Page 25 of Shattered Dreams

“So sorry to keep you hostage then.”

We both laugh, and he stays for a while longer. He says he’ll return my clothes another day. It’s fine. I don’t care. They kind of look better on him anyway.

I don’t say that though. Feels weird.

We don’t make future plans when he leaves, even though I want to tell him to come back soon. Like before next Friday. Maybe for dinner.

That also feels weird, so I don’t.

But I will. Maybe tomorrow or the day after, I’ll see if he wants to come by for dinner with Maddox. Rylee has taken a liking to him in the way she would an older sibling. It’s adorable. I know Paul struggles with Maddox sometimes, but he does great with Rylee, which kind of gives Paul a break.

So that’s my plan. I’ll text him in a couple days, say he should come for dinner, and it won’t be weird.

Chapter Ten

Paul

“Are you sure you have everything?” Amelia asks, the anxiety in her voice evident.

“Yes, Mom,” Maddox whines, trying to evade her as she tries to wipe a smudge off his cheek.

“Okay, because—”

“I know, I know. You won’t be here,” he groans.

Amelia called me last night and asked if I’d be able to take Maddox for the week because Sean won a seven-day cruise to the fucking Bahamas and asked her to go with him. I’m not jealous. Okay, maybe I am a little jealous. The only “vacation” we ever went on was to go see my parents after they retired to Florida when Maddox was four and we didn’t even get to visit the beach because she and Maddox both came down with a stomach bug and spent most of the trip quarantined in the guest bedroom to not get the rest of us sick. Which didn’t work, because does it ever? The damn bug ran through the whole house and our vacation was shot. Fun times.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, pulling my attention. I grab it, and for some reason my chest gets all weird and tight when I see who’s texted me.

Dre.

Dre: Hey

Me: Hey

Me: What’s up?

Dre: Do you and Maddox have plans today?

I watch carefully as Amelia hugs Maddox.

Me: Not sure yet. At Amelia’s right now picking him up.

Me: Amelia asked me last night if I could take him for the week so she can go on a cruise with her boyfriend.

“It’s just a week. I’ll be back before you know it,” she says before kissing Maddox’s cheek. Maddox squirms and frowns.

“Uh huh,” he says as he slips away, tugging his backpack and turning to head to the car. “Whatever.”

I’m sure he’s bummed that he wasn’t invited on his mother’s impromptu vacation with her new boyfriend. Can’t say that I blame him. I know a lot of teachers vacation over the summer, but I don’t. For starters, I’m not going to go on a trip by myself, and going somewhere with Maddox, just the two of us? As nice as that sounds, my options are limited because flights are expensive, and there’s nothing remotely fun within driving distance of Marietta, Ohio, unless you consider the KOA or Hocking Hills.

I slide my phone back into my pocket as Amelia lets out a long sigh.

“He’ll be alright; don’t worry about him. All you need to do is have a good time, okay?” I narrow my gaze at her.

I don’t miss the look of uncertainty on her face, nor do I miss the way her lip quivers because she’s worried.

Maddox does the same thing when he’s upset.