Page 19 of Holding You
“I agree. Now, let’s go get the rest of the cookies we have and give them back to her.”
“Alright.”
With her head hanging low, Susie heads back into the house.
I take a moment for myself.
Susie is a good kid. The best, in fact. Even Max is one of akind, considering that his mother is one of the most uptight people I know.
But they are still kids, and they make mistakes and need a lesson, no matter how small.
Being a single dad is challenging, and I just loathe making my daughter sad.
Some days, I wish Susie's mother had stuck around for Susie’s sake.
In the end, her mother told me I work too much and she was tired of taking the backseat to a dream I was never going to achieve. It didn’t hurt when she said she wanted to leave me, but it killed me when she told me to go ahead and keep Susie.
To keep her.
As if she were the fucking suede couch we bought together and only one of us could take it with us.
She had no intention of being a part of Susie's life when she left, and she left because of me.
Susie cried every night for weeks.
Those nights are forever engraved in my memory and somewhere along the way, I vowed to finish what I started. Achieve my goals. The ones that drove her mom away.
I wasn’t about to let all that hard work be for nothing.
To let that loss in my daughter's life be for nothing.
Once my mind was made up, moving back to Lovers only made sense. I’d reach my goal and slow down enough to make more time for my kid.
Yes, finding a balance has been difficult, but I refuse to give up.
Especially since my daughter's smile has been constant since the day we moved into this house, and it’s only grown by having her best friend next door.
Sure, things will be different once Ruby’s brother and myfriend Luca, who is building a house for us, is finished and we live across town, but this town is where we are meant to be.
I head toward the laughter coming from inside my kitchen and pause in the doorway. Ruby is holding the cookies while both kids chase her.
All three of them are grinning, eyes shining with joy. Ruby has discarded her apron onto the counter, revealing her white lacy top and linen shorts.
Here’s the thing about Ruby. She pushes my buttons daily with her snarky remarks. We don’t get along despite the act we put up in front of the kids, and yet … everything about her screams my type.
Smart, witty, long lean legs, strawberry blonde hair that shines in the sun, emerald eyes that captivate you, and a smile that almost makes me forget how much she annoys me. Like me, she’s started her own business, and from what her brothers and a quick Google search have told me, she’s quite successful with it, too. It’s a little embarrassing how sexy I find all these things about her. About a woman who can’t stand me.
Ruby pauses, letting the kids catch her and tackle her to the living room rug.
It’s as cheesy a scene as it gets, but one thing is certain.
I’ll put up with the scolding, the snapbacks, the arguing, and the way Ruby’s smile complicates every emotion I have for her on a daily basis if it gives Susie more moments like this.
“Dad!” Susie hollers when she sees me. “Ruby said we can keep the cookies.”
Everyone settles down, and Ruby and Max head for the door.
I step back to let them through, but Ruby stops right in front of me.
