AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There seems to be no fixing my mood today. Not even when Jade texts Clay and me a sexy selfie of her lying in bed in nothing but a pair of light-pink panties.
Good morning.
The picture makes me smile and think some very naughty things, but I don’t respond.
Clay does.
I’d like to crawl into that bed with you.
Come on over. My dad is out.
The reminder that Jade lives with her dad isn’t the reminder I need today.
She’s so young. Is it really fair for me to drag her into my domestic life and tie her down with me and my child? Jade is still finding herself.
At some point, she’s going to want to move out of his house. What if she wants to move in here?
Am I going to be ready for that?
Immediately my mind rejects the idea. Not because I don’t love her, because I do. I love her in a way that frightens me. But I also care about her enough to want her to be free of me and all of my baggage she certainly doesn’t need.
The group chat goes quiet, and I figure it’s better if I keep my foul mood out of the conversation today. I’ll feel better tonight or tomorrow.
After Jack wakes up and eats breakfast, I promise him we can take his new electric scooter down to the paved trail along the harbor.
Maybe some fresh air will do me good.
And if I tire him out, there’s a chance he’ll take a nap with me this afternoon since I’m barely functioning on two hours of sleep as it is.
When we reach the trail, I find a nice paved area where he can zoom around on his scooter while shooting videos of him on my phone’s camera to send to Ronan later. Jack loves to watch the boats leaving the docks and chasing the seagulls that hover around, waiting for someone to drop their lunch.
It’s peaceful and nice. Which means I’m immediately plagued with guilt for not inviting Jade and Clay. They would love this. Lord knows Jack would.
I can see Jade and me sitting on the bench to watch Jack ride circles around the park. And Clay would be out there with him, teaching him how to do tricks off the curb and tending to his wounds if he falls.
If the picture is so perfect in my mind, then what on earth am I so worried about? I must be really sleep deprived because even I can tell how irrational I’m being.
Everything is going to be just fine.
“Eden?” a deep voice says from my left.
I take my eyes off Jack to see a stout, bearded man greeting me with a smile. It takes me a moment to recognize Jade’s father.
He waves cordially. “Will Penner. We met the other day when you dropped off my daughter.”
“Of course,” I reply with a smile as I take a step toward him. “How are you?”
“Oh, I’m good. About to take the boat out for the day.”
I look to the harbor. “You have a boat?”
“Yeah, just an old pontoon. If you and Jade would ever like to go out on the water, just let me know,” he says, lifting the small red cooler and pointing toward the water.
“That would be fun. Thank you,” I reply. He seems like a nice guy, and I can see the resemblance to Jade. Piercing blue eyes, button nose, cheerful demeanor. It makes me miss her.
“I would really love that,” I add. “I’m sure Clay would love that too. Especially if he can bring my son. You can fit that many on there, right?”
His smiling face grows curious. “You know Clay?” he asks.
