Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 115288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 576(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 576(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
“Oh, okay. That’s cool. How old is she again?” He sounds slightly disappointed, but otherwise, he seems like he’s okay with it.
“Nine. I’m really sorry if I messed up your plans for us.” I do feel bad, and maybe I should have told Gavin I couldn’t do it because I had legitimate plans. “She shouldn’t be here much past eight thirty, and I figure since you had the hockey draft thing it wouldn’t be a big deal. I should have warned you, though.” I bite my lip, fighting a grimace.
“Do nine-year-olds like hot peppers on their pizza?” He flips open the lid, showing off the mouthwateringly delicious-looking pizza, covered in hot peppers.
“She’s had dinner, but if she wants a slice we can pick them off. Or I can make her something else if I need to. Why don’t we grab plates and you can come meet her?” I’m relieved he’s not upset.
“Sure. Sounds good.”
I give him a smile and a big hug. I gather all the things we’ll need for dinner and bring them to the living room, Chad following behind with the boxes of pizza and wings. Peyton is sitting at the coffee table, still cutting out circles of paper. She glances up when we come back into the living room, her gaze flitting to Chad and back to me.
“Peyton, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Chad.” I motion between them. “Chad, this is Peyton.”
“Boyfriend?” Peyton tips her head to the side.
“Yup.” I don’t know how to read her expression, but I suddenly feel a whole lot awkward about having Peyton here while Chad is too. Which doesn’t make sense.
“Oh. I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.” She chews on her bottom lip for a moment and then gives her attention to Chad. She looks at him the same way a kid would regard a toy they aren’t too sure about. “Hi, Chad. I’m Peyton. My dad and I have known Harley my whole life. When I was a baby, Harley used to take care of me because the angels took Mommy to heaven, so Dad said they sent Harley down to help us. And I missed her and now she’s back.” She twists her fingers around each other, smiling at the end and dropping her hands to her lap.
“Well, that’s … really great that you got Harley back. She’s cool, isn’t she?” Chad rubs the back of his neck and glances from me to her as if he’s looking for direction.
“She’s the coolest. She lets me use glitter, and my granny never does,” she announces. “And Harley lets me have chocolate milk with dinner too.”
“But not all the time, right?” I prompt.
“On special occasions and weekends because too much sugar isn’t good for us.” Peyton sighs, as if this information frustrates her.
I put a blanket on the floor, and Peyton and I pick all the hot pepper and mushrooms off her pizza slices. There are also bread sticks, which she’s a fan of, so she polishes off a bunch of those while Chad hoovers down half the pizza and an entire pound of wings.
I’ve never seen Chad interact with kids before. I don’t think he’s ever been around when London has had Ella with her either. It becomes clear that he doesn’t have much experience with kids and that he has no idea what to say or do when it comes to Peyton. He’s the youngest in his family and doesn’t have nieces or nephews yet, so that makes sense.
“Do you want to make glitter rainbow flowers with us?” Peyton asks, obviously trying to be nice.
Chad makes a face. “Did you say glitter rainbow flowers?”
Peyton nods enthusiastically. “They’re so fun, and when we’re done, we can hang them on the wall, and it will look like a sparkling flower bed!”
“Uh, I’m gonna pass on that, but thanks.” He picks up his phone.
Peyton shrugs, and we continue making glitter flowers while Chad manages his hockey draft.
At eight fifteen, I start winding things down, making Peyton a snack and cuddling with her in a chair so I can read her stories.
At five to nine Gavin shows up. Peyton is tucked into the oversize reading chair, sleeping soundly. I slide out carefully so I can get the door and hopefully not disturb Peyton. “I’ll be right back.” I leave Chad on the couch, still engrossed in the draft, and let Gavin in.
“Hey, sorry I’m later than I meant to be.” He’s lost the suit jacket and the tie, the top two buttons of his dress shirt are open, and the cuffs have been unbuttoned and rolled up to expose his forearms. He has nice forearms. And biceps. Which is not something I should be appreciating.
“It’s not a problem. She fell asleep about twenty minutes ago. She’s passed out on my reading chair, looking adorable. Wanna see?” I thumb over my shoulder, toward the living room.