Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
I laughed as she regaled me with new tales of Pogo. Her dog had character. Kayden would love him. I could just picture him crawling all over the house playing hide and seek with Pogo and Shadow. I quickly checked my phone for messages from Hannah. Nothing. That meant all was well.
The waiter returned with our wine and the food menu.
“How do you feel about children?” I asked casually, after we’d made our food selections and we were alone again.
She looked surprised by my question. “I don’t mind them, I guess. I don’t know. I’ve not been around children much, but I guess I do want them… one day.” She shrugged. “For the moment, I’m happy with Pogo, just as you’re happy with Shadow.”
My chest tightened with disappointment. I’d made the right call in not telling her about Kayden yet. He was my responsibility and I didn’t want to make Willow feel as if she had to be a certain way because I suddenly had a child. She hadn’t signed up for this. I had. I had to find a way to get her to fall in love with Kayden, the way I had.
My phone vibrated with a message. At this time of the night, it could only be Hannah. I touched the screen. It was Hannah.
I don’t want to worry you but Kayden is a little hot. I’m keeping an eye on him. Will let you know if we need you.
A little hot? What did that mean? I texted back.
Does he need a doctor?
“Is everything okay?” Willow asked.
“Yes, yes, everything is fine,” I assured her, but I couldn’t stop worrying about Kayden. I glanced at my phone every few minutes.
“Should you be somewhere else?” Willow asked, one eyebrow arched.
“No, sorry.” I wasn’t convincing. Ignoring the glass of wine, I signaled to the waiter and asked for water.
Hannah texted again twenty minutes later.
I think he does need a doctor. Definitely a fever.
I excused myself, headed for the washroom, and arranged to meet a doctor at home. Back at the table, I asked for the check then turned to Willow. “I have to go. Something urgent has come up that I need to take care of.”
“The same reason you had to leave Bison Ridge?”
I nodded.
She looked crestfallen, but she didn’t pursue the matter further. While I drummed my fingers impatiently against the door handle, she was quiet on the drive home. When we reached her apartment, I walked her to the entrance of the building.
“No point in inviting you up, is there?” she said, as we stopped outside the entrance.
“Not tonight,” I said. “Let’s do this again tomorrow, okay?”
Her eyes flashed. “Okay. Goodnight.”
She entered the building and I sprinted back to the car, my heart pounding. Please, please let him be okay.
I felt like a complete asshole as we drove home, but Kayden’s health had to come first. He needed me. Still, that didn’t get rid of the guilt. The hurt look in Willow’s eyes haunted me.
We got home in record time and as soon as the car stopped, I raced in. The housekeeper told me that the doctor was in Kayden’s room with Hannah.
“How is he?” I asked, entering the room like a hurricane.
“Nothing to worry about. It’s just an infection,” the doctor informed me, and quickly explained that it was a common thing with children before their immunity fully developed.
“Hey, Champ,” I called in a cheerful voice.
He looked at me with listless eyes. “Where’s Mommy?”
“Mommy’s away, but I’m here for you, okay?”
He nodded. “Okay. Can you ask her to come tomorrow?”
“She’s on holiday, Champ. We don’t want to spoil her holiday by asking her to come back, do we?”
He shook his head, his face serious. “No. No, we don’t.”
It tore at my heart to see him like that. I asked the doctor tons of questions, and by the end of it I was convinced that Kayden would be okay. He was given a painless injection and a liquid medicine to take for the next few days. Hannah walked him to the door and I stayed with Kayden until he fell asleep.
I left his door slightly ajar and headed to the kitchen.
“Do you want some coffee?” Hannah asked.
“Yes, please,” I said and gratefully sat on a bar stool. How the hell did parents raise children without dying from worry? The evening had been the longest of my life and Kayden was not even seriously sick.
“He’ll be fine,” Hannah said as she set a mug on the island in front of me. “It will happen many more times.”
“Don’t say that.” I took a sip of my hot coffee. “I don’t think I can handle many more of these incidents.”
Hannah smiled. “You will. Sorry I interrupted your dinner.”
I didn’t want to think about Willow and how she had interpreted the evening. Whatever she was thinking was wrong and I couldn’t even tell her that. “It’s fine.”