Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 58397 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58397 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
“My sweet child.” I hugged her to me, overwhelmed by the love I felt. “One day, I’m going to teach you the concept of secrecy, but not today.”
“Okay, but quiet now, Daddy.” She wrestled her headphones out of her backpack and put them on.
Yeah, quiet now, Daddy.
Sorry, I fell asleep in the tub.
My ass still hurts, Daddy.
Give Julia a big hug from me.
This is insane. Two months ago, we didn’t even know each other.
Can you call me?
I’d fallen asleep too, though in my seat. Now, my neck was killing me. Thank God Peyton wasn’t here. He’d say something smug and snarky about his neck pillow.
“Darling.” I pocketed my phone and brushed back Julia’s hair. She’d passed out on my lap at some point. “Julia? We’re landing soon.”
Peyton had sent the last text an hour ago. He’d have to wait one more hour. I estimated we’d be in the car heading north by then.
Julia whined and stretched out, accidentally knocking her fist to my face, and I flinched and lowered the lethal weapon.
“You’re going to be impossible to get to bed later,” I muttered and scrubbed my hands over my face. Hell, I’d struggle to sleep tonight too.
“You’re impossible,” she yawned. “Wha’s impossible?”
“Something you can’t do. It’s so difficult that it becomes impossible—you just can’t do it.” I helped her into her own seat and felt every part of my body protest when I twisted my torso.
“Impossible,” she mumbled to herself with a nod. “I’m impossible not to love McDonald’s.”
I laughed softly and cupped her cheeks. “Do you know how much I love you?”
“Impossible!”
I smirked and gave her a smooch. “That’s certainly true. You can’t possibly know how much.”
“Impossiblebly,” she giggled. “I love Peyton.”
“Join the club.” I tightened her seat belt, then stowed away our tables. “Do you love Daddy too?”
She nodded. “When you don’t yell at me, I love you dis much.” She stretched out her arms and grunted to show how much.
“That’s a whole lot. Good thing I almost never yell at you.”
“You yell sometimes.” She gave me this look that said, “Come on, old man. You gotta admit it.”
I shook my head in amusement.
Fourteen
A man with my name on a board waited at baggage claim, and he seemed surprised by the lack of luggage, particularly since I was traveling with Julia. I only had my rollaboard carry-on, and Julia’s booster seat was attached to it.
“Coming home, sir?” he asked.
His question threw me. Because suddenly, I had this image in my head of spending more time on the West Coast, and Peyton’s family would be the reason. His contract at this point was sort of moot; I hoped he’d be with me as my assistant without an expiration date until he was ready to work as a teacher. But a year or forty years didn’t matter. His mother and sister still lived out here, and he hadn’t indicated he would be ready to move to Boston permanently.
“A second home, perhaps,” I replied distractedly.
We’d have to come up with a solution, of course. I didn’t want to take Peyton away from Washington if he loved it here, but maybe we could compromise. My cousin had a summer residence in Italy. We could have one here.
“I’m hungry,” Julia complained.
“I know, darling. We’ll get something to eat.” I buckled her into her seat in the car and closed the door. As soon as the driver joined us, I said, “A quick stop at the nearest McDonald’s drive-thru before we leave the city, please.”
“Yes, sir.”
We had to lay off the McDonald’s. Soon.
Once we pulled away from the curb, I brought out my phone and called Peyton.
“Are you calling Peyton?” Julia demanded.
“Yes—”
“Hey!” Peyton picked up. “I was gonna text you again, but I didn’t wanna come off like a needy fucking child.”
I laughed, so relieved to hear his voice again. “I like it when you’re needy, love.”
“Hi, Peyton!” Julia shouted.
I winced at the volume.
“Oh, she’s up late. Tell her I said hi. I miss her so much,” Peyton sighed. “And you. Fuck. This is harder than I thought it would be.”
“He says he misses you very much,” I told Julia, covering the phone a bit.
She nodded, satisfied.
“Well, I officially throw in the towel,” I announced. “You’re in your hometown, I assume?”
“Yeah. There’s some community picnic in the park tomorrow that we’ll go to, I think. Mom’s picking up some extra shifts at the hospital, so she’s on call.”
“Sounds nice. Should Julia and I bring anything?”
Peyton chuckled. “Huh?”
I smiled. “Give me your mother’s address, baby. Julia and I just landed in Seattle.”
There was a beat of silence before Peyton’s quiet voice filtered through again. “Please tell me you’re not joking, Edward.”
“You’re not joking, Edward,” I said.
Julia gave me a strange look, and I mentally high-fived myself for the excellence in my delivery of a dad-joke.
“Holy shit,” Peyton exclaimed unsteadily. “You’re really on your way?”