“Aspen was just walking around,” I said.
“I’m glad you came back,” he said.
“Sorry if this is a lot… it’s just temporary until—”
“It doesn’t have to be, you guys can stay here forever,” he said.
“I don’t want to impose on you. Having a girlfriend is one thing, raising a child is another,” I told him.
“I was gonna raise Izayuh with you… so… raising a child isn’t an issue,” he said.
“Yeah… but I’m sure you want to party with your friends and whatnot,” I said.
“I actually don’t… sure I don’t mind a barbecue with some friends, but honestly, I came to the parties at your house because I liked watching you,” he said.
“You know… that sounds creepy,” I told him.
He laughed. “It’s true, though.”
“Are you sure? Like, really sure?” I asked.
“One thousand percent,” he said.
“I really don’t know what I’d do without you,” I said.
“You’d be dead,” he said, then chuckled.
A loud laugh escaped my mouth.
“Oh, thank God, you got that dark humor,” he said, and we both laughed more.
“I’m gonna need to wash her clothes… most of them were on the floor, dirty,” I said.
“I’ll help you tonight, once we get her settled,” he said.
“We only brought a small bin of toys. Might need to go back to get more—”
“No… Once Callie moves out, we will go buy her some,” he said, cutting me off.
“I don’t have money like that,” I told him. My cheeks blazed with heat.
“I’m not worried about it. She deserves to be spoiled after the hell she has been through,” he said.
“Thank you,” I said, turning my head to look into his eyes.
“I’d do anything for you,” he said, “and now her.”
I smiled at him. “So chicken, potatoes, and what else?” I asked.
“I was thinking fried potatoes, baked chicken, and some asparagus, but I’m not sure if you or she likes it,” he said.
“Well… I don’t know if she’s ever tried it, but I think she should at least try it,” I said.
“I bake it in a lot of butter and top it with Parmesan cheese, and it’s delicious,” he told me.
“Sounds yummy,” I said.
Silence filled the air between us, as I continued prepping the potatoes and he readied the chicken for the oven.
