Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“I know it’s not easy to see him this way, but I promise he’s better. I’m doin’ his exercises with him. He’s lost muscle mass. When he comes home, we’re gonna take such good care of him, he’ll get well just to get away from all the attention we give him.”
“No, that’s you, Paw,” Livie said. “Daddy likes us to do things for him. I rub his feet with lotion.”
“She does, Paw. I rub his hands,” Mia said.
“I don’t do anything because I don’t like it,” Ava chirped. That caused Abuela to chuckle even through her tears.
“Wesley has some people from the hospital coming out to help get the house ready,” my mom said.
I doubted they were from the hospital or insurance company. Based on the way Carter tossed money around, the speed of getting the home prepared for Dash wasn’t anything we needed to worry about. He’d have our home completely ready in time. “Is Carter workin’ from there? Are y’all bein’ quiet for him?”
“He’s always on the phone,” Amelia injected. “I think he’s going to take Dash’s law office as his office. He’s behind, and the kids are too loud here. Dasham’s thin. We’re gonna have to fatten him up when he gets home.”
“Well, he’ll love that,” I said, chuckling. “You’ll be makin’ tamales and cheesy enchiladas and those cookies he loves. Buy full fat milk and real sugar. He’ll be in heaven.”
“And ice cream. He likes those cones,” Ava added. “They’re not very good, but we don’t tell him.”
My heart loved hearing those words.
“Paw, tell us about the first time you met Daddy?” Mia asked excitedly, running for the tablet, and bringing it to the sofa with her. They all gathered around. My mom gave Kailey her spot to get closer. The exact story was told all the time. The girls liked to hear it and of course, Dash liked to tell it, giving more and more detail each time to hold their interest.
I leaned against the chair, finding comfort. Seemed I was in for the long-haul chat.
“I was ridin’ the bike my grandparents gave me for my birthday,” I explained, and Ava cut me off, helping me along.
“They lived here, where we live now.” -
“Yup,” I said. “And I was ridin’ in town to a pizza place that’s not there anymore…”
This time Livie broke in. “The Pizza Box. Right, Paw?”
“Yup,” I added again. “So I was at the crosswalk and misjudged the signal light, and it changed on me from yellow to red. I was peddlin’ when I spotted your dad in a red sports car. He made me lose everything else in my mind, your dad filled all the spaces inside me. My eyes locked on his as I rolled past, then the next thing I remembered was the sidewalk curb came out of nowhere and sent me over the handlebars. I knew how to take a tackle, I tucked and rolled and was okay in the end. Only shook up about your dad.”
“Paw played football,” Ava said proudly. “He got to crash into people.”
“I remember that day,” my mom added, probably to take Ava’s mind off banging into people. “It was your paw’s birthday. He turned fifteen. Your daddy was close to sixteen years old. I was driving into the Pizza Box to meet your paw for dinner to celebrate, and I saw him climbing out of the bushes, all scratched up. Your daddy explains it the same way—he watched your paw take the tumble. They’ve loved each other since that day. They’ve never had other boyfriends either, just each other. I’m proud of your paw and daddy.”
I nodded, liking the touches she added.
“Dash called me and told me he met you. I’d never seen him content like that. When you’d spend the night, I felt the love between them,” Amelia said, grinning.
“You spent the night with Dash after?” my mom asked. I watched her doing the math in her head. She didn’t need me to answer and gave a hearty huff. This couldn’t be the first time she figured it out.
“Beau. That was entirely too young,” she murmured.
“Too young for what?” Kailey asked. My smile grew as my mom’s face came into the screen. I laughed when she pointed a finger at me. I needed that moment to ease the tension.
“What was he too young for, Gigi?” Ava asked. My mom turned and kissed Ava’s forehead. She said nothing more to Amelia’s laughter. The sound was music to my ears.
“I enjoyed listening to Beau tell Dash no when he tried to talk him into anything. Dasham was always too smart and too charming. He got his way more than he ever should have. Beau never let him win one single time. I’d work around the house, loving the way Dash tried to talk Beau into his will,” Amelia said, smiling brightly now.