Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 85399 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85399 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Maddie sits at the table in front of the window. Her smile isn’t quite as bright as it was yesterday, but it’ll return. And Michael and Ava will certainly have moments when they aren’t as sweet as they are tonight. They might not even be together tomorrow. Then there’s Harvey and Mrs. Shaw and whatever they are. They’re fun and flirty and make each other laugh.
We’re four different stages of love—all beautiful, all difficult, all real.
“You coming or what?” Jack asks from the porch.
I wipe my eyes and join him by the front door.
“Thank you,” he says, rubbing his thumb along my jawline.
“For what?”
He shrugs. “For any number of things. Patience. Forgiveness. Patience. Resiliency. Patience.”
I chuckle. “I’m noticing a theme here.”
He chuckles too. “You amaze me, do you know that?”
“Well, yeah. I am pretty amazing.”
He grins. “I can’t believe you asked my dad to move in with us. Have you thought about that? Did you mean it because . . .” He whistles between his teeth. “That might be a lot.”
“Is that okay? I know that’s probably one of those things I’ve been telling you that you need to ask your spouse about before you do it. But I did it.”
He laughs.
“But you got a dog!” I laugh. “So there’s that. Now we’re even.”
“So you’re equating my father to a puppy?”
I lean forward. “They’re eerily similar. I’ll have to clean up after them both. They both growl at me, need to be fed, and can be really damn loud.”
Jack’s forehead wrinkles as he laughs. His eyes are filled with light. “I just never want to hear you say a word about me rescuing a puppy again. You just rescued a senile old man.”
Laughter bursts from my lips.
“Excuse me,” Michael says with a stack of clothes in his hands. “Just need to sneak by here to give these to Pops. Don’t need to hear or see anything else.”
Jack pulls me close to him and looks down at me with his clear brown eyes.
“Want to tell me what ‘stuff’ is all about?” I ask. “Because it’s been a damn day, and I don’t think I can worry about anything else.”
“It’s nothing to worry about.”
“Easy for you to say,” I say as he sways us back and forth. “Also, as soon as these people leave, I’m probably going to pass out. I’ve cried a lot, and crying makes my eyes sleepy.”
“I don’t think your eyes can be sleepy.”
“Then you’ve never experienced sleepy eyes. I assure you, it’s a thing.”
He hums, grinning.
I wait for him to break down the meaning of “stuff.” When it’s clear he’s not going to, I fist his shirt in my hands and shake them. “Tell me.”
“Fine.” He widens his stance and takes a deep breath. “Dad and Snaps aside, we’re going to have to make a lot of changes to our lives going forward, Lo.”
I still. “How?”
He looks around the porch and sighs. “When you look back on our marriage, we’ve always lived for something besides the two of us.” His attention returns to me. “We were planning a wedding, buying a house, trying to have a baby. Having a baby. Then another one. And I was trying to find a way to feed us and pay the mortgage, and you were keeping everyone alive.”
“Yeah.”
“But it’s time to live for us, Lauren. Me and you. More than just dates and sex and dinners. A whole upheaval of our marriage.”
I stop moving. “I’m not sure I follow you, nor am I sure I want to.”
He grins. “I want to spend time with you. Taking trips to Maine to see the leaves. Coming up here to Story Brook for weekends so we don’t have distractions. Starting every morning and ending every night with a kiss—at least.”
“Okay . . .”
He shifts his weight. “I don’t want to put any pressure on you. I had an idea and was going to just start making things happen, but I realized that wasn’t fair to you. So, I want to run something by you.”
“English, please.”
He dips his chin. “You have supported me and my business for the last fifteen years. I want to support you now.”
I can’t believe I’m hearing what I think I’m hearing. I’m also afraid to hope I know what he means.
“I don’t want to put any burden on your shoulders that you don’t want,” he says. “I can keep working as much as you want me to, as much as I need to. But I’m ready to step back. I’ve already talked to Tommy and the guys, and they know we might be changing the structure around at the shop.” He leans forward. “Because I’m going to be helping my wife. It’s your turn to shine, Lo. It’s your turn to live your dreams.”
My lips part. I try to speak, but I don’t know what to say. I’m also afraid to talk because then I might cry—again—and I’m tired of crying today.