Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 51525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 258(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 258(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
“So did you see any bears when you went out today?” I hear him ask, as I pick up the streamer tape Ly was playing with earlier. I listen to Ly tell him about the black bear we saw in a tree on the way to the river and the grizzly we saw catching salmon. When she tells him about our plans to go sledding tomorrow, I cringe when she invites him along and he agrees to come. I want to chime in and say he’s not invited, but I keep my mouth shut. Ly loves Denver, and he loves her too, so as much as it’s going to suck being around him after what just happened, I can’t just kick him out of her life. Which means I can’t kick him out of mine either.
For the next hour and a half, I try to ignore Denver’s presence, which isn’t easy. He’s constantly standing too close, offering to help me hang the streamers and balloons. At one point, he even followed me into the kitchen and pressed into my back, one hand on my hip, before he reached up over my head to grab the bowls I was trying to grab out of one of the high cupboards. Ly thankfully hasn’t seemed to notice him acting differently, but I notice, and my body, which has not cooled one degree, notices for sure.
When the doorbell rings at four thirty, I almost jump for joy, because I know it’s my dad, Shel, and my baby sister Penelope here with the pizzas. Having them around will be the distraction I so desperately need.
“Hey, guys.” I smile at them when I open the door, and my dad eyes me with a look that has me squirming. Can he tell I’ve been kissed? I press my fingers to my lips, wondering if they are swollen or if it’s obvious to him what happened earlier.
“Hey, gorgeous,” Shel greets me with a smile and a kiss to my cheek. “What do you need me to help with?”
“We just need to get the food out. We got everything else set up,” I tell her as I let her go.
“Really?” Her eyes go over my shoulder, and I see them fill with something I don’t quite understand. “Hey, Denver.”
“Hey, Shel.” I catch his smile as Ly squirms to be put down.
As soon as her feet touch the floor, she rushes to Shel and giggles “Grandma” when Shel picks her up and spins her around and around in circles.
When I feel my sister wrap her arms around my waist, I tip my head down to look at her, but she’s gone before I can even give her a greeting, chasing after her niece who she adores.
“Baby girl,” Dad calls, and I look at him. “What’s going on? Why do you look freaked?”
“Nothing’s going on.” His eyes narrow. “It’s just been a busy day,” I add, hoping my answer will soothe him enough that he won’t ask more questions.
“You sure?”
“Yep,” I chirp, and his eyes narrow further. “Do you want to set those down in the dining room?” I nod at the pizza boxes.
He doesn’t answer or stop studying me. My dad knows me too well. We’ve always been close, and we only became closer when he and my mom split and after I lost Gabe.
“Did your mom call?”
At his question, my insides tighten painfully. My mother isn’t a part of my life unless it’s convenient for her or unless she needs a place to stay when she’s in town. Our relationship was rocky when I was in school. I didn’t like the man she’d been dating, and that only made things more turbulent. Our relationship improved a little after she broke up with the guy, but it wasn’t great. Things got a little better around the time I married Gabe. She was around a little more, but never a steady fixture, never dependable. When I lost Gabe, things between us went downhill quickly. I really needed her then, really needed her to step up and be my mom, especially after I found out I was pregnant, but she never did. In fact I haven’t seen her in years.
I won’t say I hate her, because I don’t. I just don’t like the person she is. I don’t understand her at all, especially now that I’m a mother myself. If it weren’t for Shel, I don’t know that I would fully understand what a mother’s love is. She’s been a constant in my life; she’s always here for me when I need her, and even when I don’t.
“No, she hasn’t called,” I say when I feel his eyes on me, waiting for my response.
“Fuck.” His jaw gets tight and I rest my hand on his arm.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not, it’s her goddamn granddaughter’s birthday.”