Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 129084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
“Yeah, she’s due, right?” I slide my jacket down my arms and leave it draped over a chair, anxious to get to Liv. Rolling up my sleeves, I make my way back to the bedroom and peek inside. The room is dark, matching the day outside.
I worked late but wouldn’t have stayed if I knew she was home sick. Keeping my voice low, I say, “Liv?”
“Noah, you’re home.” The sound of the sheets shuffling is heard through the dark. “I would have gotten up.”
“No, stay, babe.” I cross the room and sit on the edge of the mattress. My eyes finally adjust, and I see her eyes looking into mine.
She says, “You shouldn’t be this close to me. I’m sick.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.” Stroking her hair back, I stop and feel her forehead for a temperature. She’s not hot. She’s not cold or clammy. “How do you feel? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. I got chills and lost color in my face at work. Then I was sweating. No amount of caffeine this morning could get me moving. I felt like I was fighting something all morning, so I came home to lie down. Cassandra was here, and then your mom stopped by.”
“I saw her.” I glance at the nightstand to see a cup of water barely touched and half a bottle of a sports drink. The electrolytes are good, but I’m not sure the sugar will make her feel better.
“Are they okay?”
“She’s fine. They’re having a good time playing.” I run the back of my hand along her cheekbone. “She ordered soup. You think you can eat?”
She sighs out loud, her eyes closing as she rolls to her back. “I’m not hungry, but it might make me feel better.”
I stand. “If you can eat, you should, to gain your strength back.” I get the remote and turn on the large screen across the room. “How about you have a night in here, try to eat, rest, and watch movies? You can recover, and I’ll take care of everything else.”
“You make it sound like you don’t do that already.” A halfhearted smile appears on her pretty face. Forcing herself upright, she leans against the headboard and reaches for the glass of water. “I think it’s just a bug, but I shouldn’t be around you guys.”
“I’m sorry you’re not feeling well. Let me take care of you.” Heading for the door, I wait to open it. “I’ll bring the soup. Tonight, you just need to heal and rest. Deal?”
“Deal.”
“Noah?”
With my hand wrapped around the doorknob, I turn back. “Yes?”
“I miss you guys already.”
I grin, understanding completely. We spend every evening together. We sleep together each night. We make love in the middle of the night. But it’s her arms around me that I’ll miss the most. She’s a bed hog and never leaves me much space to spread out. If we’re talking percentage of mattress to body mass, I’m getting screwed out of my share. I happily give her all the room she wants because I’m the guy who gets to wake up to this beauty every morning. “Me too, but if you need anything, anything at all, I’ll be right out there. Just call, and I’ll be here for you.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
When I return to the living room, my mom carries a sleepy Max with half-closed eyes. “I think you wore him out.”
“He wore me out,” she replies, laughing quietly. “How is she?”
Washing my hands, I reply, “She doesn’t have a temperature, but she thinks she has a bug.”
“Oh, that’s not good. What can I do? I can stay and take care of Max or be here for Liv.”
I know she means well. After drying my hands, I press them to the counter because I’m also very aware that my dad let her run the household and deal with us kids most of the time. Unless we majorly fucked up, of course, and then he stepped in. I love my dad, but I want to be more present, not just there for the fun or bad times. I want to take an active role in my family. Max and Liv are my family. I want to be here for them through everything.
“It’s okay, Mom. I can take care of them.”
“Who’s taking care of you? You look tired, Noah.”
“It’s called work for a reason.” I hate that she might think I’m being short. “It’s just different than I expected. Not as rewarding. I’d rather have more than a few minutes with Max, but that’s all I’ve been getting lately.”
“I know it’s hard on you.” She comes to me. Dragging hair off to the side from my forehead, she says, “I watched your dad burn out. It took a long time to recover. And even though he was doing it for his family, we would have preferred time with him.”