All in.
Liv looks to me as I ask, “Can you get Jake from school? And I’ll call Logan to ask if he can pick him up from you and watch him until I’m off.”
She nods, sliding off the stool with her drink in hand. “Yeah, no problem. You know I love that little guy. Just shoot me a text and let me know if Logan’s gonna meet me somewhere or if I need to drop Jake off with him.”
“I’m going to ask him to meet you at my place, that way Jake has all of his toys. Hopefully, it will keep him entertained and make things a little easier for Logan.”
I pull out my phone as she leaves the diner, and a wave of nervous energy churns in my stomach as I wait for Logan to answer.
“Hey, darlin’,” he answers. “You done for the day?”
That nickname never fails to have my heart squeezing in my chest.
“Hi, Lo. Um… Actually, are you busy?” I don’t want to drop this on him if he’s busy. He has no obligation to agree to do what I’m going to ask of him, but I’ll admit, I’m curious about what his response will be.
“I’m never too busy when it comes to you. I’m over here at Blue Ridge Bookery with Luke.”
“How would you feel about watching Jake for a few hours?” I ask, my teeth scraping over my bottom lip. I’m waiting for a sharp inhale of breath, a burst of laughter, a scoff, anything that might tell me how he’s feeling without words. None of those come.
The first words to fly out of his mouth are: “Are you alright? What happened?”
His concern has me smiling as I say, “I’m fine. Everything’s alright, but Lori has asked me to stay and cover for someone, and I could really use the extra hours. Liv is on her way to pick up Jake from school, but she has to get back to the bar. I was… hoping you’d be willing to meet her at the house and hang out there with Jake until I get home.”
He doesn’t respond right away, but I can hear the hushed tones of deeper voices coming from his end. I can only imagine him panicking over my request and asking his younger brother what he should do. Maybe asking him to watch Jake was a bad idea, especially consideringit’s last-minute. Then again, that’s how parenting is. You rarely ever get a heads-up, and most of the time, things don’t go the way you think they will, but you have no choice but to roll with the punches and take it day by day.
“Sure. Yeah, darlin’. No problem. I’ll head over there now,” he says, and the way his words sort of jumble together has me hesitating.
“Are you sure? You can say no. I can call my parents and—”
“I’m sure. I’ve got him. Should I bring anything with me?”
“No, you don’t need to bring anything. I figured it would be best for you to watch him at home where he has all of his stuff. Plus, Liv has a booster seat for him in her car, so it’s just easier for her to pick him up and then meet you.” While we’re on the phone, I text Liv to let her know Logan will be meeting her. She has a key to the house and will be able to let them inside. I try to give him as many details as I can, running through which snacks Jake prefers, what time we usually eat dinner in case I’m still working, what’s in the fridge or freezer that he could make, and where to find the children’s Tylenol and Band-Aids just in case.
His laughter filters through the phone, and I can almost picture him running a hand through his hair as he shakes his head. “Baby, I promise I’ve got him. If he does get hurt, which he won’t, I’ll take care of him. I’ll text you pictures every so often if it would make you feel better.”
My eyes fall shut as I pull in a slow, deep breath. His reassuring words mean more to me than I’d ever be able to explain. I know my son will be in good hands with Logan. It’s only for a few hours. How much trouble could they possibly cause?
Chapter twenty-nine
Logan
“Comeout,comeout,wherever you are,” I call, my back pressed to the wall as I shuffle down the hallway. Bright blue and orange darts litter the floor, and a distinctpopsound rings out before another dart flies toward me. “Hey now!” I shout with a laugh, pressing off the wall and holding the small Nerf blaster in my hands as I creep into the living room.
When Liv first dropped the little guy off, I had no idea what we were going to do to pass the time. His homework only consisted of a single page where he needed to trace his name, the sight word of the week, and color a few matching shapes. It took less than fifteen minutes. We sat at the kitchen table staring at one another until I realized I had to do something to keep him entertained. Sure, he has his room full of toys, but sending him off to play by himself wasn’t going to help me bond with him the way playingwithhim would.
I asked him what his favorite toys were, and he quickly responded with LEGO and Nerf blasters, but said he doesn’t get to use his blasters too often because he doesn’t always have someone to play with. I made a mental note to look up targets so that he’ll have something he can use on his own when he wants to play with them. He showed me his LEGO collection, explaining that his Pop and Nana like to surprise him withnew kits once in a while when he spends the weekend with them. I told him how my brother and I used to build all kinds of cool things with the colorful blocks when we were kids. Still, it didn’t seem like it would be as much fun as a good old-fashioned Nerf battle.
Hunting down every last foam dart is going to be a pain in my ass, but the way his eyes lit up the second I suggested it makes the clean-up worth it.
“Alright, buddy. I surrender.” I hold my arms above my head as I slowly spin in a circle, pretending I can’t see him. He is lying underneath the wooden coffee table, his Nerf gun clutched close to his chest. “If you come out, we can build a fort before your momma gets home,” I call, raising my voice enough to make it seem like I still haven’t found him. I watch as he crawls out from beneath the table, using his forearms and his knees to wiggle his way out. “What?” I exclaim, feigning shock. “Were you there the entire time?”
He giggles as he tosses his blaster aside. “Yeah! That was such a good hiding spot. You didn’t see me?” His face is bright with a smile as he stares up at me and brushes his sandy-blond hair out of his brown eyes. Freckles are splattered across his nose and cheeks, standing out against the pink tint, and there’s a light sheen of sweat across his forehead. We have been deep in our Nerf battle for a while, having used almost every room in the house—excluding Tessa’s—and every possible piece of furniture as barriers between us.
“What do you say we take a break and drink some water before we build our fort? I can make you a snack if you’re hungry.”
He runs to the kitchen, and I pull my phone from my pocket to check the time. Tessa texted that she would be home within the next hour, andI want to make sure I get everything cleaned up before she gets here. I’ve sent her a few pictures of Jake playing and one of the two of us together, holding up the Nerf blasters. He’s dressed for battle, wearing protective glasses and a vest with elastic loops to hold darts.
Hanging out with him has been a lot of fun, but it has also opened my eyes to what my life could look like. Being here with him while Tess is at work feels right. It’s only been a few months, but everything with her feels this way—like we were meant to find each other that night at The Stampede. I don’t believe in much of a higher power, but if one exists, I would be willing to bet they put her in my path.
