Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 100441 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100441 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
“Mmhmm.”
Could it sound more like we’re hooking up? I don’t think so.
“I’ll, uh, call him.”
She goes to stop me. “If you don’t mind, could you not tell him it’s for me? The reason he doesn’t know I’m here is because I wanted to surprise them both. Apparently, he’s been trying to get ahold of me. I got the message when I was already halfway home.”
“He has. Kaylee’s been …” I probably shouldn’t go into detail about the nightmares she’s been having about Maggie blowing up in explosions, which make so much more sense after seeing the uniform. “… asking for you.”
“Aww, my baby girl.” For the first time since she walked in here, she has a smile on her face.
“I’ll shoot Ryder a text instead asking to borrow the car.”
While we wait for him to reply, we fall into an awkward silence, and I get the sense we’re both checking each other out and sizing one another up.
“How long have you worked for Ryder?” she asks.
“Not long.”
“And you’re already staying over?”
“Uh …”
My phone dings, and Ryder gives me the all clear to take his car.
“He said I can take the Pontiac, so I’ll drive you.”
Playgroup today is at a rec center that’s only about a fifteen-minute drive from Ryder’s place, which is good. Any longer in the car with this woman and I might hyperventilate and pass out. I feel like she’s even judging the way I breathe, and now I’m conscious of it.
Gah. I shake it off. “How long has it been since you’ve been home?”
“I just finished up one of my longest deployments. Nine months.”
“Oh wow. Long time.”
“Yeah. It’s the one thing I hate about my job. Being away from Kaylee for that long makes it feel like I miss out on a lot.”
“She’s growing like a weed. I think she’s grown about an inch since I started.”
More silence fills the car, and I wonder if I stepped over some sort of line.
Eyes on the road, Lyric. Eyes on the road.
“How much did Ryder tell you about me?” Maggie asks.
“Not much at all. The only reason I let you in is because he told me your name is Maggie. I didn’t even know you were military.”
“Army. Enlisted straight out of high school.”
See, intimidating.
“I’m sure you get this a lot, but, uh, thank you for your service.”
She smiles. “I do get it a lot, but thank you. It’s been hard, especially since having Kaylee, but I have my reasons for doing it.”
“You don’t need to explain anything. It’s admirable, what you do.”
“I know I don’t need to justify my career, but …” She wrings her hands, and I start to see a less confident side of her. “I feel like I’m always needing to defend my choices when it comes to my daughter. I’m not home with her like I should be. I miss out on too much.”
“But it’s not as if you’re out partying or neglecting her. How many men in the military do the exact same thing?”
Maggie’s intense stare makes me self-conscious, and it’s hard to concentrate on driving. I feel like I’m in driver’s ed all over again.
“No one has ever seen it that way before without me having to point it out.” Her voice is quieter than it has been. More reserved.
Point for me.
“It seems like a double standard is all,” I say.
“Right. Ryder thought so too, which is why we agreed to keep as much about me out of the media as possible. Everyone else sees him as this huge star. To me, he’s still Ryder Kennedy, the annoying boy from elementary school who happened to grow up to be famous.”
“Who you happen to have a kid with.”
“Exactly.”
“He’s a good dad.” I don’t know why I feel the need to say that. “Just in case you were worried leaving her with him was a wrong choice. He’s sacrificed so much for her and loves her so much.”
“I don’t ever doubt my decision to give him custody. As crazy as his life is, it’s still a more stable life than I could give her.”
Yes, Maggie is intimidating as hell, and she’s nothing like I was expecting, but with her admission, I know she’s a decent person.
We pull into the rec center parking lot, and Maggie takes a deep breath.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Is it stupid to be terrified she’s forgotten me?”
“She hasn’t forgotten you. She talks about you all the time.”
Maybe not all the time, but she has mentioned her once or twice.
“Really?”
“She says you call her cute as a button all the time, but she doesn’t know why you think buttons are cute.”
Maggie bursts out laughing. “She really said that?”
“Yep. She’s coming out with the funniest things right now. She’s at that age where she loves learning, and it’s question after question after question.”
“Hmm, is that adorable or annoying?”