Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78894 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78894 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
I pulled her back when she started to head out. “Wait, you’re really not in trouble or anything for hitting Ashley?”
“No,” she said with a chuckle. “She came after me first. I was defending myself. I have witnesses.”
I laughed and then let my smile fade away as a thought came to me. “Before I leave, I’m going to file a restraining order.”
Palmer took my hand in hers. “I gotta say, after what she did, I don’t think she’s going to be leaving jail anytime soon.”
It turned out that Charlie hadn’t even missed me while he was learning all about boats and fishing. By the time I followed Palmer back to her place to drop off her car and we got to the marina, the tour was wrapping up.
Later, as Charlie climbed out of his seat in the car, he said, “Daddy, I really like Addie and Braxton! They made me laugh.”
I ruffled his hair and smiled down at him. “I’m glad, buddy. I’m sorry I had to leave; I’ll make it up to you, okay?”
“It’s okay. I had a lot of fun.”
As we walked toward the house, Charlie reached for my hand, then Palmer’s. The gesture nearly brought me to my knees.
Christ, why was I so damn emotional when it came to Charlie and Palmer?
The second we got into the house, Charlie declared that he was starving.
“You go spend some father-son time together while I make us dinner,” Palmer whispered to me. “I think it needs to just be the two of you when you explain Ashley to him. Then, after we eat, we can tell him about us.”
I blew out a breath. I knew the day would come sooner or later when I’d have to tell Charlie about his mother. I’d been lucky that he hadn’t really had very many questions about her yet.
“Thanks, babe.”
She pulled her head back and gave me a sexy smile. “Babe? I like that.”
I chuckled. “Do you?”
With a quick glance over at Charlie to make sure he wasn’t watching, she reached up and kissed me and used her fingers to mess with my hair. “Stop stalling.”
Then she turned and headed to the kitchen, leaving me no choice but to tell Charlie and get it over with.
I found him in the family room playing with his cars. My heart filled with so much love and happiness as I watched him. It was hard to imagine that someone so pure and beautiful was made by someone with a heart like Ashley’s.
“What are you playing?” I asked as I sat down next to him.
“Cars. This one is broken and needs to go to the car fixer-upper place.”
I fought a chuckle. “The car fixer-upper place? You mean the garage?”
He looked up at me. “Do you fix cars in our garage?”
That time, I did chuckle a little. “No, buddy. I mean the place where you take your cars to get them fixed is also called a garage. But it’s a different kind of garage.”
He stared at me for a moment before asking, “Why do they have the same name?”
I shrugged. “I don’t really know. Maybe because they kind of look the same, but a garage where cars are fixed is a lot bigger.”
Charlie tilted his little head and thought about that, then he picked up his car and started to play. “Well, that don’t make no sense.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know, that’s what I said.”
Deciding to let it go—after all, one had to pick one’s battles—I picked up a car and started to put it on the track. “Charlie, do you remember the lady at the store who was following you and Palmer last week?”
He nodded. “Yeah. She was at my school today.”
My heart stopped. “Did you see her? I mean, did you talk to her?”
With a shake of his head, he replied, “No. When we were going to the greenhouse, I saw her walk into my school.” He looked up. “Daddy, is it bad if I think she’s a bad person?”
Swallowing hard, I asked, “Why do you think she’s a bad person?”
He gave a half-shoulder shrug. “You know how you told me about stranger danger and if something doesn’t feel good, I should listen to my heart right here?” He placed his hand on his chest.
“Yes, I remember.”
“She makes my heart feel something, and it isn’t good.”
I closed my eyes and inwardly cursed. Damn, my son had good intuition. “Charlie…I know her.”
His head snapped up. “You do? Do you like her?”
“No, buddy,” I said as I leaned back against the sofa. “I need to talk to you, Charlie, and it’s about Ashley—that’s the woman you saw at your school and in the grocery store.”
He spun around on his butt to face me, his attention one-hundred percent focused on me.
“Charlie…she’s your mother.”
He blinked a few times, looked down at the carpet, then back up at me. “The one who didn’t want me?”