AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’m callingdibs.
* * *
I’m stuffed after lunch,but Maven insists we share adessert.
“My birthday party is next weekend,” she tells me, scooping up a bite of the brownie sundae. “Will you come? Pretty, pretty please with cherries ontop?”
I swallow my bite down. “Sure.” My attention goes to Dallas. “I mean, if that’s okay with yourdad.”
“I’d love for you to come,” heanswers.
“It’s at my grammy and grampy’s,” she continues. “They have a giant yard, and Daddy promised to get me a princess bounce house, so all my friends can play in it. Didn’t you,Daddy?”
Dallas ruffles his hand through her static-filled ponytail. “Suredid.”
“A princess bounce house?” I say with high enthusiasm. “I can’t say no tothat.”
Maven bounces in her seat. “Yay! I’m soexcited!”
We finish our dessert, and Dallas leaves the table to pay thebill.
“Do you have any kids?” Maven asks as soon as he’s out ofearshot.
I nearly spit my water in her face and cough a few times before managing to swallow it down. It takes me a second to get over the shock and tilt my lips into asmile.
“I don’t,” I croakout.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Dallas
Fuck,it’s been aday.
After I dropped Willow off, I helped Maven unpack her bags. We went through all of her painted pictures, letters, and worksheets she’d created. There were several she had drawn with her family doing activities she enjoyed. I flipped through them with a smile, and my heart crashed into my chest when I got near the bottom of thestack.
She and I are standing together, holding hands, and a blonde angel is flying above us.Lucyis flying overus.
The next one was a picture of us withWillow.
My daughter isconfused.
Willow isconfused.
Shit, I’m confused as amotherfucker.
Cindy’s comments when I picked up Maven didn’t help. Dinner went well until I went to pay the check. After that, Willow froze meout.
I can’t wait to collapse on the couch and go over all the shit I need to fix. I need to clear up the Cindy situation with Willow before shit fallsapart.
My day gets even more complicated when I finish Maven’s favorite bedtime story and tuck herin.
“Willow is nice,” she says. “I’m glad she’s coming to my birthdayparty.”
I kiss her forehead. “Me, too,honey.”
“And she’s reallypretty.”
I nod, hoping I can make it out of the room before she starts her favorite game of a millionquestions.
