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)
But if we got it right, I could give her a bit more and see how that went.
“Auggie’s coming to dinner so you have to figure out—”
“What, what, what?” she shouted, jumping down from her stool and then jumping in the air beside it. “Ohmigod, we gotta make something special,” she declared. “And he can cook it with us!”
“Um—”
That was all I got out.
She decided. “Dumplings!”
She loved my gyoza.
“And edamame and teriyaki chicken!” she kept going. “Call him! Ask him if he comes home hungry so he needs to eat right away or if he wants to cook with us.”
I was practically blinded, my girl was beaming so bright.
Safe to say, we hadn’t read it wrong.
Still.
“Juno, take a breath,” I urged.
She went still and her face froze, but it seemed like there was a flicker of fear.
So I didn’t delay in saying, “It’s important you understand what this is.”
The stillness evaporated and she said fast, “You like him, and he likes you. He’s your Mag. Your Boone. Your Axl. But he’s yours. He’s Auggie. And you guys are getting together.”
Definitely didn’t read it wrong.
Also definitely needed to make note how much Juno didn’t miss about pretty much everything going on around her.
The kettle whistled, I switched it off and went to her.
“Yes, honey,” I confirmed. “I like him a lot. And he likes me a lot. And we’ve been seeing each other a bit while you were at your dad’s. But we all have to like each other toge—”
“I like him,” she chirped. “A whole load.”
“Okay. I’m glad. But the reason I want you to take a breath is—”
“Because Dad uses up his girlfriends and things sometimes don’t work out and you don’t want me sad if they don’t work out with Auggie.”
I wasn’t big on her interrupting me, but she was excited, so I let that slide.
I also wasn’t big on how grown-up she was getting, because she definitely had her finger on the pulse of a lot.
In fact, pretty much everything.
To communicate that last, I said, “Yeah.”
“Will you ask him to cook with us?” she requested.
In other words, could I ask him to come earlier so we had more time with him.
Oh yeah, I could.
“Can you be careful and pour my tea while I do that?”
“Totally!” she cried, her voice rising.
I smiled at her.
I loved this, even if it worried me.
Not that things weren’t going great with Auggie.
Just that life happened.
Parents happened.
Moms got cancer.
Brothers acted like assholes.
Exes interfered.
And I hadn’t lied to Aug. If I had my choice, I’d shield her from all of that (case in point: I hadn’t yet told her about Mom).
But it wasn’t my choice.
She raced to the teakettle.
I went to the office to grab my phone.
Aug picked up after three rings.
“Hey, baby,” he greeted.
“Well, Juno is beside herself you’re coming to dinner. But she wants you to cook it with us. She also doesn’t want you to have to wait to eat if you’re hungry after work. So which way do you wanna go with that?”
I wasn’t surprised in the slightest when he said, “Cook with you.”
Yeah, that was Auggie.
We were doing this.
And he was all in.
“As per Juno’s request, it’s going to be cornucopia of Asian delights. Pot stickers. Edamame. Teriyaki chicken and rice. We’ll probably steam some veggies too.”
“You make all that from scratch?”
“Well, I don’t make my own wonton wrappers, but…yes.”
I heard his soft laughter then, “Sounds good. I’ll bring dessert. Anything she particularly digs?”
“She’s got a sweet tooth, but not fond of coconut.”
“Cool,” he said.
“Okay, just let us know when you’re on your way.”
“No, I mean cool.”
“Sorry?” I asked, confused as to why he reiterated this.
“To know that about Juno. That she doesn’t like coconut. It feels good to know that.” He hesitated and then asked, “Is that weird?”
I shut my eyes.
Stood silent in that moment.
I opened my eyes and said quietly, “It is the least weird thing in the world.”
“Cool,” he whispered.
“See you later.”
“Later, baby.”
We hung up and my gaze moved out the window.
My HOA fees were serious. They were also visible. We had great landscaping and beautifully kept shared spaces.
The neighborhood was bustling, and it was busy, and it was pretty, but the units were nearly on top of each other. It never really felt peaceful and serene, unless I was coming home from work, and the ’hood was asleep.
Usually, it felt vibrant and alive even if no one was out of doors. It just hummed.
I liked that for Juno and me.
But right then, it felt tranquil.
Like an oasis.
All because Auggie realized how important it was to know my kid didn’t like coconut.
Life happened.
Parents happened.
Moms got cancer.
Brothers acted like assholes.
Exes interfered.
But I had Juno.
And maybe, we were going to have Auggie.
So maybe there would come a time when we three would brave the storms of life together.
Or maybe it was simply that what Auggie brought to the equation was that.