Page 60 of Unexpected Love
The phone line goes dead. My heart stops. But the hatred in her voice rings loud and clear.
Thanks for nothing.
As if providing a safe, secure, loving home for her daughter is nothing, and she hates me for it.
I make the drive to Steve’s house in a haze. My mind racing between old memories and wondering how deep Dani is into this fucked-up lifestyle that my former family leads.
One thing becomes crystal clear. Charlie can never go back to them.
Chapter 24
Cal
The kids are running like wild little banshees when I pull up to Steve’s. Charlie spots my truck and runs toward me on chubby legs as I climb down and squat with my arms held wide.
She may not be mine biologically, but she’s still mine.
I may not have been ready to take care of another person, much less a child. But in the month that I’ve had her, I’ve lost my heart to her.
I’m head over heels in love with this little girl. And I will do anything for her. She barrels into my chest, and I swoop her into a hug, burying my face in her neck.
All the drama with Dani feels better and worse at the same time.
Steve’s house is a standard two-story. It’s in an older neighborhood, and the yard is nice and big, with plenty of room for the kids to run and play. A wide front porch stretches halfway down the length of the house. Toys litter both the porch and yard.
Jules sits at the top of the stairs, keeping an eye on the kids, and yelling at River not to hit his brother.
I climb the three steps and drop a kiss to her lips as I take a seat next to her, settling a snuggly Charlie on my thigh.
“How’d it go?” Jules asks. “I’m kind of scared to hear about it, based on that look on your face.”
Shit. The inspection. I’d forgotten about it already.
I smile apologetically. “Sorry. The inspection went fine. He’s going to finish the paperwork, and we’ll hear back in a few days.”
Her shoulders slump for a half second; then she’s straightening again. “Then why do you look like someone just kicked your puppy?”
I press a kiss to Charlie’s hair. She wiggles and crawls down to go play with the other kids.
“I heard from my sister.” I keep my voice low. I don’t think Charlie would understand, but saying it out loud makes it real. “It’s such a fucked-up situation.”
“The call didn’t go well?”
I scrub a hand down my face, wishing I could erase the reality of the situation. “No. She wanted bail money.”
“Oh shit.”
“Yeah. Exactly.”
I bend forward, bracing my elbows on my knees, and watch the kids run with happy abandon.
The difference between these kids’ lives and my childhood is glaring.
“It fucking sucks that I haven’t heard from her in a month, and only then because she’s in jail and needs me to bail her out.”
Silence falls between us. I don’t expect her to have a response. There’s really nothing to say.
But as we watch the kids, there’s a burning hole in mychest. This is the kind of life I could get used to. Sitting on my front porch with my wife, watching my kids play.
