shook his head, exhaling a short laugh. “Yeah, I was the one who had to help you paint over the stains. Of course I remember.” Then he gave me a raised-eyebrow glance. “Is Sage going to put that crap on my bedroom ceiling?”
I rolled my eyes. “Not that I’m aware of.”
“Then she can do whatever she wants.”
I crossed my arms. “Whatever she wants? What if she wants sparkly pink paint? Or sparkly black paint?”
Because he was on his way out the door for work, Ian hooked his work jacket under his arm and pinned me with an inscrutable look. Gawd, he was so good at those.
“I don’t care if she wants black or pink or sparkles,” he said. “It’s just paint. Can change it anytime, no matter how long you stay.”
Then he was gone, like he wasn’t saying all the perfect things.
