Page 26 of The Path To Us

Chewing on my bottom lip, I pull up the calculator app on my phone and start running a few numbers. I think I should be able to manage the proposal he’s shooting me. Of course, this is just preliminary and not official, but it’s close enough that I have an idea of what I need to bring to the bank.

Shuffling against the hardwood floor brings my attention up to see Zoey walking toward me sleepily. I set my phone down and spread my arms and she picks up her pace, pouncing into my arms. Morning Zoey is one of my favorites. I inhale her sweet scent and run a hand over her hair, trying to tame the wild strays. She’s still holding her stuffed donkey and she pulls her legs to her chest so she’s curled up on my lap.

“Morning, Squirt.”

“Hi.”

“Have a good sleep?”

She nods against my chest and I give her a little squeeze, leaning back so that we’re both lounging comfortably on the couch.

“Can I watch TV?”

“What do you want to watch?”

“Tom and Jewwy,” she says quietly and I sputter a laugh, knowing that came directly from Addy. She was always a nut for that cartoon and I’m not the least bit surprised she’s passed it down to her daughter.

“Tom and Jerry, huh? Is it on?”

She shrugs. “Mommy always finds it.”

I’ll bet she does.

Using the remote, I start searching through the channels until I come to a cartoon channel that looks like it shows only older cartoons and lucky for us, Tom and Jerry is starting in ten minutes.

“Just gotta wait ten minutes. Want to grab some breakfast while we wait? Maybe Mommy won’t even care if you eat in here.”

“Really?”

“We’ll just tell her it was my idea.”

“It was your idea,” she says, like the smarty pants she is.

“How’d you get so smart?”

“’Is ‘cause my daddy wooks for a school.”

I don’t know what to say to respond to that so I give her a quick hug and make sure she’s comfortable while I go to the kitchen to get something ready for her — and make myself another cup of coffee while I’m there.

Zoey hasn’t been eating that great since the morning after Chris died but she’ll eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches so that’s what I make her for breakfast along with a cup of diced pears.

When I return, she’s grabbed a blanket out of a basket on the floor and looks like she’s ready for a cartoon marathon. I set down a small cup of milk on the end table and place her food on her lap.

She grins at me and pats the space next to her.

“Don’t mind if I do.”

I sit next to her and put my feet on the coffee table and take half of the sandwich she offers me. I’ll make her another one but her little hand flipping a peanut butter and jelly in my direction as her eyes stay glued to the television is too freaking adorable to ignore.

I throw an arm over the back of the couch, coffee cup resting dangerously between my legs, as the two of us watch Tom relentlessly chase Jerry around a house. Zoey’s little giggle, even with a mouth stuffed full of sticky peanut butter and grape jelly, is the perfect way to start my day.

Addy comes walking around the corner, looks at us, to the TV, and back to us. Her eyes soften and then her bottom lip pouts. “Well, this isn’t fair. I don’t wanna go to work, either!”

Zoey doesn’t even acknowledge her, she’s too captivated by the shenanigans happening on the screen.

“Sucks to be you,” I tease, making a big show of how excited I am to spend the day with Zoey doing whatever the heck we feel like.

“Seriously.” She rolls her eyes and moves around the back of the couch, sliding a hand along my neck as she goes to her daughter. That simple touch shouldn’t do what it does to me, but my body never got the memo that Addy’s off limits. Addy leans over and kisses Zoey good morning. I can’t stop my eyes from following the length of her sexy as fuck legs. I’ve imagined them wrapped around my waist more times than I can count. Wrapped my hand around myself to the image I can conjure up so easily. Too easily.

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