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)
“He’s a great kid,” I told her, looking at him, and she just put her hand on mine.
“He’s going to be okay,” she said to me, making my heart stop as I stood up straight. “I feel it.”
After bath, I quickly read them both a story while I lay in Jack’s bed and heard them moan and complain when I said there would be no sleepovers. I bundled Michael in my arms as we got into the Uber to go back to my loft where we built a fort in my bed and finally fell asleep.
“Denise,” Shirley says, looking over at me. “Thank you for taking them to the movies for me,” she says. When I got up and was making breakfast, Jack called again and asked if we wanted to go watch a movie. I bit the bullet for both of us and took them.
“Thank you for meeting us at the park,” I tell her, smiling.
“Let’s hope the fresh air tires them out a bit,” she says, and then her phone rings and she holds it up, seeing it is Zack.
“Hey, son,” she says. “Look, Jack, Dad is on the FaceTime, and he’s in his uniform.”
“Hi, Dad, we are going to watch the game and eat popcorn,” he tells him while looking at him. “We got buckets from the movie this afternoon.”
“Did you?” he says, and I sit here, hoping she turns the phone just a bit so I can get a glimpse of him. I’ve been in his house for the past two days, and even if he hasn’t been here, I smell him everywhere.
“Michael and I are making forts for the game,” he tells his father, and then she finally turns the phone our way, and I see him smile when he sees Michael and then his eyes find mine and his smile grows a bit wider.
“It feels like I’ve taken over your mother’s visit,” I tell him.
“I’m sure she is loving every second of it either way,” he says and then she turns the phone away to talk to him again. The call is short as he has to get on the ice soon. He tells her he will be home at around one-ish.
“Okay, rugrats,” I say, getting up from my stool and carrying my plate to the sink. “You have one hour before the puck drops, and I want pjs on.” They both get off their stools, bringing me their plates.
“Was it delicious?” I ask them when they hand me the empty plates. “Say thank you.”
“Thank you, Grandma,” Jack says while Michael says, “Thank you, Jack’s grandma.” She laughs at them, getting up and coming to give them both a hug.
“It was my pleasure to cook for you two.”
She brings me her plate, handing it to me so I can rinse it off and put it in the dishwasher. “I don’t know how my son has been doing this all alone for the past five years,” she says quietly when they go to the living room to get a car to bring in the bath.
“Five years?” I ask, surprised.
“Don’t get me wrong, I will always be grateful she gave me Jack, but I just wished she was more involved. She just didn’t have that motherly instinct that you have,” she says, smiling at me. “You can’t teach that; it’s embedded in you.”
“Well, then I guess it skips a generation because my mother wasn’t born with it either,” I tell her. She reaches out to squeeze my hand while the boys yell my name. Jack still calls me Dr. Denise.
“I’ll give them the bath. You sit and relax,” I tell her, walking upstairs to the bath. My shirt gets soaked when I pick Michael up because the towel falls and he lands all wet on me.
“Sorry, Auntie Denise,” he says, and I just lean in and kiss his wet nose.
“I’ll get you a shirt,” Jack says, running into what looks like a closet. He comes back with a Stingers t-shirt. “So we all match again,” he says, and I take it from him.
“Thank you, love. Go put on your slippers so your feet don’t get cold,” I tell him as he runs back to his room to get his slippers while I dress Michael in his pajamas. When he is dressed, they go downstairs to watch the hockey game, leaving me to fold the clothes. I peel my shirt over my head, folding it and placing it in the same bag with Michael’s clothes. Pulling the shirt over my head, I’m hit with his smell right away. It is big on me and falls to the middle of my legs, the sleeves going to my elbows. I look at myself in the mirror. It’s the same shirt I was wearing, but this one just has eighteen on the front and instead of Max’s. I bring it to my nose, taking one deep inhale, and then turn to go downstairs and watch the game.