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She winked at me and nodded to Tucker.
I walked to Tucker and put my arm around him.
“You need a shot of whiskey, my friend,” I said to Tucker.
Tucker tried to laugh but whimpered.“I need a new fucking career.”
Chapter Forty-Four
HAZEL
She’s getting bigger.
She’s getting stronger.
You’ll be able to hold her soon.
This will all be in the past.
I swallowed hard and took a deep breath.
I still tasted the turkey and cheddar sandwich Hannah brought me for lunch.
I could have eaten anything for lunch from anywhere, but she had a thing going with someone that worked in the cafeteria.
At first it was just her showing him her boobs to get the food she wanted.
With a dick pic in return.
Then it grew from there.
They pretended to bump into each other at a bar.
I got a picture that night at two in the morning of Hannah in some bed with a guy next to her sleeping.
That was her version of romance.
And, hey, the turkey and cheddar sandwiches were pretty good too.
I smiled and shook my head as I stared at my daughter.
Picturing Hannah asAuntie Hannahscared me.
But I knew Juniper Evelyn was going to love Hannah.
“I didn’t bring a book to read today,” I said. “But I want to tell you a story. There once was a big, mean man who was actually nice. He only acted mean just to keep people away. He didn’t want anyone to know he was nice. Or maybe he was just waiting for the right person to come along and show him he could be nice. Anyway, there was a village. Well, more like a town. With a large castle. And inside was a mean king. A rich ruler who demanded things from everyone. He brought the big, mean man into the kingdom to protect it. Then one day he told the big mean man to go away. He didn’t want him there anymore. But what the rich ruler didn’t know was that the mean man met a woman. Not exactly a princess.”
“More beautiful than a princess,” a voice said from behind me. “More powerful than a queen.”
I didn’t look back.
I smiled.
“I’m trying to tell my daughter a story,” I said.
“I’m trying to make sure my daughter knows everything,” Atlas said.
Atlas sat down next to me.
