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Chapter Twenty-three
Erin
“No,Charlie!Don’teatthat!” I scream at the dog who is heading toward the spot where I just threw up on the carpet.
I’ve gotten some sort of stomach bug, and I didn’t make it all the way to the bathroom in time. The kids are all still running around like crazy, and although I want to tell them to knock it off, I don’t have the energy.
I get down on my hands and knees to clean up the mess while trying to stifle my gagging. Unfortunately, being a single mom means that I don’t get any sick days.
I manage to make it through without tossing my cookies again, but it exhausts me so much I feel like I just ran a marathon.
Before I collapse on the couch, I check my phone, hoping for a text from Tanner. I heard from him this morning but not much since. Although I’m sure I wouldn’t be much fun to talk to right now, it would be nice to hear his voice.
It’s been about a week since I saw him last, and I’m already missing him like crazy. Okay, I was missing him the second that he walked out the front door. This whole every other weekend thing is hard, but I guess it gives me something to look forward to.
I should do a grocery order to get some easy things for the kids to eat, but my head is spinning so hard that I just want to doze for a while.
“Boys,” I call. “Can you guys just sit down and watch a movie long enough for me to take a little nap?”
They all come in the living room and pile onto the couch, but I know better than to think that they are going to stay here the whole time.
“Chris,” I say to the oldest. “Can you please make sure that Joey doesn’t hurt himself for me? Please? I will really owe you one.”
“Sure, Mom.”
I’d call my dad and ask him to help, but he went on a hunting trip for the week, so I’m out of luck there. And I tried asking Judd to take the kids for the night, but when he heard I had a stomach bug, he was convinced that one of the kids would carry it right on over to his house.
Selfish prick.
Just as I start to drift off, I hear the boys talking about being hungry. I tell them that I will get up and fix dinner once I get back up—although everything about that idea makes me queasy.
A knock on the door interrupts any rest I was hoping to get. Feeling like a zombie, I pull myself off the couch and lumber toward the sound. When I swing it open, I’m convinced that I must be seeing things because Tanner stands in my doorway.
Clearly, I’m delirious from exhaustion.
“Tanner?” I ask.
“Hey, babygirl.”
“What—what are you doing here? I thought you were out of town for a few more days.”
He shrugs. “When you told me you were sick and having a hard time, I figured I could skip out a little early to come make sure you were okay. I brought supplies.”
I didn’t even notice that he has a couple of pizza boxes in one hand and some grocery sacks in the other.
Since I’m still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing, he says, “Look, I’m not asking for anything here. I really just came by to drop this off to help make things a little bit easier on you.”
My mind still reels, and I guess I’m giving off the illusion that I’m angry.
“Shit,” he says. “I should have asked first. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have just come here with your kids home. I’ll just leave this stuff on the porch and get out of here.”
My eyes sting with tears because I’ve never had anyone do something so sweet for me. This man left his job and drove all the way home just to drop off stuff for my kids and I.
He frantically looks around for a place to set everything down.
“Tanner,” I say.
He looks at me with worry in his eyes. “I’m so sorry. I really wasn’t trying to push you.”
