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’m ready, start the movie,” I said. Carter was prepared, the lights dimmed and the film began to play. It was a family-friendly show, Playing with Fire, featuring John Cena. The guys appreciated the wrestling reference, probably Ava did too, and the rest enjoyed kid-mania.
My focus shifted to Dash. He did appear older, not only due to his condition, but from the epic battle he fought to be here with us. His weary gaze lifted to mine.
“They’re a mess,” he said wispy and out of breath. The hospital discharged him with an oxygen tank, and despite his grumbling about its annoying presence, I insisted he use it. I was going to win the oxygen battle if I had to duct tape the tubes to his face. “Can you help me lift up?”
“Sure, hang on,” I rose, my feet between the kids, and angled Dash to a better position to eat. “I got you.” The grunts and groans he gave came from the effort to help, ate at my soul. I stuffed the pillows behind his back to keep him upright. His appreciative blue eyes lifted to mine. I leaned in to plant a kiss on his forehead, but he gently shook his head.
“My lips,” he whispered.
“If you keep the oxygen on. I don’t care what the meter reads. Make sure it stays on.”
He nodded in agreement, but I was skeptical. Still, I pressed my lips to his and placed a wad of paper towels under his chin. After retrieving the soup bowl Amelia held, I slowly fed him. I insisted on this responsibility until his care team arrived tomorrow. Two-thirds of the way through the bowl, Dash gave out. His eyes drooped. His head lulled to the side. I cleaned his mouth and moved the tank closer to him, tucking a blanket around him to better allow sleep.
I completely missed the movie’s plot, had no idea what was going on. Anything with Dash took time, the timeliest was probably feeding him. The popcorn and drinks looked appealing. I reached between the girls for a handful of popcorn. I didn’t get a chorus of heys which meant they were engrossed in the movie.
Minutes later, Livie’s gaze never left the screen while she climbed into my lap. They’d been sticking nearby all day. Shortly after, the other two joined her, sitting between me and Dash, popcorn and juice boxes in hand. Their new pink sequined dress shoes—a purchase my mom made for them and Scott’s youngest daughters—hitting all the wrong places.
“Be careful of your dad. Maybe y’all should sit back on the floor.”
“No, let ’em stay. I missed them,” Dash murmured. Mia was the closest to him and laid her head on Dash’s arm. They were like little rays of sunshine, beaming joy most of the time.
Thankfully, we were all back home together. I might not ever let any of us leave again.
Two hours later, with Carter’s assistance, we walked Dash to our bed and tucked him in tightly. I went back to the living room to find Scott standing by the front door. My mom and Amelia were past him inside the kitchen, tidying surfaces that were already clean. Scott gestured for me to join him on the front porch, meaning he wanted to talk and I needed to listen. We were business partners. I hadn’t kept up my end of things, but dang it, I was tired and emotionally stretched thin. Tomorrow morning was only ten hours away.
He opened the door and stepped outside, leaving it ajar for me. I couldn’t read his expression, not that I tried. “What’s goin’ on?” I asked.
Scott had already reached the north side of the wraparound porch, the bright moonlight illuminating him. He stuck his fingers into his front pockets, no doubt to ward off the chill in the air. His attention was focused in the direction of the dock we couldn’t see from there.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever told you what a good parent I think you are,” Scott said distractedly. “You took to it like a natural. It’s impressive. I didn’t have your ability. Lauren bore the brunt of it all until she taught me how. I should’ve helped her more in the beginning.”
“You’re a good father. Y’all love each other. You’ve done right by them from the beginnin’,” I said, walking toward him. I leaned my ass against the railing, and crossed my arms to ward off the chill. I should’ve grabbed a jacket. “I have a confession about parenthood that I haven’t shared with anyone, even Dash. I believe a nurturin’ mother’s role in successful parentin’. Dash plowed through the process, and our surrogate got pregnant so fast. That’s when I really began watchin’ Lauren a lot, Amelia too. The way they handle children doesn’t come natural to me. I read books and books about raisin’ children. I took so many online parentin’ classes secretly. Dash reaches that special nurturin’ way better than I do. We had a pretty big argument before I left about how strict I am with them and him. I’m too rigid. Maybe if I wasn’t bein’ me, I’d have noticed the sniffle was more than just allergies.”