AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Is that bad?” Luna asks.
“Oh, no, honey, it’s not a bad thing at all.”
Sammy seems happy with his conclusion, so he proceeds to play with some of his pool toys while Luna gives me another one of her signature questioning looks. “Mama, do you miss Daddy?” she asks.
What do I say to that? She was honest with her answer, even if it felt weird for her. My daughter deserves the same from me, so I need to set a good precedent here. “Luna, I’ll be honest—no, I don’t. I mean, I miss the Daddy I knew when we were young, long before you were born. That version of Daddy was nice and sweet but it wasn’t the real him.”
“How come?” she asks, somewhat confused.
“People can pretend, hide their true selves. We talked about that, remember?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, your dad was a great pretender.”
“But why?” she asks.
I shrug slightly. “I don’t know. Maybe he was afraid that I wouldn’t like the real him.” I didn’t. I still don’t. The real Colby Nash is a heartless bastard who abused me then later tried to burn the diner down with us in it. I can’t tell my kids that though. It would forever scar their innocent souls, and they bear no fault in any of this. “But I don’t miss him. I’m happy just being here with the two of you,” I pause, then go for the next big question that I’ve been meaning to ask. “Do you guys like being here? With Eric, Chase, and Wyatt?”
My kids nod with genuine excitement. “Yes!” they both exclaim.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“What do you like about Chase?” I ask Sammy.
“He’s big and strong,” my little boy says. “And brave. Did you see his fire axe, Mama?”
“I did, yeah,” I chuckle softly.
The guys took the kids out on a tour of the firehouse during our first week here. I remember they were so elated and starry-eyed when they climbed out of the fire truck and got their own kiddie fireman helmets to keep. They still have those upstairs in their room.
“And you, honey?” I ask Luna. “Why do you like Wyatt?”
“He’s funny,” she replies without skipping a beat.
“It seems we like them for the same reasons. And what about Eric?”
Luna lets a heavy sigh roll from her chest. “Mama, can you marry Eric?”
“Whoa,” I blurt out, laughing nervously. My ears burn. And so do my cheeks. “Honey, why do you ask?”
“You like him, I can tell,” she says with a giggle. “It’s okay.”
Good grief, my five-year-old daughter is trying to reassure me. I could cry right now. I could collapse into a puddle of mush from so much cute innocence. “Oh, honey, it means the world to me that you feel that way,” I say, trying to find the right words. “I don’t know what’s going to happen though. Not yet. We’re just getting to know one another.”
Chase’s voice travels across the backyard. “Look at you, soaking up the sun like three happy lizards.”
“Chase!” Sammy exclaims and instantly jumps out of the kiddie pool.
I laugh as I watch my baby sprint across the lawn to greet Chase, who’s coming down the back porch steps with two large bags in each hand. He looks so handsome, his muscles and tattoos on proud display on account of the tank covering his torso. He’s got his sunshades on and a smile on his face. A rare sight these days, but a pleasant one, nonetheless.
“What are you doing home so early?” I ask, getting up as he comes over.
Luna takes her sweet time, taking her goggles off before stepping out of the pool and turning around to face him. Sammy is already by his side, keeping up while also trying to peek into one of the bags.
“I stopped by a couple of stores on my way,” Chase says. “In fact, I should have been here earlier. Eric and Wyatt are handling most of our errands today so I can spend some time with you and the kids.”
“Are you guys taking shifts with us?” I ask, only half-amused.
