AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Thirteen
Emery
I stayed on the sidewalk after he drove away. He’d asked me out again. Sort of. But he acted like he wanted to see me again. Not just me, but he was offering to bring pizza for everyone.
This wasn’t supposed to be serious. The kids had been to their dad’s and had to deal with a new woman in his life. I couldn’t give them a tenuousI don’t know what this iswith Holden. When football was over and Holden had no reason to be around us, would he just move on? We’d had sex. The novelty was over.
Not for me. Not at all. It had been amazing, and my body had hummed through all the drama, undeterred by adrenaline. But I wasn’t Holden.
How long would this last after football season? At Rattler’s, I’d realized I couldn’t arbitrarily fuck around even if it was with just one guy. But I wasn’t sure I wanted to endure another breakup.
I’d been in love with Henry until I’d been betrayed by him. I’d looked forward to date nights and time together. Those rare mornings we were both home and the kids let us sleep an extra thirty minutes. I loved our family and the rat race that was working shifts and juggling day care.
He’d broken my heart.
That love was gone. I’d have liked to at least like my kids’ dad, but until Henry treated both me and the kids better, that wasn’t going to happen.
So a new relationship?
Holden might want to be a little more serious, but I wasn’t a girl who could do short-term serious. Even worse, what happened in a year or two when things didn’t work out?
Would I be sobbing into the covers of my bed so the kids wouldn’t hear? I wanted those days to be over.
Coal Haven was so much smaller than Bismarck. I’d have to see Holden around town.
The coolness of the sidewalk seeped into my toes. I sighed and stared down at my bare feet. I’d been in the yard in my pajamas after arguing with my ex while his new girlfriend and the guy I’d just had sex with watched.
A laugh sputtered out of me.
Where did my life go?
I wouldn’t get answers to my problems outside.
In the house, Landon and Afton were watching TV. It had probably been the best way for Avery to keep them from going outside. I found her feeding Riley some toast in the kitchen.
“Thank you for your help, Avery.” I sat at the table on the other side of Riley.
“No problem. I started the oven to throw cheesy breadsticks in.”
“Good idea. We all like those.” Hot tears threatened to gather in my eyes. She was an amazing little girl and I hated how much I needed her help. “What should we do today?”
Avery peered out of the kitchen window that faced the road. “Since we’re home now, do we get to go riding at Holden’s again?”
“Oh, uh…I don’t think he’s planning on it this weekend. He has to work.”
Avery slumped in her chair. “Okay.”
“We could still do something fun.” I couldn’t let them mope around. We could have fun on our own, dammit.
“There’s nothing fun here, Mom.”
The oven beeped that it was ready. I got up and dug the breadsticks out of the freezer and lined them up on a baking sheet. We hadn’t moved for purely practical reasons. Okay, we had, but we’d moved to free us from the hamster wheel.
I tossed the pan into the oven and faced Avery. “Maybe it’s time to explore our new town.” A hint of interest dotted her gaze. I was on the right track. “We could go to the river. I think there’re some recreation areas nearby.”
She grinned. “We could camp!”
No. Absolutely not. Camping with just me? We only had the Traverse. I didn’t own an RV or a camper. The days were nice this time of year, but the nights grew chilly for a tent.
