AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sure.” I snag the remote from the nightstand and flip through the stations until I find her favoritecartoon.
She slides underneath the blankets and relaxes against thepillows.
I tap the bed as my heart thumps against my chest. My throat grows tight, and the room feels warmer than Maven’s forehead. “You let me know if you need anything,okay?”
“Will you stay?” she asks. “And watch withme?”
I nod even though all I want to do is abort mission and hang out in my car until Dallas gets here. I take off my shoes and sit down next to her, over the covers. That night haunts me as the opening of the cartoon lets out some annoying song. Maven snuggles into myside.
“Willow,” she whispers, hesitation layering hervoice.
“Yeah?” Iask.
“Will you be my newmommy?”
I blankly stare at her, fighting off the desire to flee the room, and try to give her the most comforting smile I canmanage.
“You’re going to be my brother or sister’s mommy, so maybe you can be mine, too, since my mommy is inheaven.”
A knife digs into my heart, and I take in a deep breath to stop the tears. Maven looks just as upset as Ifeel.
I kiss the top of her head and then smooth my hands over her hair. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know my name at this point because my brain is spiraling out of control. “We’ll talk about it when you feel better, okay,honey?”
“Okay,” shewhimpers.
She only lasts five minutes into the show before she dozes off. I slowly and quietly pull away from her and get out of the bed to grab myphone.
I catch my breath when I make it into the kitchen and drop onto a chair. I glance around the kitchen. More pictures of Lucy on the refrigerator. Another one by the coffeemaker. A grocery list that’s not in Dallas’s handwriting is stuck under a magnet on thefridge.
Will I always think everything is Lucy’s here? That Dallas wants to keep and display every part and memory of her, so he won’t forget … so he won’t moveon?
It’s petty of me to think these things. He wants to keep those memories of her alive because he was a goodhusband.
But I can’t stopmyself.
That’s why I need to take a break from him. Why I need to consider the consequences before throwing myself into a situation this serious. His daughter asked me to be her new mommy. That’s big.Huge.A little girl’s heart is on the line, and I can’t break it if everything doesn’t go well withDallas.
I grab my phone and textStella.
Me: Youbusy?
She got home from the bed and breakfast yesterday, and nothing was on her schedule for theday.
Stella: Nope. Just going over some scripts. What’sup?
Me: I picked up Maven from school for Dallas because she was sick, and now, I’m not feeling so hot myself. Would you be able to watch her until Dallas got home, so I could get some rest at myapartment?
Stella: I’ll be there in 15. You needanything?
Me: I’m good. Thankyou.
Her answer slows down my heart rate. Now, I need to make sure she doesn’t notice anything is off with me. I need to put my actress face on and hope the actress herself doesn’t find out I’m afraud.
I’m still in the kitchen when Stella walks in. She rushes into the room and falls down in the chair across fromme.
“You feeling any better?” she asks withconcern.
“Not really,” I mutter. “I just need to lie down. I’ve been working on the nursery all morning, and I think I overdid it. That, or the twins are pissed that I fed them a healthy breakfast thismorning.”
