Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84114 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84114 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“At least we agree on something.”
Atlas takes a deep breath and lets it out. His voice softens as if he’s trying to cajole a feral animal. “I won’t walk away, Maddie. I’m not built that way, and if you don’t believe me, believe Gray. He’d have never asked this of me if he didn’t think I could be a good father.”
The conviction in his voice rattles me, and I can’t ignore the simple fact that the only person in the world I trusted was Gray. If he thought Atlas was good enough for his daughter, then it had to be so, but I mask capitulation with a scoff. “You always get what you want, don’t you?”
“I didn’t want this,” he says, and I hear a different kind of grief in his voice.
He’s losing his life as he knows it. He’s giving up a lot to do this. I try not to let that soften me, but I do feel empathy for him.
Still don’t like him, but I understand his sacrifice.
“Fine,” I mutter, stabbing at a piece of chicken. “I’ll move to Pittsburgh. I’m probably going to need help finding a place as I don’t have a lot in savings. And until I find a job, I’ll need—”
“You and Grayce will move in with me,” he cuts in over my rambling.
“What?” I’m sure he understands the astonishment on my face.
“It’s the easiest solution and I have plenty of room. That way you don’t have to worry about finding a place, you save money, and it will make it easier for us to share duties. And frankly, I’m not ready to be a single dad just yet. I don’t even know how to change a diaper.”
I blink, unable to form words. He wants to live together?
“Maddie,” he says, and I blink again. “This will be what’s best for Grayce. It will give her stability and consistency. Once things get settled and we see how it all plays out, we can look for a place for you if you want. But I have to be back by Monday for the start of the playoffs, so I need you and Grayce there and settled before then. Okay?”
I blink two more times and somehow manage to nod.
“Okay,” he says, relief evident on his face. He picks up his fork and spears a piece of chicken. “Let’s make a game plan.”
I listen to his ideas, still in a stupor over how fast things are changing. I hadn’t expected this and admittedly, I’m reeling. But deep down, I’m convinced he doesn’t really want this. Not for the long haul. And when he proves me right, when he finally throws in the towel, I’ll be ready. Grayce and I will pack up, walk away, and start our life on our own.
CHAPTER 7
Atlas
We pull up to my place just before sunset, the sky overhead streaked orange and purple. Between a row of houses on the street that runs perpendicular to my own, the Allegheny River looks like it’s on fire in the waning light.
If Maddie’s impressed by where I live, she’s not saying anything. I didn’t hype up my house in any way, but it truly is the perfect place to raise a kid. I got turned on to this neighborhood by North who has a house several blocks over. It’s a beautiful area bordering the river and close to the arena.
While I had not seen it as a perk when I first bought here, this is the kind of place that’s safe enough for kids to ride their bikes down the sidewalks and neighbors like each other enough to throw block parties.
“I sort of figured you for a downtown guy,” Maddie says, and I can’t tell whether it bothers her that I’m not. “Isn’t that what most single people do?”
“Probably,” I admit, just as I catch my really cute single neighbor, Sarah, from the corner of my eye. She’s jogging up to her porch and shoots me a grin and a wave before disappearing inside.
My eyes cut to Maddie who watches impassively.
I park on the curb as the movers I hired in Chicago have their truck backed up in my driveway. A ramp extends from the rear and young brawny men carry in boxes. We spent the past five days cleaning out Gray’s condo and packing up Maddie’s apartment. Time was short, so I hired professional movers who came in and did all the actual packing once we’d sorted out what we wanted to keep and what we wanted to donate. While we had to work closely together to figure out what was necessary and what was not, Maddie and I didn’t spend a whole lot of time talking or getting to know each other.
Even the eight-hour drive here was spent mostly listening to music, and the longer the silences were, the more it became too awkward to try for conversation.