Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
All it took was one look at his guilty face to know that he’d been with someone else. At first, he tried to deny it, saying he was at work, but the lipstick on his collar and the scent of perfume lingering on his skin told a different story. The fact that Chad had tried to guilt Nathan over that night was appalling.
I had to fight back my anger as I told him, “Me finding out what happened that night had nothing to do with you, sweetheart, and I’m so sorry that your father made you think that it did. That wasn’t fair, and it certainly wasn’t true.”
“I don’t want you to get back with him, Momma.” Nathan’s voice was strained as he told me, “I wish you’d left him a long time ago.”
“Your dad has made his mistakes, and he’s still making them, but he isn’t all bad. There’s a lot of good in him.” I reached and placed my hand on his shoulder. “For one, he loves you and your sister very much. He might not always show it in the best ways, but he does. And even though it can be hard at times, I think it’s important for him to be a part of your lives.”
“And what happens when you marry someone else? Will we still have to go see him?”
“Me marrying someone else won’t change the fact that he’s your father.”
“So, that’s a yes.”
“That’s a yes.”
“I thought so.”
I gave him a quick pat, then asked, “Are you still okay with hanging with your sister tonight?”
“Just while you guys go to dinner, right?”
“Right. It shouldn’t be more than an hour or so.”
“Yeah, it’ll be fine.”
“Great.” I stood and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, then told Samantha, “I’m going to put a load of towels in the wash. I’m going to need you to put them in the dryer when they’re done.”
“Okay.”
“Thanks, punkin.”
I left Nathan’s room, and after I threw the towels into the wash, I went to the bathroom for a shower. I’d hoped it would help clear my head and help me to stop dwelling on what the kids had just told me about their father. I was tempted to call him and give him a piece of my mind.
I knew it wouldn’t do any good. He was too bullheaded to admit that what he’d done was wrong, so I left it and tried to focus on my date with Ronin. With a towel wrapped around me, I went over to my closet and stared aimlessly at all the clothes. We were just going to grab some Italian at a little place downtown, so I decided to go with a pair of slim-fit jeans and a loose, off-the-shoulder top.
I left my hair straight and put on a little makeup, and then I was ready to go. I was just about to slip on my ankle boots when there was a knock at the door. Samantha was the first to shout, “I’ll get it!”
Seconds later, I heard Ronin’s voice say, “Hey there, shortie. How’s it going?”
“Alright.” I heard the door close as she told him, “I was just watching a movie.”
“Anything good?”
They continued to banter back and forth as I finished getting ready. Once I put on my boots, I stepped across the hall and stuck my head into Nathan’s room. He had his headphones on and was playing his game, so I just waved to let him know we were leaving. He gave me a thumbs-up, and I smiled and left him to it.
I started down the hall, and the second I walked into the living room, a smile swept across Ronin’s face. “There she is.”
“Hey. Sorry, I was running a little behind.” I grabbed my coat as I told him, “But I’m all ready now.”
“That you are.” He turned to Samantha as he asked, “You mind if I steal your mom for a bit?”
“As long as you bring her back.”
“I think I can manage that.”
“Bye, sweetie.” I walked over and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. “We’ll be back in a bit.”
“Bring me back some dessert.”
“You got it, kid.”
Ronin took my hand and led me out to his truck. He opened my door, and I was about to get inside when he whispered, “I missed ya.”
“You just saw me two days ago.”
“What can I say?” He lowered his mouth to mine, kissing me briefly before saying, “I’m a sensitive fella.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
I shook my head and giggled as I got in the truck. He closed the door behind me, and seconds later, we were on our way toward town. Ronin took me to a charming Italian restaurant right on the square. It was small and quaint, with little twinkle lights hanging overhead, and we had the perfect corner table with a view of the people walking by.