Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 57908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
“Then listen to me. Give this a little time. I’ll put together a proposal to ask for more visitation. Request another meeting and present it to the judge. But not immediately. You still have to prove to him you’re reliable. So we have to give it some time. You have to understand that.”
I didn’t argue, because I knew he was right. I knew Cherry was right. I was rushing everything.
“I know. I was…” I shrugged, lost for words.
“You were acting like a father who has missed his child. I get it, Dom. We’ll do this correctly and by the book. Work with the system. Show the judge how cooperative you’re being. How happy Josh is with you in his life.” He sighed, rubbing his eyes. “But prepare yourself for Roxanne to fight. We’ll fight back. The fact that he is doing better in school because of Cherry and her math teaching? That is gold. Keep that up.”
I blew out a long breath, my chest loosening. Halton was right. I was jumping too far ahead. I had let my emotions get the best of me.
“Okay. I’ll let you do your thing, and I’ll keep going forward with my life and Cherry. Adding Josh to it, not letting that take over.”
He nodded in agreement. “Yes. And get some sleep. You look like death warmed over. Go to Littleburn and talk to Cherry. Take her to dinner, talk to her, then take her home and reassure her.” He winked drolly. “This must be hurting her as well.”
I hadn’t slept the night before, and Cherry had avoided me at the garage all morning. She looked as tired as I felt. When I’d told her about meeting with Halton, she had nodded but refused to accompany me. Her words “take me out of the equation,” echoed in my head the entire drive in.
That was unacceptable. She was the constant in the entire equation. The equalizer. I needed her, even more than I realized.
“I will.”
I found Cherry at the garage. It was late, but she was at the desk, her head bent over, studying a form. She had her air cast off, resting her arm on a pillow. Her lips moved as she read soundlessly, her glasses perched on the end of her nose. She looked pale, but still so beautiful, it made my chest ache. The thought of losing her caused a pain I knew I wouldn’t ever recover from.
I knocked on the doorframe, and she looked up. “Oh. Hi.”
I walked in and shut the door behind me. I pulled out the flowers from behind my back and handed them to her. Her eyes widened, and I bent, cupping her face. I kissed her, sliding my tongue in and twisting it with hers. She tasted of coffee and chocolate, and I knew she’d been nibbling. It was another one of her nervous habits.
I pulled back, resting my forehead on hers. “I’m sorry, baby. I wasn’t listening. You were right.”
“I was?”
“Yes. And it’s you and me, Cherry. We’re together, and nothing is changing that, you understand?” I stood straighter, holding her cheeks. “I love you. I need you. You are my world, and we’ll figure out Josh and how we all fit together, as a family. We’ll do that together. You hear me?”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Yes.”
“Then let’s go home. I need you alone so I can show you how much I love you. And I have to feed you.”
“In that order?”
“Whatever order you want, as long as we’re together.”
“Okay then, Dom. Take me home.”
“Let’s go.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Dom
Ispent a month doing exactly what Halton told me to do. I didn’t argue with Roxanne. I picked Josh up on Saturdays and had him back at lunch the next day. We spent time at the garage. As a family. He helped us paint, enjoying the camaraderie of the crew as they gathered, once again helping one another. Charly and Cherry took him to choose furniture for his room, and he came back excited about having a double bed and a big dresser. They’d even bought sheets and a comforter, and he showed me the checked blue-and-black plaid, proud to tell me he’d picked it out himself. He was excited to be with us the day we got the keys and moved in, carrying in boxes with the rest of “the guys.” Sitting and eating pizza afterward. Joking and laughing. Stefano let him have a sip of beer, and the comical face he made when he tasted it had everyone laughing. He decided to stick with soda.
Unable to sleep, I wandered the new house. Cherry was down for the count, exhausted. We had bought new furniture since neither of us had any, and the beds and sofa had been delivered. Mary gave us an extra table and chairs, so we had a place to eat. Chase and Hannah brought over all of Cherry’s boxes, and she had put them in an empty room to unpack as we settled in. I checked on her, smiling at how right it looked to see her in our new room. Even devoid of much furniture aside from the bed, it looked like home, because she was there. I peeked in on Josh, surprised to find him awake. He was normally out fast, but he was propped up against his new headboard, the small lamp on his nightstand casting a glow in the room.