Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 137077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
It’s virtually a long, rushing, run-on ramble of words from the typically brusque man, and I can’t help but laugh. “I could come for a little bit if it’d help.”
I make the decision instantly, instinctually, the way I decide most things, letting life lead me to where I’m supposed to be. Some people would call that flighty. I call it understanding that life is full of curveballs when you least expect them, so there’s no use in trying to live with a plan etched in stone because the only things for sure are death, taxes, and change, three things I’m all too familiar with.
“I’ll send you the address.”
My phone dings in my hand, and I pull it away to look at the text message from Cole. It’s not too far, a few hours’ drive at most, which would give me the distraction and distance from Austin that I need. “Give me two days to pack up here, and I’ll be there.”
“I’ll have an answer for you about Austin when you arrive.”
After saying goodbye, I go back to looking out the car’s glass roof at the sky. It’s a beautiful, clear blue with only a few white clouds, and the leaves on the nearby tree are already starting to turn. Another sign of change on the horizon.
I slouch down in my seat, thinking. A couple of days snuggling a new baby will be nice, especially at double pay. That’ll be enough cushion to give me some time to figure out what’s next, with a clear conscience about Austin’s foster kids.
CAMERON
I’m at Uncle Cole’s with Aunt Janey and baby Emmett.
The after-school text from Grace is a welcome distraction from my long workday, and the accompanying picture, even more so. The image shows Grace curled up in the corner of a couch, holding her baby cousin and smiling softly at him. She’s a wonderful cousin and does an amazing job every time she’s with him.
I have hours left before I’m done at the office, so I’m glad Grace is in good hands with my brother and sister-in-law. I wasn’t sure they’d be up for it, given their three-month-old little one, but Cole didn’t hesitate to say yes when I asked. I’m immensely grateful that my family is always ready to help with whatever Grace or I need, like today’s school pickup and hangout.
I respond with a heart-eyed emoji, something she taught me to do, then stare at my phone, mentally composing a text that says everything I want to say.
Make sure you do your homework too.
I send the text back hoping she remembers Emmett’s not the only person who needs taken care of and that she should prioritize herself too, not spend the whole afternoon snuggling with her cousin.
Mostly, I want her to not get in the way and hinder things for Cole and Janey, who are still adjusting to their new roles as parents.
Janey will do great. My brother, Cole? Jury’s still out. He’s a bit rigid in his thinking and probably has a checklist on how to stop the baby from crying. The only problem with that is babies don’t go by a checklist. I remember holding Grace in my arms as a newborn. She was the cutest, sweetest thing, but man, the lungs on that girl could rival a heavy metal concert screech.
A smile ghosts across my face at the happy memory before the rest of that picture pops up in my head—Grace’s mother, my wife, Michelle…
My smile instantly melts away, blackness threatening to overwhelm my thoughts. Nope, I am not doing that right now. Or ever. Those images are tucked away in a box, secured with a lock I’ve forgotten the combination to, wrapped in duct tape, and shoved in a dark corner in the recesses of my mind.
I force down the memory—and more importantly, the unwelcome emotions that try to bubble up with it—and turn my attention back to my computer. A scan of the latest figures tells me that it’s time to divest from some of our current holdings. I type out a quick memo to that effect and send it to one of my investment managers and let myself get carried away with work the way I always do.
Work is… well, I’d say my happy place, but I don’t really do happy, so it’s more like my safe space. The place that keeps my mind so busy that I don’t have time to think about the black void in my chest where my heart used to reside.
By seven, I’m pulling up to Cole and Janey’s. I’m ready to eat dinner, hang out with my Gracie girl, and make sure she gets to bed at a reasonable time.
It should be a pretty easy evening, I think to myself.
Which of course the universe laughs at. Because if there’s one thing I should know by now, it’s that expectations invite chaos, and me and chaos are not friends. Never have been, never will be. It’s the antithesis of who I am.