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Chapter Twenty-Nine
Kady jumpsup and down on the trampoline, as if she’s trying to win a competition with an invisible friend. She moves seamlessly over the floor of tramps with the grace of a gazelle, while I’m trying to catch my breath after bouncing for five minutes like a panda. I feel like I have had a full body work-out and now I can’t breathe. Then I look across the space and there she goes from one side to the next, giggling and having the time of her life.
As I’m busy still catching my breath, I watch as Quinn bounces in her direction and I do what I can to not laugh out loud as he looks awkward as fuck, but it’s also a sweet moment to be witnessing.
They bounce in the same square talking for a few moments, then as if they made up a plan, they begin bouncing like rabbits across the floor. Their laughter ringing through the air as they race and Kady completely annihilates her dad, who like me, is winded and falls to his defeat.
Kady bounces back to her dad, then points over to me before she starts making her way to where I am.
“I think I just kicked my dad’s butt.” She stands proudly.
“Yeah, I saw that. It was quite impressive.” I tell her.
“Do you want to race now?” she asks.
“Well, I think that we’re getting ready to go?” I say motioning to Quinn tapping his wrist, thankfully saving me from more agony of having to admit my age.
She looks back at him and then places her fists on her hips.
“Daddy, I don’t want to go back to mom’s yet!”
“Kades, we’re not, we still have dinner to eat.” He reminds her.
“Oh yeah, food.” She nods her head the turns back to me, “you’re going to eat with us right, Ms. Sidney?”
“Of course, I can always eat.” I tell her.
Quinn finally bounces right in front of me, then holds out his hand and pulls me up.
“You doing okay?” He asks with a mischievous grin.
“I think that I learned tonight that I’m not in the good shape that I’ve thought I’ve been in. This place is an insane workout.” I tell him.
He holds his other hand out to Kady and the three of us walk down the stairs to the lockers where our shoes and belongings are. Once we put them on, Kady runs out in front of us as we trail happily behind.
“Did you ever think that you would be dating a guy who has a kid?”
“Honestly? The thought never really crossed my mind. I had always assumed that I would be the one providing the baby.” I laugh.
“So, you would like kids?” He asks with hope in his tone.
“I would,” I nod as Kady waits for us at the exit. She holds her hands out to each of us, and once my hand and hers connect, warmth spreads and I look to Quinn, who is already observing the motion with a warm smile.
“I think we need to finish our conversation from my office after we drop Kady off at her moms,” he says.
“What conversation daddy?” Kady looks at him.
“Oh, just a thing that we were talking about doing the other day.”
* * *
After a boisterous drop offwith clear anger and yelling coming from Quinn’s ex, we make our way back to his place.
“I’m sorry you had to hear that,” Quinn apologizes once getting into the car.
“Is she still contesting the custody stuff?” I ask.
“She is. We have our final hearing next week, so her anger is really amping up.”
