Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 52598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 210(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 210(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
“Of course, you can. Want to watch some toons for a few minutes? I’m wrapping this up, and then I was going to climb in bed, too.” The three of us had a conversation about me staying here with her while her daddy was away. It also opened the door for Jameson to tell her we were together, not that it wasn’t already out in the open. The man can’t keep his hands or mouth to himself, no matter where we are. That being said, I’m not exactly sure she understood what all our relationship entrails since her response was, “Kody my friend, not yours.”
“Pwease,” Josephine murmurs around her thumb in her mouth, bear hanging by its ear with the rest of her fingers. I move so she can walk in front of me and climb onto the couch. JoJo prefers footed pajamas, and it works well with the cooler temperatures rapidly dipping.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” I ask once she’s on the couch, grabbing the blanket for her to snuggle up with. Leather couches are nice for maintenance, but not in the evening; it’s cold to the touch and makes you shiver.
“Miss daddy.” She finds the remote next to me, hitting the button for her toons. Jameson has them recorded and saved. Clearly, she either watched her father many times or taught herself because she knows how to operate the whole system better than I do.
“Do you want to call him?” When she talked to him earlier today, he was out on a skid-steer loader. Yep, I now know all the machine names, a feat Shaun tried to teach me for years. I’m around Jameson for a few weeks, and I can tell you the names of the machines and what they’re used for. It’s dark out now, so he should be back in the hotel room and will probably have his phone on him. Even still, I’m going to text him before she tries to call and gets a contact unavailable. Who knows if it’ll send her into a tailspin? The last thing I want is for JoJo to be upset. Crocodile tears would tear my heart in two. I grab my phone and unlock the device; the picture of the three of us is my background. Miriam did a great job, and while it’s not perfect and I could nitpick the hell out of everything because of my professional eye, I love it because our small little somewhat of a family is there for me to see anytime I want.
Me: Hey, I’ve got a little girl here who wants to talk to you again. FaceTime me if you have a chance.
Josephine still hasn’t answered by the time I send the text message to Jameson. She’s probably so involved in her show that she didn’t even hear me. During the day, I try to limit her screen time, usually by playing or doing some kind of arts and crafts. Right now, we have a puzzle going on the kitchen table. The edges are all done, and tomorrow, we’ll work on the inside. The pieces are bigger, easier for her to finagle around, plus it’s taking her longer to put together with the size of the puzzle.
“Oh, well, I guess she just needed some company,” I say quietly, when I look at where she’s now asleep, tablet flat on her chest she must have picked up with my eyes going back and forth to my phone. Her mouth is open and she’s breathing softly. The remote is lying off to the side and while I could probably move her back into her bed, I won’t. I was going to work for another few more minutes, but it can wait. Since she asked to sleep with me, being the big softy I am, I’ll pile her up in Jameson’s bed, put pillows on his side of the bed, and make sure my back is to what is my side of the bed.
Josephine has bumpers on her big girl bed in the form of pool noodles beneath the sheets. In Jameson’s bed, there won’t be anything to stop her from falling on the floor. Also, the girl does circles in her sleep, wakes up with bedhead sticking up every which way, and from what Miriam told me, you’ll wake up with her on top of you. That might sound like a night of piss-poor sleeping to some, but to me, it sounds like a little girl who’s been through entirely too much at such a young age. JoJo needs someone to snuggle with, and that someone is going to be me. I let Josephine sleep while I stand up, stretching my arms above my head after sitting in the same position for too long. She hasn’t moved. I take the time to walk through the house, turning off the lights in the kitchen, picking up a few cups from our after-dinner dessert. Josephine had an ice cream sandwich, and I had cheese with crackers. I’m a savory snacker, while JoJo is most definitely a sweet eater, so much like Jameson in looks and eating habits. I’ve seen him put away some dessert after our pizza night.