Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64527 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64527 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
“How far along are you?” she whispered in my ear. I pulled back, shocked, and moved my hands to my belly. It still felt flat.
“How did you—”
“You’ve got that glow that all expectant mothers have,” she said, smiling at me before her face fell. “It is a happy occurrence, right?”
I swallowed hard before nodding. “It is, as much as it was a surprise.”
“Is Dillon the father?”
I nodded again.
“Good,” she said, smiling even wider. “You’d be hard-pressed to find a better one.”
We took seats next to each other, holding hands tightly. “How do you feel about him now, given how everything happened with Neil?”
She swallowed, a tear coming to her eye. “It hurts that he’s felt so guilty for so long. I know exactly how my husband died, and I’ve never once blamed him. I also know that the only reason why he would’ve walked away the way he did is because he feels like he did something wrong, and he didn’t.”
I held her hand tighter. “Do you know what he’s been doing?”
She blinked at me. “What do you mean?”
Patrick walked up just as I finished telling her about Dillon’s financial support, and the tears were running steadily down her face as he sat down and took her other hand. “Mom—”
“I always wondered if he was the one sending that money,” she said, her voice thin. “Things have been—very different from how they might’ve been because of him and his generosity.”
I turned to Patrick. “Do you remember Dillon, Patrick?” He was so young. I wouldn’t blame him if he’d forgotten.
He nodded, though. “I remember that we watched a ton of movies together and that he always used to sneak me cookies when Mom wasn’t looking. And Mom still talks about him a lot when she tells me about my dad.”
My throat tightened a little, but I smiled at him. “Would you like to see him?”
I pulled up to the cabin a little while later, and I heard Bucky start barking as soon as I parked my car. Jackie pulled up behind me, and I motioned at her to stay put for a few minutes as I walked into the house. Dillon was lying on his couch, holding a book there without reading it, but he sat up straight when I walked in, keeping himself deliberately still.
“You have to promise me that you won’t freak out,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
His face went from impassive to suspicious. “Why does that make me automatically want to freak out?”
“Just promise me.”
“Fine,” he said, “I promise.”
I nodded and went outside, motioning for Jackie to come inside. She and Patrick came in closely behind me, and I would’ve thought that Dillon turned to stone if I hadn’t heard his heart beating at double speed.
“Hello, Dillon,” Jackie said, her hands on her son’s shoulders. “We’ve missed you.”
He looked from the two of them to me and back, his eyes switching furiously. “How the hell—” He paused and looked at Patrick apologetically. “Sorry, Pat.”
Pat rolled his eyes. “As if I don’t hear worse swear words from my own coach.”
“Still.” Dillon looked at me with burning eyes. “I think I need an explanation. Why would you do this?”
“Don’t you dare blame her,” Jackie said, stepping forward. “She was just trying to prove something to you.”
He swallowed. “What’s that?”
“That you don’t have anything to be sorry for.”
He started shaking, and Jackie was there to wrap her arms around him when the first sob broke through him. I almost took Patrick aside, but to my surprise, the kid followed his mom’s lead, going to wrap his little arms around his godfather’s waist.
What happened over the next few hours was impossible to describe, but I could see the weight coming off Dillon’s shoulders in real time as he got to know these people—his found family—all over again. He and Pat talked about soccer and about how Pat had auditioned for the play because of a girl he thought was cute but had gotten the lead and was shocked to realized how much he liked acting. Jackie thanked him profusely for the money, and he refused to accept her thanks.
When they got up to leave that afternoon, there was a light to Dillon’s eyes that had never been there in the short time I had known him, and he hugged Jackie and Patrick tightly before they left. Jackie came over and wrapped her arms around me before walking out to get into her car, whispering into my ear, “Thank you. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”
When the door closed behind them, Dillon and I stood, looking at each other.
“Look,” I said, sighing, “I know I invaded your privacy, but you had to know that—”
My words were cut off as I was swept up into his arms and my mouth claimed in such a deep kiss that I almost forgot my name. He put me back down, sliding his hands down my back as he pulled me close.