Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 61542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
While most parents obsessively document their kids’ days in pictures, I normally have both my hands full when William’s awake, which means that he’s asleep in most photos I take of him. This opportunity doesn’t come often.
Adam approaches behind William, holding him by his little toddler arms before he falls on his butt. I didn’t mean to include Adam in the frame but he’s not leaving William’s side.
When William laughs, I snap the picture anyway. I stare at my phone screen as William squeals happily. Even though Adam’s in it, this is a pretty good photo.
It looks like fall, of course. With a pumpkin patch as the background, there’s no way to avoid that. Orange dominates the picture, except William’s and Adam’s green eyes steal the attention away from the stupid pumpkins.
It strikes me how much they resemble each other. If William were about twenty years older, they’d probably look like carbon copies of each other. Adam wouldn’t need to conduct a stealthy paternity test to know William’s his son.
The thought of Adam stealing William’s biological samples behind my back reminds me not to get carried away.
No matter how much I’m attracted to Adam, and no matter how good he seems to be with William, I can’t let my guard down. After all, the only reason I agreed to come out with him today was because he’d basically threatened me with legal action.
Transactional sex and blackmail. Hmm . . . Yeah, as much as naïve dreamers like Daisy want to believe this is the beginning of a fairy-tale ending, there’s no way this is going to work out.
Katie
After a few hours of running around the pumpkin patch, William falls asleep in the car. He’s a log by the time the car pulls up in front of the house.
Adam turns off the ignition and looks over his shoulder at the little guy asleep on the backseat. His green eyes light up like he’s in love. Street lights spill into the car, making the moment feel surreal with their yellow glow.
It feels like time has stopped. Except I can hear our breathing.
“Let me carry him inside,” Adam says finally, in a soft voice. “I don’t want to wake him up.”
I nod. It’s incredible. Only a few days ago, the thought of letting him into my house again seemed so crazy. But now, after just one day out, it feels so natural to have Adam remove the straps from William’s car seat and lift his son into his arms.
I walk ahead to unlock the door then show Adam to William’s room. He lays William down in his crib and even tucks him in. Despite myself, tears start to sting my eyes, and I have to look away to compose myself.
“Thank you, Katie. Today has been incredible,” Adam whispers with a big, satisfied smile as he gets up to his feet.
He looks so genuinely happy I can’t help but return his smile. “You’re welcome.”
Maybe, even if he’s a terrible human being, he can be a good dad to William, after all. I know some guys who are complete assholes, except to their own offspring. He may be one of those guys.
Adam faces William’s little crib and takes a deep breath as he watches William’s chest rising up and down.
“Wow,” he says as he slowly shakes his head, his voice cracking slightly. “I can’t believe that’s really my son.”
Not too long ago, I would’ve insisted he was mistaken.
But now, the way Adam’s been with William all day—patient, attentive, kind—I want him to be William’s dad. I mean, he is; that’s a fact. But I don’t hate the fact that he is anymore.
If Adam’s behavior today is indicative of how he’s always going to be with William, then I want him in my son’s life. I want someone to love William the way Adam seems to love William.
“Yeah, he’s pretty amazing,” I whisper.
The look on Adam’s face as he gazes at our son puts a lump in my throat. I’ve never been able to share these private, quiet, little moments with anyone before. I mean, Sawyer’s an awesome uncle, but it’s not the same.
Both Adam and I draw a deep breath at the same time, then we share a look. I can’t stop my lips from curling up. My chest feels full with something warm and comforting.
Adam gestures at the door. “Shall we? Before we wake him up.”
I turn off the light and shut the door.
As Adam and I walk down the hallway, he says, “I’m really happy today, but I feel like I’ve missed out on a lot.”
He touches me on the shoulder and looks at me with puppy-dog eyes. I stop to listen.
“This may be asking for a lot, after what you’ve already allowed me to experience today. But if you don’t mind, would you tell me everything about William?”