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)
Eventually, the house came into view.
“Wow,” Willow said. “This is the life.”
I laughed at her honesty. Another woman would have pretended not to be impressed. “Yes, it’s a lovely house.”
We parked the car in front of the house and got out. The front door flung open before we reached it and Matt stood there grinning.
“Hey man,” he said.
I introduced him to Willow, and he immediately folded her inside a big bear hug which made her laugh with a mixture of embarrassment and surprise. We followed Matt, past the living room into the open kitchen.
“Hi,” Alice called cheerfully from the stove where she was stirring something. “Welcome.” She wiped her hands on the apron and came to us.
I kissed her cheek and after introducing the two women, I gave her the bottle of wine and chocolates. “The chocolates are from Willow.”
“Thank you, but you didn’t have to,” she said to Willow.
“I was brought up in a small town. That’s what we do,” Willow said.
After removing our coats, we sat at the island chatting as if we were all old friends. I watched Willow, how easily she blended in. When the food was ready, she insisted on helping Alice set the table for dinner.
Alice always held strong Christian values so after we sat down, we held hands as she said a blessing over the food. Then we dug in, passing the dishes around until everyone was so full, we could hardly move. Matt got up to pour us a glass of wine, apart from his wife.
“What about Alice?” I asked.
They exchanged a look and then Matt reached for his wife’s hand.
“No alcohol for the next few months for me,” Alice said, her face wreathed in a big, happy smile. She looked up at her husband, then us. “I’m pregnant.”
“Congratulations,” I said.
“Oh, wow,” Willow exclaimed. “How fantastic for you. I was just telling Rex that this was the perfect house to raise children.”
“I agree,” Alice said.
“How far along are you?” Willow asked.
“Two months. I just found out.”
“Still early days,” Matt said, a note of pride in his voice.
A longing for a family came over me. I imagined how it must feel to come home to someone who loved you. I shot an involuntary glance at Willow and found her looking at me, she quickly looked away when our gazes met.
We talked about the baby as we ate. Matt wanted a girl and Alice wanted a boy.
“So, how did you two meet?” Alice asked later as we relaxed after dinner.
I looked at Willow and we both laughed.
“Ah, you don’t need to answer that question. I have a feeling it’s not a story that should be told in public,” Alice said with a laugh.
“It’s not that bad,” Willow said. “We met at the office party.”
I looked at her. She looked so beautiful then. “But we could have met in the rain, under an umbrella.”
“We could have,” Willow said softly.
48
REX
“When will we see Pogo again?” Kayden asked me.
We were on the way to pick up Willow and go for lunch at Matt’s house. Alice was captivated by the idea of Kayden and couldn’t wait to meet him. Probably because she was pregnant, and their baby was a boy as well. A playmate for Kayden. Exciting stuff. Who would have thought that our conversations would be about our kids growing up as friends?
“Daddy?” Kayden called.
“Uhm.” I searched my brain for what we had been discussing. Pogo. The plan had been to text Willow and let her know that we were downstairs. “Sure son, why not?”
I slid the car into a street parking space and turned off the engine. Kayden bounced up and down on his seat, impatient to get out. I unbuckled him and hand in hand we made our way to Willow’s apartment building entrance. I hit the bell and a few seconds later, she buzzed us in.
I frowned. It wasn’t safe to assume that you knew who it was. I made a mental note to remind Willow that she wasn’t living in Bison Ridge anymore. Burglaries in New York were as common as everyone knowing your business in Bison Ridge.
I carried Kayden as we entered the elevator. Willow was waiting by the door, looking gorgeous and ready to go.
“Hey, you two,” she said with a huge smile.
Warmth spread all over my chest.
“Where’s Pogo?” Kayden asked eagerly.
“Come in and say hello,” Willow said. “He’ll love that. He’s missed you.”
Before she finished her sentence, Kayden had shot past her into the apartment. Willow and I chuckled as we followed him in.
“He came out from hiding,” Kayden said excitedly. Pogo jumped around barking and reveling in the attention he was getting from Kayden.
“I told you he missed you,” Willow said.
Kayden grinned and went back to petting Pogo.
Willow was a natural with children. I pushed away the image of the three of us living together as a family.