Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 121576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 608(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 608(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
I laughed quietly. “What all did you guys do? Did you do the archery stuff? Oliver was looking forward to that.”
“Yeah, that was cool. He’s really good at it too. We showed up this kid and his dad who were next to us. They both sucked.” Nathan laughed. “Uh, besides that, we learned how to kill a bear.”
“What?”
“Nah, I’m kidding. That would’ve been cool though. We went out in canoes for a while and fished. Then some guy showed us how to start a fire without matches, which is something I already knew how to do. Oliver made sure everyone here was very aware of that fact. I think he even reminded them after dinner.”
I smiled and flexed my calves against the sheet. “Has anyone asked who you are to him?”
“No.” Nathan sounded disappointed admitting that. “But I am getting looks, which is weird. Like, who gives a fuck? I’m ready though. Nobody better say a damn thing to Oliver. I’ll throw all of their shit into the lake.”
I cracked up, hand to my mouth. I couldn’t help it.
Muffled voices came through the line. “Oh. Sorry, man,” Nathan said. “My bad. I thought everyone was asleep.”
“You’re going to get banned from future campouts,” I warned. I was grinning now.
“Probably.” He chuckled, his voice growing soft. “I hope not. Oliver’s really into this.”
He was, but Nathan was having a good time too. I could tell. He could’ve said he was really into it and he chose not to. Nathan made it about my son.
I closed my eyes and breathed.
“I should get off here before I get him thrown out of Scouts,” he said.
“Okay.” I stared at my bedroom ceiling. “Thanks for calling me.”
“Do you need anything?”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know—you’re alone. I know you don’t like it.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I know you. And I can tell…I’ll stay on the line with you if you want. I could walk farther into the woods so I’m not around anybody. I’ll probably get murdered, but—”
“Oh God.” I rolled my eyes and giggled.
“I’ll just get back in the tent, but seriously, Jenna, I can drain my battery. Do you want me to stay on the line? What do you need?”
What do you need, Nathan? The memory echoed inside my head.
“Déjà vu. Remember?” I smiled.
“What are you talking about?”
“On the phone that night when I wanted you to give me permission to ignore my brother, you said you didn’t need anything when I asked you.”
Nathan was silent for a moment.
“I didn’t—I was talking to you.”
“Ask me again.”
“What do you need, Jenna?”
I pictured Oliver in the tent fast asleep and gave my answer.
“Right now? Nothing.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
NATHAN
Six Days Later
Daddy, I get ’nother one?”
“Yep.” I stood from my desk, tearing free another Post-it note, and took it over to Marley, who was seated in the middle of the office with her play gate around her.
Marley took the neon yellow paper and stuck it on her foot, giggling.
Hair. Face. Arms. Legs. She was covered in fluorescent squares.
I didn’t give a shit. Marley could go through every Post-it note I had in here if she wanted to.
She was smiling, and I knew most of that happiness came from her contentment to stay in the same room with me for longer than two minutes now and not for my office supplies. Marley wanted to be around me. She liked coming here. She didn’t get to do it often.
Since Jenna stopped watching her, my parents had picked up two days a week. They never minded helping out, as long as that was all they were doing. I was with Marley the most. I wasn’t working nearly as much now, thanks to Tori, so I got a lot of time with her at home. I wanted to be with her as much as I could.
Marley was happy, but she missed Jenna and the kids. She asked about them constantly. She hadn’t seen them since that Thursday. That was two weeks ago.
I was still trying to fix things with Jenna, and I saw her and her kids as much as she allowed, but I hadn’t involved Marley in that yet. I didn’t know if it would look like I was trying to use my daughter as a pawn, since I knew Jenna loved her. Maybe I was worrying for nothing, but it was important to me that Jenna knew where my dependence on her stemmed from.
I needed her for me. My daughter needed her for her. There was a difference.
It was getting difficult keeping them apart though. Marley’s happiness meant more than my own. I hated denying it.
“Daddy, more? I get some?”
I tore off another square and took it to her, returning to my desk just as my cell rang. I accepted the call without looking at the screen. I was too busy looking at Marley.