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)
I nod. “Tomorrow.”
I wonder what the chances are of Maggie wanting Kaylee again overnight.
Turns out, the chances are high.
Really high.
After waking to phantom cries from Kaylee most of the night, only to remember she wasn’t in the house, I’m dead tired when Maggie brings her home. After giving me a hug that is in no way long enough, Kaylee says she has to go say hello to all her toys and ask if they missed her.
I’m one sip of coffee in when Maggie drops the bombshell.
“I’m not re-upping.”
I almost drop my damn cup. “Couldn’t wait for Lyric to show up to drop that on me, huh?”
“Oh, wait, he’s not here?” She looks around.
“Subtle, Mags. No, he’s not. We hung out a bit last night, and then he went home.”
“Hung out or”—she waggles her eyebrows—“hung out?”
I don’t answer her.
“He gets my approval. Kaylee wouldn’t shut up about him last night. She loves him already.”
“Mm.” I don’t know what else to say to that.
“I’m not blind. It’s obvious you two have something going on.”
“Well, then maybe when you get out of the army, you should become a psychic because nothing was going on … until last night.”
“I knew it,” she crows. “So are you guys together now or what?”
“It’s not that easy.”
“Why not?”
“Like you said, Kaylee already loves him. What happens when it doesn’t work out?”
“If. If it doesn’t work out.”
“It’s not like I have a lot of free time to explore something serious with him.”
Maggie leans against the counter. “Well, you could.”
“Right. Because you’re not re-upping.” And my fears from yesterday come rushing back. All the other times Maggie’s come home, she has hung around for a few days, maybe a few weeks, and every time she leaves, I’ve seen it. I’ve seen the look of longing in her eyes when she says goodbye to Kaylee.
She’s not the type of person to cause drama. Maggie’s the least dramatic person I know. But there’s still that overprotective fear I have when it comes to anything Kaylee.
“You look upset,” she says.
“I’m not. I guess I’m …” How do I say this without sounding like an asshole?
“You’re worried I’m going to try to take Kaylee from you?”
“It’s not like that—”
She smiles. “Isn’t it? I’d like to think you’d know deep down that I’d never do that. So far, this co-parenting thing has been easy because I’m never around. I want to keep this easy thing between us going, but I do want more time with Kaylee.”
“You deserve that,” I say.
“I’d love more overnights or maybe even a few nights a week—”
I suck in a sharp breath.
“But I’m more than happy to work our way up to that. I’ve basically been gone her entire life, and you’ve done this while being on tour and being a celebrity and all the other stuff you’ve got going on. I know it’ll be hard for you to let her go, but I hope you’re open to it.”
“What are you going to do for work?”
She cocks her head. “I’m gonna mooch off your boy band money, duh.”
I laugh.
“But in seriousness, I’m not entirely sure. The only reason I re-upped last time was because I felt I owed John some sort of vengeance.”
John—the guy she claims was the love of her life who died overseas. The guy she was so desperate to forget about that she slept with me and made a kid.
Tears fill her eyes. “When she was born, all I could think about was John. Even though she’s yours, I always saw John in her. Maybe because of the future we were planning. Maybe because I resented the fact she existed and he didn’t.”
My heart breaks for both Maggie and Kaylee.
“You never told me that,” I say quietly.
“I didn’t tell anyone. I focused on the military and told myself I wasn’t a maternal person.”
“H-have you seen someone? Like a professional someone about that.”
She sniffs. “I did. I’ve been working on it for the last few years, and I’m finally in that place where I want to be here for Kaylee. I feel I owe my daughter.”
“I’m not going to lie. It scares me, but as long as we agree to have open communication and—”
“Always.”
“When do you get out?” I ask.
“Officially? A few more weeks. I’ve gotta go back to base in six days, and then it’s a matter of getting everything in order.”
“You got somewhere to stay out here yet?”
She looks down at her feet. “Uh, no. Not yet.” Her green eyes peer up at me.
“You’re more than welcome to stay here until you find a job. Longer if you want it.”
Maggie levels me with her signature judgy face.
“Which clearly you don’t want or need.”
“I want to show you I can do this. That I can be responsible.”
“Is that why you got your own hotel room this time? You know you don’t have to be that way. Not with me.”