Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 161899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 809(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 161899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 809(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
He wasn’t able to get his phone out and I wasn’t able to broach any further subject, like continuing our discussion on Juno asking him there without me knowing it. Or how it’d be nice for us to go back to what we were before we’d let the dam break on our physical attraction that stupid night in my stupid entryway.
And this couldn’t happen because the classroom door opened, and Juno was coming through it.
“Mom!” she cried, darting to me and giving me a hug around the middle.
I loved, adored and cherished my daughter’s hugs, even when she’d done something I wasn’t so sure about. And I never missed a chance to glory in one.
However, I wasn’t able to return the hug before she’d popped back, whirled and threw herself at Auggie, giving him a hug too.
“Auggie!”
Shit, shit, shit.
At this juncture, it had to be noted that Auggie was always great with Juno.
He kidded around with her in cute ways and always had time for her. Even if she interrupted him talking to someone else (something she wasn’t allowed to do, but I’d noted, and lamented, she got very animated when she was around Auggie), she immediately became the center of his attention in a way that never failed to make my stomach feel gooey. Last, he was casually affectionate with her in a manner that didn’t make my stomach feel gooey.
It made my heart feel light.
He might be unhappy with me, but the expression on his face as he bent his neck to look down at my daughter…
Nope.
No.
I was not going to process that.
“Ms. Hannigan, Mr. Hero, uh, well…” Juno’s teacher, Ms. Linn, cleared her throat and I took her in, the way she was pinching the fabric of her skirt, fidgeting and looking in Auggie’s vicinity without actually looking at Auggie.
Not to mention, being unable to speak.
I felt her pain.
Seriously.
Auggie had that effect on people.
Juno forged into the breach, beaming up at Auggie and crying, “Come talk to my class!”
With that, she took Auggie’s hand, reached out and grabbed mine, and pulled us both in, tethered to her, a long string of connected human beings, man, child, woman.
My walking dream.
My current nightmare because it wasn’t meant to be.
God, please, strike me with lightning, just don’t hit my baby (or Auggie).
“All right, everybody,” Ms. Linn said crisply as she followed behind us, obviously having gotten it together. “Our career day series continues with Juno’s mom and stepdad, Ms. Hannigan and Mr. Hero.”
On the word “stepdad” I stopped dead.
Auggie did too.
He also whipped his head around, his eyes coming right to me.
I knew this because my gaze was glued to him.
Okay.
All right.
What was happening?
“Ms. Hannigan is a professional dancer and she’s going to be speaking on that and we will all be thanking Mr. Hero for his service, as he’s a veteran of the United States Marines, and he’ll be sharing about that.”
I was staring in Auggie’s eyes as he stared in mine and we were both so caught in this, neither of us moved or said a thing.
I suspected this lasted awhile. However, I was still so flipped out about Juno telling her teacher that Auggie was her stepdad that I couldn’t stop it.
Auggie was evidently experiencing the same thing.
“Who’s going to go first?” Ms. Linn prompted.
“Mom,” Juno said, tugging at my hand, which finally made me look down at my daughter. “You go first and Auggie can go last.”
“Okay, honey,” I murmured.
It was then, she let my hand go but didn’t let Auggie go. She walked him to the side of the room where Ms. Linn was standing and only then did she let him go. But she did it in order to stand next to him and lean into him.
Auggie planted his feet, stood strong and crossed his arms on his chest, but somehow made that seem not like it was a dis of her physical affection but simply that he was the man she could (and did) lean on.
And they looked cute together.
My stomach started feeling funny.
Not the gooey funny (exactly).
Another, better, kind.
“Mom, you can go now,” Juno encouraged.
Okay…
Shit.
I turned to the class, pinned a smile on my face, and thanked God that I’d written out bullet points and practiced speaking about them in my bedroom last night, then in the bathroom mirror this morning, not to mention in the car on the way there.
The words came forth and I hoped they made sense.
We’d been told to keep our presentations to about ten to fifteen minutes in order to have time to take some questions and not exceed the kids’ ability to pay attention.
I probably talked for ten. There were only a couple of questions.
And then I was ridiculously thankful when Ms. Linn said, “Thank you so much, Ms. Hannigan.”
“Now, Auggie, your turn!” Juno cried excitedly.
I wandered toward my daughter.