Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
That has my feet moving.
With each step, I come out of my stupor. As I reach for the door, the guy in question comes rushing out. His shoulder bumps into mine. He doesn’t stop or apologize, he just keeps on walking. I turn and watch him as he gets into a black sedan. I think about chasing after him, but he’s not important. My girls are what matter right now.
Turning back around, I step into the diner. Stella sits with Ada standing in the booth next to her. Ada is clinging to her momma while Stella’s head is bowed. Whatever was in that envelope is opened in front of her, and there are tears rolling down her face.
I slide into the booth, taking the seat he vacated. “Just leave, Derrick,” Stella says, not bothering to look up at me.
Derrick.
Ada’s sperm donor. Now it’s all making sense.
“It’s me, angel,” I say, keeping my voice low.
At the sound of my voice, both girls look up. Ada reaches for me immediately. “Da Da,” she cries, wiggling her arms, wanting me to take her.
Da Da.
If I thought my heart was thundering before, I was wrong. Only this time, it’s not worry or anger or jealousy. It’s love. Love for this tiny human.
“Stel, can I hold her?” I ask, my voice cracking with emotion. I want to just scoop her up in my arms, but something tells me that I need her momma’s permission this time.
“You know you can,” Stella replies, wiping at her cheeks. She helps Ada up to the table, and I scoop my girl into my arms, holding her to my chest. She immediately places her head on my shoulder, and I rub her back.
“I got you, Bug.”
She whimpers, tucking her body tight into my chest.
“What’s going on, Stella?” I can’t hide the worry or the emotion in my voice. Ada calling me Da Da, and seeing Stella so upset breaks my heart. I never want my girls to know pain.
My girls.
As I rub Ada’s back and wait for an explanation from Stella, it hits me.
Merrick was right. They were all right.
Stella isn’t just my friend. She’s my fucking heart. The love of my life.
I’ve placed her in the friend box because the thought of not having her in my life is soul-destroying. I was keeping her at arm’s length when I should have been holding her as close as I could. Both of them belong in my arms, with their hands gripping my heart inside my chest. It belongs to them.
“Not here.” She’s barely holding on to her emotions. Her voice is gritty, and her eyes are welling with more tears.
“Do you have a tab?”
“No. We didn’t get that far.” She wipes at her cheeks, but more tears continue to fall silently.
I nod, pulling my wallet out and dropping a twenty on the table. “Let’s go, baby.” I stand with Ada in one arm. I offer my free hand to Stella. She takes my hand and allows me to pull her from the booth. She grabs the papers and shoves them back into the envelope before pushing them into the diaper bag.
I lead them out of the diner and down the street to my truck. This time, I open the passenger door for Stella and wait for her to climb inside. Once she’s settled, I lean in and kiss her lips. “I’ve got you, baby.”
Her sad tear-filled eyes find mine, and I vow to give this woman the world.
“Ready to go bye-bye, Bug?” I ask my daughter. That’s what she is. She’s mine. No one can tell me any different. She chose me, and I chose her back. From this day forward, I’m her father. That’s just how it is.
“Da Da, bye-bye.”
“That’s right, sweetie.” I put her in her seat and kiss her cheek before closing the door.
“My car,” Stella says.
“It’s fine where it is. We can come and get it later, or I’ll have my brothers bring it to my place. Right now, we’re getting out of here.”
She doesn’t object.
Reaching over, I lace her fingers with mine. She grips my hand tightly, as if I’m her lifeline, and I want to be. I am her lifeline, and she’s mine.
“I’m going to lay her down.” I nod toward a sleeping Ada in my arms. I was able to get her out of her car seat without waking her up.
“Okay.”
“Get comfortable.” I nod toward the couch. “I’ll be right back.” In my room, I put Ada in her Pack ’N Play. Well, it’s not hers, but it might as well be. She’s the only one who’s used it in recent months. I make sure her ladybug is close. I turn on the monitor and grab the handheld unit, taking it with me to the living room.
“She go down okay?” Stella asks.
“She did.” I place the monitor on the coffee table. “You want something to drink? Have you eaten?”