Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 95393 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95393 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
“Uncle Christopher,” Rain cheers, clapping her hands.
With Luna following her, “Uncle Chrissy.”
Turning back around, I walk to the kitchen and open the fridge door, grabbing the open bottle of wine I started on Sunday, taking a glass out, and filling it halfway. If I have to sit down and watch the man of my dreams, yet a man I can’t ever have, I’m going to do it by having a glass of wine.
I curl my feet under me and decide that every time they show him on the screen, I’m going to take a sip of wine.
By the end of the first five minutes, my wineglass is empty. Or maybe it’s because my eyes automatically go to him if he’s on the ice. I wait until the end of the first period before I chase the kids up to bed. It’s a little past their bedtime, so they are asleep before their heads hit the pillows.
I start my nighttime routine, which gives me time not to think about anything, so I automatically think of Christopher. “What the fuck are you doing?” I ask my reflection in the mirror. “It’s Christopher. Hot Christopher, but still Christopher. It’s not like you didn’t find him good-looking before you made out with him and he went down on you.” I shake my head, turning away from the mirror and turning off the lights. I don’t bother turning on the television in my bedroom because I know I’ll turn it on to the game. “You can’t have him,” I tell myself as I fall asleep, thinking and dreaming only of him.
The next night I’ve just closed the dishwasher when there is a knock on the door. “Go and grab the game you guys want, while I get the door.”
Walking to the door and not bothering to see who it is, I unlock the door and then I see him standing there. He’s wearing jeans and a thick, blue knitted sweater, his head down but it lifts up when the door opens. His eyes stare at me. “Hey,” I say softly, stepping out of the door, not wanting my girls to hear this exchange in case it gets heated.
“Hey.” He moves to the side for me to stand out with him. “I didn’t think you would answer.”
“Well, you knocked on my door at six o’clock.” I cross my arms over my chest to try to keep warm with the wind blowing.
“Yeah.” He laughs nervously. “I was hoping that.” He uses one of his hands to grip the back of his neck. “Listen, Koda.” He uses my nickname, and I suddenly hate it, especially after that I heard him call me Dakota. “I’m so, so sorry,” he starts, and something inside me cracks a touch.
“You don’t have to say anything.” I hold up my hand. “Really, if we can both forget what happened.” His eyes change before my eyes, and his jaw gets tight. “I should never have.” I don’t say the words because they would be a lie, and I’ve never actually lied to him before. “We shouldn’t have. We can totally forget that it even happened. No one but us has to know.” I pinch the inside of my arm, saying those words.
“Fuck that,” he snaps. “I wanted to kiss you. I’m not ever going to say we shouldn’t have.”
“But you just said you’re sorry,” I point out to him. He’s about to say something when the door opens, and I hear squeals.
“Uncle Chrissy!” Luna shrieks and launches in the air for him. “You came to visit.” She puts her hands on his shoulders. “We watched the hockey, and you said two bad words.” She holds up two fingers.
His eyes suddenly light up with her. “I did?” he deadpans, rocking her back and forth. “Did I really?”
“You did. You said motherfucker and piece of shit,” Luna recites, and I gasp.
“Luna, don’t you ever.” She looks over at me, like she didn’t say them and she just told him what he said.
“You know what, I shouldn’t have said those words,” he says to her, “and I don’t think you should say those words either.”
“Okay,” she replies softly, playing with the neckline of his shirt, “I won’t.”
“Mom.” The door opens, and Rain comes out. Her eyes light up as if the whole cast of Disney showed up at her door. “Uncle Christopher.” She goes to him, and he bends to take her in his arms also. “Are you coming to play board games with us?”
“Um—” I start to say because I would really like for him not to be close to me at this moment.
“Yes,” he answers, ignoring the way I said um, “I was hoping I would get to spend time with you guys.”
He takes the two of them and walks into the house, as if I’m not the one who is in charge of said house. “Christopher,” I call to the back of his head, my eyes roaming to his ass and I have to think if I touched it at all. I mean, I know I touched his junk and that man is packing. “You really don’t have to stay.”