Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 43837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
It blows my mind that only a few days ago I had a strip club dropped on me I didn’t want, and now here I am, on my way to pick pumpkins with my ex-best friend’s daughter.
I wonder what Harlan would say if he knew. Maybe I don’t want to think about what he would say.
I feel so very tired when I think about it. If this thing with us goes somewhere, what will she tell her father? What will I tell him?
Then I look over at Kathleen in the passenger seat as her eyes light up when the pumpkin patch comes into view, and then to Stevie as his face crinkles up in his excitement, and it starts to feel a little less ridiculous to me as I think about it.
Stevie sprints ahead of us into the field full of the giant orange pumpkins arranged as if they have been thrown about randomly in the absence of the plants they grew from. His bright eyes and cheeks rosy around his wide grin cause Kathleen smiles. He looks happier than I have ever seen him before.
Kathleen points at one of the middle-sized pumpkins in the middle of the field, and Stevie runs excitedly over to it right away, patting its surface with his hands.
Jumping this way and that, her brother jovially looks around from pumpkin to pumpkin, delighted by his multitude of choices. He isn’t the only one. Many other children run around the little field searching for their perfect pumpkin. It’s like a scene out of a postcard, drenched in autumn.
I promise myself then and there that when I have kids, I'll always be there. I’ll be the one that is excited at any chance to spend time with my children. Hopefully, this vision includes the woman walking at my side, holding my hand forever.
Kathleen is breathing in the autumn air, looking peaceful as I trail to a stop next to her. She thrives in this sort of environment, and I make a note to take her out more.
I do try not to look at her too much, at least when I’m supposed to be keeping an eye on Stevie, but my eyes always seem to come back to her, and Stevie is close enough that I can hear him well.
Kathleen looks gorgeous today in her deep red peacoat, the high collar of her thick sweater just visible there and keeping her warm from the chill. Her hair is loose down her back, brushed smooth and whirling in the soft wind. She’s wearing a short wool skirt and soft-looking light brown tights too.
Her hands are open and by her sides. It appears like she’s waiting for the chance to dip her hands into the grass or grab the pumpkins. She looks as if she belongs out here in the peak of autumn, situated amongst the leaves and covered in the crisp, chilly wind.
It’s difficult to look at her knowing I want her so badly that it hurts. Damn, if she isn’t the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.
This sort of thing is nice.
I have to admit to myself, if only to remind myself, that I’m here with the two of them, like a family. This is the kind of family I would want for myself. I let out a sigh, my eyes falling on the phone in my hand.
With a little click, the screen lights up for me, the image of all three of us on the hayride earlier pops up filling the screen, and it only makes the feeling of need for her grow even stronger.
These feelings have been building like a burning fire since the first time I saw her at the club. I have realized what this could mean for me, and that she may feel the same.
I don’t want to go back to being without Kathleen.
She is so tempting, so damn lovely all of the time, and her mind is so enthralling. I can’t help but sigh again as my hand falls to my side to tuck my phone back into my pocket. My gaze wanders back to the orange pumpkin patch right in front of me.
There is a bubble of familiar laughter as light and joyful as it comes. Twisting my head to the side with a grin, I find Kathleen laughing behind her hand, her pale green eyes twinkling with unbridled amusement.
The look on her face sends a little jolt through my heart, and I have to remind myself not to get too carried away with her. I don’t want her to think I’m spending time with the two of them as a means to an end. I want her and whatever else for as long as I can have it all.
Just then, a little rugrat heads straight for me with his head down. I am knocked off balance, straight into a pile of smelly, soggy leaves.