“Yeah.”
All of the rest of the kids had gone home, and the lone teacher still on pickup line duty seemed to be on the phone with her boyfriend having a disagreement.
I was about to text Bailey to see if she or Cole had Jeremiah’s parents’ number when a black Range Rover pulled up with Stacy in the passenger seat.
I was still holding Andi, but I grinned and lifted my hand in a wave, but she didn’t even acknowledge my existence. She just barked at Jeremiah to get in when he opened the back passenger door.
“Bye Joey, bye Andi, bye Miss Billie.” He waved as he climbed in before she barked another order to shut the damn door.
And people thought I was rude.
“Bye Jer Bear.”
As they drove off, I caught a side glimpse of the driver, who I assumed was Jeremiah’s dad. His profile looked a little familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it as they zoomed away.
Most people would say that Stacy was being mean or a bitch, but I knew what it felt like to have people judge me. Who knew what was going on in her marriage today that might have made her behave like that?
That right there was a big reason I didn’t want any of those things in my life. Andi tightened her hold around my neck as we walked to the car. But this, this tiny girl in my arms and the one walking beside me was making me question everything I believed I ever thought I never wanted.
36
ADAM
Andi rolledtoward me on the couch, turning away from the big screen playingZootopia,and blinked her watery, red-rimmed eyes up at me. “Did you like school when you were a kid?”
We’d been hanging on the couch all morning and afternoon, just the two of us. The smell of chicken soup hung faintly in the air, already cooled in her bowl on the coffee table. The rain outside fell in erratic bursts. I tucked the blanket tighter around her. “School was fine. Not my favorite, but I liked it.”
She wiped her nose on the sleeve of her shirt. “Did you have any mean teachers?”
“Mrs. Wychowski,” I replied, instantly. “She was the meanest. She always gave me detention for talking in class.”
Her nose scrunched in the most adorable way. “Did you talk in class?”
I sighed. “Yeah.”
She smiled weakly.
“You’re right, I deserved the detention, but she was still mean. She used to make me clean her erasers while I stayed after school.”
“Did you go to school with Billie?”
“She was a couple years younger than me, but yeah, I did.”
“Did she like school?”
“I think so. She was good at school. She got way better grades than me, but she was always busy with her sisters and helping her grandma with the bridal shop.”
“Was Billie your best friend when you were in school?”
“Yes, she was.”
I wasn’t sure where all these Billie questions were coming from, or questions at all, for that matter. Andi wasn’t really a talker, she left that to Joey. But since she was sick and home from school, it was just her and me. The doctor said she had a viral infection and needed to rest for at least the next few days.
She was quiet for a minute, pulling air through her lips in slow, raspy breaths. “Is Billie your best friend now?”
I nodded. “Yes.” I wasn’t sure she ever stopped.
Andi studied me. “Do you love Billie?”
