Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“Are you coming over for dinner? Daddy is cooking, and he ate one of my spaghettis,” he says, and I laugh when I hear Zack ask for the phone. “Okay, bye, Dr. Denise.”
“Hey,” he says, his voice coming in soft. “Don’t feel pressure about coming for dinner. I know it’s your day off.”
“I wasn’t pressured at all. It’s not every day you get flowers from a boy who is smitten with you,” I say, smiling as I sit down.
“He’s smitten, all right,” he says. “I don’t know if my cooking is as good as yours is, but we are having chicken parm.”
“It’s my favorite,” I say, and I’m actually not lying. It really is.
“Well then, we would love to have you,” he says.
“Great. I have the girls over, and we are going over the casino night plans. So as soon as they leave, I’ll come over. Can I bring anything?” I ask him.
“Just you, Denise,” he says, and it’s almost the rarest time that he hasn’t said doctor in front of my name.
“See you soon,” I say and hang up and then sit on the bed, thinking for a second. I get up, going to the kitchen again, and see the girls putting their things away. “Where are you guys going?” I ask them, and they all turn around at look at me.
“Well, you were having phone sex, so we didn’t want to disturb you,” Vivienne says.
“I wasn’t having phone sex. I was thanking Jack for the flowers,” I tell her, and she just shoos me off, putting the glasses in the sink.
“Karrie is waiting for me in the car,” Vivienne says, coming to me and giving me a kiss. “Have fun.” She winks at me. “The walls aren’t that soundproof.” I shake my head, wondering if everyone heard me.
I watch her leave and then turn to look at Allison. “I’ve never seen you like this,” she says, and I just look at her.
“Like how?”
“Happy,” she says. “I’ve seen you smile a lot, seen you celebrate holidays with us, but there was always that little spark missing. It’s there now.”
“You’re being silly,” I tell her, looking down.
“Be happy,” she says. “If there is anyone who deserves to find happiness, it’s you. Don’t fight it, embrace it.”
“What if I can’t save Jack, and then he hates me for it?” I say as tears streak down my face.
“But what if you save him?” She looks at me. “What if you save him, and you allow yourself to have something you’ve never dreamed of before? You get to love a little boy with everything you have while holding his father’s hand?” she says and comes to me, taking me in her arms. “Let it in.”
I don’t say anything else to her. I watch her walk out the door, and then I sit down at the island and look at my flowers. “He has to be okay,” I say out loud to the universe. “There is no other option. Not this time.”
I get up and then walk back to my bedroom and dress. I do it with a smile, knowing soon I’ll be sitting at the table with not only with a man who makes my heart flutter, but with a boy who has also captured it.
Chapter Fourteen
Zack
Walking into the rink Friday morning, I do it with a little bounce in my step. I can’t remember the last time I was able to come to work with hope, and I have to say it feels like I just won the fucking lottery.
Mom got in early this morning, and Jack has been all over her; the two of them thicker than thieves. He had so many stories for her; I was sad that I had to leave, but I knew there is no one better to care for him than my mom. I left while he was telling my father, on FaceTime, his funny story about sneezing sauce all over Denise.
I walk into the locker room, throwing my bag down in front of me and saying hello to everyone. Half the team is already here. We have a practice skate this afternoon, and then we leave to go to Philly for the game tomorrow and come back Saturday night.
I take off my suit jacket, hanging it up, and start to put on my practice uniform when the rest of the guys trickle in. “Coming in, so hide all weapons,” Olivier says, and most of the guys laugh, but the rookies all grab something to put over their crotch. I shake my head and laugh.
He walks into the room wearing a gray suit with a blue shirt and tie. The guy is buff; he’s bigger than most of the guys who are in the room. “Oh, good, you’re all decent.” He smiles and then stands in front of us as we all look at him. “I come with big news.”