Page 26 of Jaime
I stared at my phone, waiting for a response. Ethan didn’t disappoint, sending one almost straight away.
That’s insanely cute.
What are you up to today?
My heart raced as his second message came through. I looked around, realizing for the first time that I didn’t make plans anymore. I didn’t do much of anything. I just stayed home and cared for Evie. But the sun was shining through the windows. It was a beautiful day and Evie deserved to see it.
I’m going to take Evie for a walk. What about you?
I’ll be doing some work today. Writing, editing, marketing. Part of the author grind.
Sounds fun.
All but the marketing, yeah. I hate using social media, but kind of have to.
Well, I’ll keep an eye out for your posts.
Please don’t. They’re so cringy. I might just put up a clip from one of the recent episodes.
I grinned. It was weird to see behind the veil. This man who I considered a local celebrity spoke about his TV show and books as though they were regular jobs.
Evie’s babbling suddenly got louder, drawing my attention as she kicked. It looked like she was moments from enjoyment turning into crying, so I set my phone down and went down onto the floor with her.
“Ah, I see why you like it down here,” I said to her.
She watched me with those wide blue eyes. I assumed she’d gotten them from her father, because Liz’s eyes were brown, like mine and both of our parents.
“We’ve been cooped up for far too long,” I said. “Come on, let’s go for a walk.”
Getting her dressed, I realized I probably needed to take her clothes shopping soon. Her belongings were starting to get small already. Her little feet pressed a bit too tightly into her onesie and the sleeves were just above the wrist.
It hadn’t felt like I’d had her long enough for her to grow this much. I paused, realizing that this was the very pastel purple outfit that Liz had delivered her to me in. For the first time it hit me that amidst a severe addiction and panic over caring for a newborn, she’d still bought Evie a collection of adorable clothes.
For the first time since she had abandoned her daughter with me, my heart ached for Liz. Sure, I’d felt regret for her and the life she’d lived so far, but it hadn’t really hit me until this moment just how hard this must have been for her.
Tears stung my eyes. Taking a shuddering breath, I pulled Evie close, hugging her to my chest and inhaling her soft, baby scent.
“I’ll take care of you,” I promised. “From now on, everything is going to be smooth sailing for us.”
And for Liz too, I hoped. I didn’t know what the future held for her, but I wanted that to be a happy, healthy life. One that meant we could be close again and somehow move on from all the stuff we’d been through together.
Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I took my time fastening Evie into her carrier.
I zipped her into my jacket, and it was so nice and warm and cozy, even for me, having her right against my heart and comfortable.
When I picked up my phone to stick it into my pocket, there was another message from Ethan.
It was nice getting to know you both yesterday.
I smiled, my heart squeezing.
Ethan was so damn sweet and polite. I’d never known anyone who spoke the way that he did. Clear and calm and honest…
Maybe there were other people like him out there. I wouldn’t know. Life had been too much to handle. For my whole family. For a while, I’d been like Liz, chasing highs and then crashing low. The friends I’d made liked to party too and in a group, it was easier to try to bury yourself. The partying had been too much for me though and I’d managed to drag myself out of it, but Liz had already been in too deep. She was older and had been doing it longer. Maybe that was why.
I shoved my phone into my pocket, mood fluctuating from the contentedness I’d woken to this morning.
Walking out into the sunshine helped though.
