Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 110694 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110694 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Twice, while we were in bed, she had beamed at me and said, “I have a weal daddy.” As if she was amazed.
The pang of remorse was sharp, and I had to live with it. This was my penance. Facing what had to be done today had only been more of what I deserved.
Dad used to tell me, “You made your bed, darlin’. Now, you got to lie in it.”
Although the sound of his deep, husky tone had long since faded from my memory, as his scent and laugh had, his words were still there. He’d have been ashamed of me. I’d stolen time that could never be taken back from not only Linc, but my daughter too.
While he might have deserved it, she hadn’t. She was innocent. My fear had ruled everything else. I thought I was giving her the best. The family that I thought would be complete with Hudson. Yet not once had she brought him up again. She hadn’t acted sad that he wouldn’t be her dad anymore. I couldn’t remember a time in her life that she’d been this giddy.
Standing in front of the mirror, I studied myself. The cotton-candy-pink sundress I had decided to wear made the sun I’d gotten yesterday by the pool stand out. The desire to look my best when I talked to Hudson no longer held any importance for me. My life would never be the same. The one I had been living when I kissed him last and got in my car to drive here was gone. It was time I accepted it.
Needless to say, extra time spent on under-eye concealer was a must this morning. I’d taken a shower, dried my hair, and finished my makeup, and Stevie was still sleeping. The king-size bed with a mattress from heaven, combined with her full day, had her sleeping late. It gave me time to get ready, and I knew she needed the rest for another full day. This one with several hours spent in a car.
Stevie’s happiness was number one priority, and having watched her with Linc, I knew I’d never be able to take her away from him. When the year was over, we would rent something in Madison. I’d find a job here or in Jackson. The fifteen hundred dollars in savings wasn’t going to be much help though. I couldn’t keep the car that Hudson had bought me. I’d need to leave that with him. That was another cost I would have to prepare for.
I could talk to Linc about my getting a job once he felt more secure about me not being with Stevie all the time. In Nashville, she’d had a sitter who came to our apartment and stayed with her two days a week, and the other three days, Hudson had childcare at the office. Three of the ten women who worked there used it for their younger children. He’d put it in place after he asked me to work full-time and I explained I didn’t have full-time childcare and couldn’t afford it.
Taking a deep breath, I tried not to think about all that he’d done for me. It would only add to the other heaviness I was carrying. I picked up my phone to check the time. It was almost eight, and Linc wanted to leave at eight thirty.
Slipping my phone into my purse, I made my way over to Stevie’s room. She needed to get dressed and have some breakfast before we left.
Her bedroom door was slightly cracked. I’d closed her door after checking on her over an hour ago. I hurried across the hallway and pushed it open to look inside. The bed was empty.
“Stevie!” I called her name, taking longer strides than normal to her en suite, but the lights were off in there too.
My heart started picking up pace as I swung my gaze around to see any signs as to where she might be. The slippers that I had left beside her bed were gone.
Where had she gone? Why hadn’t she come to my room?
Rushing out the door, I moved as fast as I could in my heels. This house was too big. She could have gotten lost. She could have gone outside, alone. When I reached the stairs, I slipped off my heels and broke into a run as I headed down them. I hadn’t told her not to go exploring here by herself, and I should have. Panic tightened my throat and stung my eyes as I scanned every area I passed.
Then, I heard her trill of laughter. I slowed and placed a hand over my heart as I sucked in a deep breath. She was okay. Closing my eyes, I took a second to calm down, then put my shoes back on before heading toward the sound of voices. I smelled the bacon before I got there.