AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Maddie sat on the arm of the chair and offered her silent support to me. That was what she had done since Blaine’s murder.
In a way, the tragedy was what she needed to climb out of her own trouble making hole she’d fallen into in high school. I was glad for another positive to come from such a dark time.
The first one was my daughter.
“Mama, can we watch a movie in your room after bath time?”
“Hmm.” I said and tapped my chin, “Depends, do I get to pick or do you?”
She rolled her eyes and leapt from the couch onto the pillow again, “Me. Duh,” She pushed her dark hair back out of her eyes and panted from exertion.
I smiled at her and pretended to be offended. “What? I pick good movies.”
“No, you don’t,” She giggled, “Yours are boring and you always fall asleep anyway.”
It was my turn to roll my eyes at her as I got out of the chair to start dinner, “Fine, but I get to pick the snack.”
“Deal!” She screeched as she Peter Pan’d herself across the room and landed in a fit of giggles.
Regardless of what was going on in my life, I had to keep it together for her. She deserved so much more than the hand she was dealt because of my own recklessness.
So, I put every ounce of love I had into her favorite dinner and even whipped up a chocolate cake from a box in the pantry and held back the cringes as she licked the beaters, coating her pretty face and hair in the sweet mess.
After dinner I let her help me frost it with her favorite peanut butter frosting, then threw her in the bath to clean up the gigantic mess she managed to make eating it as quickly as I put it on.
When I settled into bed next to her with a plate of sugary sweet comfort food and a movie about superhero dogs, I let myself relax and embrace the relief of her presence.
I was going to make sure everything turned out okay, I had no other choice.
After I put her in her own bed and walked downstairs, Maddie sat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea in her hands. She wanted to talk, I could tell. Judging by the look on her face, it felt ominous. “I think I should take P to visit with Aunt Suzie for a week.”
“What?” I gasped in shock. Pain instantly skyrocketed into my chest at the thought of going that long without my baby. “No.” I shook my head, “Absolutely not.”
“How long do you think it’s going to take before Fox shows up on the doorstep, D?” She asked gently, “And when he does, what’s he going to say when a beautiful little girl with his eyes answers the door that he doesn’t know exists?”
“I can’t go that long without her Maddie.” I cried, shaking my head.
“She’ll be fine, I promise. Suzie is only a three-hour drive away, and she’s been begging for us to visit but we haven’t because of your work schedule. I think this is the perfect opportunity for you to have some time to handle this whole thing.” She tilted her head to the side, “You have to tell him the truth, D.”
“I know that.” I hissed.
“I think it’d be the perfect situation to have time to reacquaint yourself with Fox and tell him without the pressure of him finding out on his own. Because we both know that wouldn’t go over well.”
I collapsed into the chair across from her in defeat, because she was right. I had to tell him, and every day that passed just made it even more pressing.
“I don’t know how to survive without her for that long.” I said honestly, “Or without you for that matter.”
“I know babe.” She patted my hand reassuringly. “But it’s going to work out for the better in the long run. I just know it.” She sighed, “I already talked to Suzie and she’s expecting us tomorrow night. I told her we’d come after dinner tomorrow before you go to Cherry’s for the night. You’ll be gone all night and day Saturday and Sunday, so it’ll be like getting through those first two days alone without even realizing it.”
“Maddie.” I shook my head, “Not tomorrow. Maybe next week.”
“No, Delilah.” She said firmly, “It must be tomorrow. Every second that passes just makes this whole situation worse. We’ll go tomorrow and she can have a fun break at Aunt Suzie’s ranch. I can still do my schoolwork wherever, and you can enjoy some peace and quiet. Relax a little too. Take some time for you because we both know you never do that.”
“I don’t know.”
“It will be fine. I promise you.”
“I’ll miss you both so much.” I said sadly and she nodded knowingly.
