AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Of not knowing what to do or how to make it better, and I shudder.
I want to say they were awful. But they weren’t.
For every sleepless night, there were just as many hours I spent in a rocker, shirtless, with Brynlee lying against my chest in her tiny little diaper. Sleeping soundly, as long as I kept her tucked against me. It was being put down she hated. She’d sleep like a champ if she was on my chest.
Skin on skin.
For every time she cried, I was eventually rewarded with just as many smiles meant only for me.
I love my daughter.
She’s my world.
And my world’s about to get a little bit bigger.
Deciding it’s time, I slide the iPad open.
Cade: You awake?
Scarlet: I am.
Cade: What are you doing?
Scarlet: Reading.
Cade: Oh yeah? Anything good?
Scarlet: Surprisingly, yes.
Scarlet: Lenny’s friend just published her first book. It’s actually really good.
Scarlet: Want me to write you a book report?
Cade: Can we talk?
Bouncing dots appear then disappear on my messaging app twice before it rings with an incoming FaceTime from Scarlet. “Hey.” It’s dark where she’s sitting. The light of the screen is illuminating her face. Scarlet’s hair is wet and hanging down around her shoulders and over a soft-looking pale-blue sweater thing that covers a white V-neck tee. Her face is fresh and bare, without a trace of makeup.
She looks younger. Softer. She reminds me of the Scarlet I once knew.
“You look tired, Scar.” Jesus Christ. Because that won’t piss her off.
She shakes her head and pinches her lips. “Always the charmer, Cade. I am tired. It’s been a long week. I guess you could say I’ve had a lot on my mind.” Her eyebrows go up, as if daring me to push her, and I nod.
Guess we’re going to dive right in.
“How are you feeling? Besides tired?” I lean forward on the table, angling the iPad against its case.
Her dark, deep eyes hold me captive. They always did. They’re the color of the blue night’s sky just after the sun sets. When I was deployed, I used to look at the sky and think about her. “Not bad, I guess. If you don’t count caffeine withdrawal.”
“Ready to talk about it?” I try to hide the bitter tone of my voice but fail miserably.
Scarlet’s shoulders rise and fall with the deep inhale of her breath before she begins to tell me everything. When she found out. When she’s due. How she had absolutely no idea she was pregnant until the doctor told her. How her siblings found out. And how she struggled with trying to tell me this week.
I want to stay mad, but she only kept it from me for a week, not the months I had thought earlier.
I want to be mad her siblings already knew. But I’m not. She had little control over that. Truth be told, finding out a little late is still better than the alternative. And I force myself to remember this is Scarlet, not Daria.
“I meant what I said earlier, Cade. You can be as involved or uninvolved as you want. I’m a big girl, and I’m completely prepared to do this on my own.”
