Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 138683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
“Anytime, fiancé.” She grinned back at me.
Shit.
I liked the sound of that.
The truth that rang behind it.
I held her for a second and relished in what we’d been given.
Remy almost blushed from where she sat at one of the stools, but her smile was soft and real, and, God, I didn’t think I’d ever been happier than right then.
Everyone’s attention snapped to the door when it opened, and my mom was suddenly standing there, her breaths shallow and energy frenetic.
Her gaze swept over the room, her throat bobbing as she took it in, like she was working through her disbelief.
Her hand went to her chest as a rush of tears fell down her cheeks. “Oh my God.”
I pulled away from Tessa and moved toward her, stretching my hands out for both my kids to take. Remy slipped off the stool, and Scout came bounding over, and I led them toward the door.
“Hi. I remember you. You’re my other grandma, right?” Scout’s head tilted to the side.
My mother hadn’t seen them for two years, and I highly doubted Scout remembered her much at all. His memories were the pictures I constantly showed him and the stories I told. The way I shared her love, brought them the notes and presents she had for them.
Paula made sure to make my mother feel as unwelcomed as possible. Tainted our visits with her venom. Took it to the place where my mother believed she was only making things worse for my children, to the place where she worried she was stealing more joy than giving it, so she’d stopped coming.
It was no wonder my mom dropped to her knees.
“Hi.” It was a wheeze from her soul.
Adoration.
Hope.
Remy reached out and took her hand, the child covering my mother in all her goodness. “Hi, Grandma.”
My mother squeezed back, and the tears wouldn’t stop falling from her eyes. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you.”
Scout grinned and patted her face. “Well, that’s really good because I’m happy to see you, too.”
It was strange when the walls of your home had echoed with vacancy for so long, and it was suddenly bursting with life.
Overcome with it.
The scent of pizza sauce and basil overwhelmed the air, and giggles and laughter rang through the room.
My mother sat on the floor with Scout on her lap as he read us one of the books she’d left for him on his shelf.
She’d added to them each year, making sure they were age appropriate, the same way as she’d done for Remy.
She wanted them to know she was always thinking of them. That they never strayed far from her thoughts. That her love would forever surpass this tormented time that had stretched too long between us.
No more.
My heart squeezed tight as I tossed a grin down at Remy, who sat with her shoulder pressed to mine. We were on the floor with our backs leaned against the couch.
“The end!” Scout beamed when he finished the book that was mostly pictures but with a few words sprinkled in.
“Wow, that was really incredible, Scout,” my mom told him.
“I’m a great reader, you know. You gotta know a lot of stuff if you’re going to be an astronaut, so I’ve been learning a lot and a lot.”
“That’s right, my little Rocketman,” Tessa shouted from where she was finishing the pizza. She’d insisted we all go hang out while she prepared it. Told me to take the time with my kids before she’d pecked a kiss to my lips to seal the command.
“What do you want to be when you grow up, Remy?” my mom asked softly, being sure to include Remy in the conversation.
Remy hiked a knobby shoulder, a bit of shyness weaving into her demeanor. “I don’t know...maybe a writer…but my grandma Paula said it would be better if I were realistic.”
“Dreamin’s for fools,” Scout tossed out, his voice raised, and he giggled because he hadn’t figured out yet that the bullshit Paula spewed wasn’t funny.
Anger curled in my guts, and I had to keep from spitting the words as I took Remy’s hand. “You chase your dreams, Remy. Work hard at them, whatever they are. And they’ll probably change some as you get older, and that’s okay, just as long as you listen to your heart and those dreams make you happy.”
My daughter looked up at me with a timid smile on her face. “I’m happy here, Dad.”
I gulped around her admission, and I touched her chin. “I’m happy with you here, too.”
The silence that wrapped around us was both fierce and free. The intensity ripping between my mother, Tessa, and me a torrent of devotion.
The determination to bring these kids home permanently.
I just prayed I could do it right.
But I had to be the one to ensure it was safe.