AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes, I went and picked up a few things from the store.”
I realized yesterday that they had only a few things to snack on, and since I finally had a reason to splurge on kids’ snacks, I went a little crazy. Yesterday was a great test to see how things would go. I chickened out on making dinner and instead chose to leave the second Liam came home, but today he’d already texted, asking if I would stay to talk to him.
I think he knew I was trying to dodge him. I kept our text conversations professional and short, and all the while my stomach flipped when his name popped up on my phone. I knew I would have to see him when he came home, but I had a plan. I would stay to talk, but I would let him out of this strange dilemma we’d found ourselves in, where we’d kissed and now he felt obligated to act interested in me.
I put out the apple sauce pouches and string cheese, along with three tiny water bottles, while each girl grabbed a seat and began to fill me on their days. They had so much to say, and so much to tell me, that it was a little overwhelming trying to keep up.
“Jessa Anderson is just always acting so cool. She took my spot in the game during P.E. today, and I can’t believe Mr. Monson allowed it.” Maddy was still going on about the girl she didn’t like.
Seraph was quiet, looking out the window, slowly eating her cheese, pulling one string at a time.
“How about you Seraph, how was your day?”
Her eyes swung to me, a blank expression on her face.
“Fine, we had free reading time today. I liked it, even if I’m not the best reader yet.”
“Want me to do any reading with you?” I offered, working on the chicken marinating in the glass pan. I had bought dinner ingredients, too, but I already had it in my head that I wouldn’t be staying to eat it.
Seraph gave me a small smile with a flushed face. “Sure.”
The rest of the afternoon went by easily as the girls did reading, relaxed, and played Minecraft. Seraph doodled in her journal, and Maddy did math homework. I ventured upstairs and helped Mila clean her room and organize her things, until eventually she brought out a huge plastic tub of Barbies and emptied it the living room. She played while I finished up dinner. Soon we all heard the garage door opening, and I peeked out the curtains to see a big black truck crawling inside.
Their dad entered the house through the attached garage door in the laundry room.
“Daddy!” the girls all yelled in unison, jumping up to run to him.
I stepped out of the kitchen with an apron tied around my waist, watching as each girl wrapped their arms around their dad’s waist. His head dipped, and he watched them as they rattled on and on about their days, and what they had been doing since school ended.
I loved seeing them interact with him.
Then he stepped forward with Mila’s toes on top of his, and those gray eyes were on me. His heated gaze took in my face, my chest, down to the apron at my hips and my sock-covered toes. Fire invaded my chest as I watched him draw closer, and I couldn’t help but feel like I needed to fidget or move, so I ducked back into the kitchen, severing the connection.
It was too much.
Especially after the locker room.
A few moments later, Liam entered the kitchen, holding Mila in his arms as she continued to talk about her day.
“Smells good in here,” he said, giving me an earnest smile.
I nodded, pulling the glass dish from the oven.
“I found this recipe and thought maybe it would be nice to try.”
He let Mila down, and she dashed out of the room, leaving us all alone.
“I made some steamed veggies and rolls too.” My eyes stayed on the meal in front of me when I felt him at my back.
His lips came to my ear, whispering.
“You know you don’t have to do this, right? I don’t expect you to cook and clean. This deal wasn’t about that.”
His words rushed through me like cold river water.
Deal.
I moved down the length of the counter to get free of him.
