Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“I can help,” Luke says, point-blank. “Not with the food, obviously. You don’t want me messing that up, but I can reach out to a few friends who’d maybe have some tips for branding, packaging, all of that.”
I don’t know why I’m tearing up, but he notices and leans over to wrap his hand around my neck. His thumb brushes up and down against my quickening pulse, and then he leans in to rest his forehead against mine. “We’ll figure this all out, okay? I’m in if you are.”
“I’m so in.”
“You sure?” There’s uncertainty in his gaze, maybe even worry. “It’s hard, Chloe. I won’t sugarcoat it. The season gets intense, and the travel can be relentless.”
“We’ll get through it one day at a time,” I say with a small, encouraging smile.
I’m not naive. I know we have quite a hill ahead of us. Climbing it won’t be easy, but the alternative? Walking away from Luke and Harper? That would be absolutely impossible. I can’t even imagine going back to life as I knew it before them. Finding a sad studio apartment? Cooking for one every night? Never getting to hear Harper’s laugh or feel Luke’s lips brush against mine again…no. It’s unthinkable. So we’ll climb that hill—no matter how difficult—and hopefully, we’ll be stronger for it in the end.
“We’ll have to head back to the city soon,” he tells me with a pinched expression. “I’m thinking by this Sunday at the latest. They want me back with the team for the second half of the season. I’ll debut at a three-game series down in Miami, and I want you and Harper to come down. She doesn’t start school for another few weeks, so as much as you two want to, you can join me on the road for the remainder of the summer.”
“Okay.”
It’s simple.
But he stares at me like it shouldn’t be. Like I should be asking for more, demanding more. What is there to demand? I know what day-to-day life with Harper looks like; I’ve lived it for the last two months. I know I’ll have help from Maria once school starts up, and there will also be days where Luke is traveling and responsibilities will fall on me. That said, I won’t be alone. My entire family is in the city. My parents, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins—they’re going to go crazy for Harper. Nonna will be trying to fatten her up the minute she walks through the door. So Luke doesn’t need to worry about us. We’ll travel with him while we can, and then we’ll settle in the city when her school starts back up again.
“It’s just for one season. And not even a full one,” I assure him, surprised that of the two of us, I feel like I’m the one doing the comforting. I realize how hard he’s had it the last few years. No partner to rely on, no one by his side to share the burden of parenthood. I know this is still relatively new and we’re jumping the gun a little (okay, a lot), but I also firmly believe in trusting your intuition, and everything inside of me is screaming that I can give this man my whole heart. In fact, I’d be an idiot not to.
“I’m actually excited about it now that things are falling into place.”
He looks awestruck as his gaze roves over my face. Then, like he can’t hold back for one more second, he kisses me hard. Harper’s giggling draws us apart after only a brief second. She’s looking up at us from where she’s been digging in the sand.
“You kissed Chloe,” she singsongs. “You like her!”
Luke laughs, and I push off my knees to stand. “Why don’t you two talk? I’ve been wanting to take a little walk down the shore anyway.”
He nods and I set off, grabbing my sunglasses and sunhat. I take a bucket with me too, knowing I’ll need it in case I stumble upon any cool seashells during my walk. Harper likes to collect them and paint them at home, and I told her I’d help her with the craft this afternoon. I’m not really surprised by how much I enjoy doing things with her. I’ve always loved being around the younger kids in my family, and it’s like having a little built-in buddy. Harper’s something special though. She has such a zeal for life. She’s so eager to be by my side, in the kitchen, in the garden, anywhere. She’s hungry for female companionship, and though Luke is a wonderful dad, sometimes, it’s just not the same. I braided her hair before we left the house this morning. I told her it would help keep it from getting tangled from all the sand and salt water.
“Could you maybe…could you do an Elsa braid?” She rushed out the second part of her question like she was slightly nervous to ask. “You know the one that loops down over one shoulder?”