Total pages in book: 185
Estimated words: 180510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 903(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 602(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 180510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 903(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 602(@300wpm)
“Are you going to marry my daddy?”
My eyes bug out. Every word I was going to say dies on the end of my tongue and evaporates into thin air through my parted lips.
“Mommy married Sean. She said Daddy didn’t want to marry her.”
Well shit. This girl’s a little too smart for her own good.
Becca doesn’t seem to offer words either. Her cheeks flush as she clears her throat. “Oh, sweetie, it’s not that your daddy didn’t want to marry your mommy. They just had different plans for the future. And sometimes grown-ups have to raise their kids apart while they follow their dreams and work hard to buy little girls cute stuffed animals and big swing sets for the backyard.”
That’s a terrible explanation, but I applaud Becca for thinking on her toes and finding literally anything to say. I still have nothing.
“Um …” I fumble my words. “Reagan, I’m your dad’s friend. He might get married someday like your mom got married, but he won’t marry me. We’re just friends.”
Friends is a stretch at this point, but she doesn’t need to know the finer details of how her daddy broke my heart. She’ll probably have her own version of a Colten Mosley to teach her those hard lessons in life. For now, she can leave her daddy on a pedestal. I’m not a dream crusher.
Becca gives me a sad smile. I think she always imagined me with her son—forever. I imagined it too.
“Hello. Hello …” Colten’s voice carries from another door.
Reagan sprints toward him. “Daddy!”
Becca gestures for me to follow her.
For someone who doesn’t have custody of his daughter, he sure has her love. We turn the corner into the kitchen where Colten has Reagan hugged to him with one hand and a pizza box in his other hand.
Becca takes the pizza box from him, and he winks at me.
“I just want you to know that no matter what girl lays claim to me, I’m still yours, Josie.”
I can’t help it, not that I want to. A big smile spreads across my face. Reagan is his girl. The girl. I’m not sure why he’s winking at me.
Relinquishing a grin, I give him a slight headshake and eye roll.
“Daddy, your friend is here, but she’s not going to marry you.”
Jesus, little girl … you’re killing me.
He sets her on her feet, eyeing me the whole time. “Is that so?”
I laugh it off and file it under “kids say the darnedest things” as I nod. “She’s correct.”
Colten loosens his tie, eyeing me head to toe. “A shame,” he mumbles.
I clear my throat, turning my attention to Becca as she tries to slow down Reagan’s grabby hands reaching for the pizza box. “What can I do?”
“Plates are in the cabinet to the right of the oven,” she says.
“Got it.” I head to the cabinet.
“I’m going to run upstairs and change my clothes. Save me some pizza,” Colten murmurs as he saunters toward the stairs looking unfairly handsome in his suit. I have a flashback of seeing him in a suit for the first time at a piano recital. He hated it, but Becca insisted he wear it.
By the time Becca and I get the plates, pizza, and drinks set on the dining room table, Colten emerges in a pair of jeans and a white tee.
“Sit by me, Daddy.”
“Of course, Button.” He bops her nose, and she scrunches it.
I sit across from him, next to Becca, as he gets Reagan a slice of pizza on her plate and starts to cut it into pieces with a fork.
“No, Daddy. Don’t cut it.”
His eyebrows lift a fraction. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you were such a big girl now.”
Reagan’s little lips pucker to blow on the pizza before taking a tiny nibble. Colten drapes a paper napkin onto his leg while eyeing me and wearing a cocky grin.
I avert my gaze to the pizza on my plate.
“How’s your boyfriend?” Becca asks.
I press my napkin to my mouth to keep from spitting it out at her unexpected question. Boyfriend … she means hookup, only she doesn’t know that’s what she means.
Colten smirks, and I give him a quick narrowing of my eyes—one or two daggers shot at him.
“Uh … that didn’t work out. Most all dating these days is online dating, and to be honest, it’s pretty brutal out there. Sometimes, I’m just looking for a night out with good conversation.”
“Well…” Becca lowers her voice, talking like a ventriloquist as if Reagan won’t pick up on anything if she talks that way “…he was at your place the next day. I assumed that meant it was serious.”
Colten coughs, fisting a hand at his mouth.
“Yeah, well, I might have read that wrong.” I shrug. “So what did you and Reagan do all day while Colten was at work?”
“We had tea and cake!” Reagan spits a little pizza out of her mouth with her excitement.