Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 54287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
I shake my head. “No, it’s fine. I can drop it off on my way home.”
She nods. “Okay, well, thanks again for everything. We’ll see you soon.”
I want to talk to her and try to explain. Ever since I put some distance between us, I can tell she’s felt awkward, but I can’t say anything right now. I hold up the bag. “Thanks for remembering. I’ll talk to you ladies soon.”
I turn and walk away, but it doesn’t feel right. Even though I know it’s not possible, I would give anything to be able to stay and spend more time with both Abby and Alexis. I thought I’d given up my fantasies of having a family of my own, but just one evening with Abby and her daughter and I’m already imagining what my life could be like.
The whole way home, I’m thinking about dinner with the Campbells, hanging out with Alexis, and then ending the night by sitting on the porch and talking to Abby. I’ve never felt so completely content in my life. It’s as if I could sit there all night, every night, if I knew that I could spend it with them.
Out of habit, I massage my hand into my upper leg. The pain is real, but what is funny is how I almost forgot about it tonight. It felt like I was a man… instead of a cripple.
Later, when I get home, I get out of my truck and walk into my empty apartment, wishing that things could be different but knowing I’ll never be able to get what I truly want. And that’s Abby.
CHAPTER 7
ABBY
I’m just about to start the lesson on reading comprehension when I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I never talk on the phone at school, but I do keep it handy in case of emergencies. I lift it out of my pocket and inhale sharply when I see my brother’s name on the caller ID. I can’t not answer it. All these crazy ideas pop into my head, and I know if something’s happened and I don’t answer it, I will never forgive myself.
I hit answer on the phone and bring it up to my ear. “Hey, Zach, hold on just one second,” I tell him before he can get a word in. I then look to the class. “Okay, guys. This is an important phone call that I have to take. I need you to work quietly, and I’m going to step right out into the hall.”
A few arms shoot up in the air, and I know what they’re going to ask. I point to Julian in the front row because his hand was the first one I saw. “Julian, you’re in charge. Please start a discussion on the chapter that we read last night. I’ll be right back, class.”
I walk out the door confidently, knowing that they’ll be okay on their own. I have a good class this year. Of course, it could be that it’s still the beginning of the year, and everyone’s on their best behavior, but if nothing else, I’ll be right outside. “Zach, you there?”
He chuckles. “So I’m a very important person, huh? I wish I was recording when you said that.”
“Har, har, funny guy. What are you doing? You okay?”
He clears his throat. “Yeah, I’m good. I’m fine. I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing.”
I pick at the chipped paint on my fingernail. “Right. That’s why you’re calling? It’s not because you’re wondering if I’ve seen your best friend or not?”
He laughs, and I can’t help but smile at the sound. Zach may be older than me, and I know that growing up I was like a thorn in his side, but now we’re closer than we’ve ever been. “You know me well. Okay, so did you go see Davis?”
I grip the phone tighter and try to keep my voice even. Zach may know I used to have a crush on his best friend, but he doesn’t need to know that the feelings are still there. “Yes, of course I went to see him. And he came over to Mom and Dad’s last night for dinner.” I leave out the part where he came to my house and that I practically mauled the man. My face heats just thinking about how I touched his chest last night on the porch. Obviously, I got carried away. I put my hand to my head just thinking about how he had to push my hands off him and then step away from me. Mortified doesn’t even begin to cover it.
“Were Mom and Dad excited to see him?”
I look in the window on the door to see my students, and Julian’s standing at the front of the class. It seems as if everyone is behaving, but I wait until a few of them see me watching them before I move away. “Excited? They were thrilled. But just so you know, Mom’s even more determined to get you home now. I believe her words were, ‘Now I just need my other boy home and we’ll have our whole family back together again.’”