Page 39 of Single Dad's Fake Bride
Whatever threats or deadlines they contained, I couldn't handle them right then, and when I slid my phone into my jacket pocket, my hand found Harrison's note.
The receipt paper was soft from repeated folding and unfolding.
I had memorized every word by then, but I read it again anyway.
The phone number was written in confident script beneath his signature.
I had stared at those digits so many times I could've recited them in my sleep.
Ten numbers that could change everything.
He could save me.
Not just financially, though the money would solve every immediate problem I was facing.
But he could save me from that bone-deep exhaustion, from the constant fear that I was failing everyone who depended on me.
He could give me a life where I didn't have to choose between paying for groceries and keeping the lights on.
But the cost.
Five years of my life, tied to a man I barely knew.
Five years of living in his world, playing by his rules, being whatever he needed me to be.
And the idea of getting attached to him, only for that five-year period to be over and for him to walk out on me.
I knew it wasn't the same as my father deserting us, but somehow, my heart refused to allow that to happen.
Except when he had looked at me in that restaurant, I hadn't felt like he was shopping for a commodity.
I had felt seen.
Understood.
Valued for who I was, not what I could provide.
Maybe that was the most dangerous part of all.
My phone buzzed and I glanced around the room.
The children all had their heads down working on math, and I felt anxious about Mom being all alone.
So I pulled my phone out to see a notification about a text from an unknown number.
I knew I shouldn't but I opened it, and my heart stopped.
Harrison: 3:47 PM: Hi Sadie, this is Harrison. I wanted to check in and see how you're doing. No pressure, but my offer stands if you need anything. I hope your mother is okay.
I stared at the message for a full minute.
He was checking on me?
Not pushing for an answer, not pressuring me to decide.
Just… caring about my wellbeing.
When was the last time someone had done that?
