Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 74390 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74390 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“You should know, I’m going to have a word with your father. A lengthy word.”
“I wouldn’t blame you for that. In fact, while you’re at it, throw in a couple of words for me.
Our conversation came to an immediate halt when Cass appeared in the doorway and muttered, “Oh, my God.”
Neither of us said a word.
We let her take a moment to put the pieces together on her own. She looked at me, and then back at Dalton. Then, back to me. “Oh, my God.”
“Babe, why don’t you come over and meet Dalton?”
Dalton looked up from his game, and the second he smiled, tears started streaming down Cass’s face. “He’s Malcomb’s, isn’t he?”
“Hey, babe. He is.”
“He’s so beautiful.” Cass looked over to me and asked, “How did... when did?”
“We’ll explain all that later,” Cotton answered. “For now, come over and meet your grandson.”
Cass nodded, then slowly walked over to Dalton. Like his father, Dalton had a way with the ladies, so I wasn’t surprised when he flashed her a big smile and asked, “You wanna play a game wit’ us?”
“I would love to.”
Cass quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and joined in the game. I stood back and watched as Dalton swept Cass right off her feet. They were laughing and playing like they’d known each other for years, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over me. As much as I had been dreading this moment, it was clear that everything was going to be okay.
They all seemed to be having such a good time, but the party stopped the second Cotton’s phone started to ring. He stepped away from Cass and Dalton as he took out his phone and answered it. He spoke for a moment, then turned to us and announced, “Sorry, guys, but I’ve gotta go.”
“Ah, man,” Dalton complained.
“I know.” Cotton patted Dalton on the shoulder. “It sucks, but I’ll be back when I can.”
Dalton looked like his world was coming to an end as he placed the balls back on the table and sighed. I could see that Cotton was bothered by his pouting, so I tried to ease his mind by saying, “It’s fine. We’ll watch a movie or something until you get back.”
Cotton nodded, then stepped over to me and said, “Thank you, Londyn. This meant a lot.”
“It meant a lot to me, too.”
He started to walk away but stopped when I said, “Cotton?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s going on with the man who was following me? Was he really trying to hurt me?”
“You don’t have to worry about him anymore. It’s been taken care of.”
“But what does that mean?”
“It means that you can stay here and enjoy your son and not worry about the likes of him.” He motioned over at Dalton and smiled. “You’ve got better things to worry about.”
He walked over to Cass and gave her a quick kiss goodbye, then made his way out of the room. As soon as he was gone, I looked over to Dalton and asked, “You wanna see if we can find a movie or something?”
“O-kay.” Dalton followed me over to the sofa and sat down, watching patiently as I started flipping through the kids’ channels. When I came across one of his favorite cartoons, he smiled and shouted, “This one!”
“You got it.”
Thankfully, it didn’t take him long to get enthralled in the show, so I could talk to Cass without worrying about him eavesdropping. I stepped over to her, and before I had a chance to say a word, she reached out and took me into her arms, hugging me tightly. “It’s really good to see you, Londyn.”
“It’s really good to see you, too.”
She released me, then looked me in the eye as she said, “I so hated it when you and Malcomb broke up. I know you were young, but I always thought you two really had something special.”
“I did, too. I still do.” My voice was strained as I told her, “I love Malcomb. I always have.”
She studied me for a moment, then said, “Okay, enough of the chit-chat. I want to know everything.”
She took my hand and led me over to a couple of chairs in the corner. We sat down, and I told her everything—from the breakup to getting the wedding invitation and everything in between. She asked a few questions here and there, but for the most part, she just listened.
When I was done going through it all, she leaned back in her chair and said, “I can understand why you didn’t want to tell Cotton or the brothers, but I don’t get why you wouldn’t have called me or had your mother reach out to me.”
My voice trembled as I told her, “I sent those letters to Malcomb, so I thought you knew. I thought your silence meant you didn’t want to be a part of Dalton’s life.”