Page 44 of Off the Stick
“Get out!”
“Sorry… sorry…” I mumble, yanking my eyes away from her, albeit a little reluctantly, and pivoting quickly to face the open doorway.I’m about to leave the room when I remember through my haze that I came in for a valid reason, and it wasn’t to stare at Halle’s body.That was an unfortunate but not unwelcome surprise on my part.“I need your keys.”
“My what?”There’s a rustle of clothing from behind me.
Out of the corner of my peripheral, I can see movement as Halle shoves her hands in an oversized T-shirt.
“I can’t find your car keys.I need them so Lenni and I can leave.”
“Oh… yeah, okay.They’re in my purse.”
I chuckle.“Yeah, I know that part.That’s why I’m in here.”
“Okay, I’m good.You can turn around now.”
I move much more cautiously this time, slowly turning in a half-circle and shoving my hands in my pockets.Halle is now bent over and rooting around the floor, tossing clothing around in search of her purse.
The only problem with her current state of attire is that her oversized shirt does not cover an important—and gorgeous—feature she possesses.The way she’s bent over gives me an unobstructed view of her curvy ass clad in a pair of pink panties.
And now I know she’s trying to kill me.
I exhale and turn to look at the unmade bed.
But fuck, that doesn’t do me any good either because now I’m thinking about Halle naked… in bed.
I can’t win.
“I want you to know I’m usually very organized and tidy.I don’t live like this at all,” she says, gesturing toward her room.Then she unearths a bag that looks more like a suitcase than a purse.“Found it!”
She stands back up, holding it in the air, and my torture has mercifully come to an end.It won’t, however, be the last time I think about Halle naked.That visual will be stuck in my head for days, possibly weeks to come.
While I watch her dig inside the giant purse, I wonder if she’ll be okay without me around today.
“Hey, Halle.Are you sure you don’t need me to call in some help while I’m gone?”
A jingle of keys announces the lost has now been found and she smiles.It’s the first one I’ve seen in days, and even through the lens of illness, her smile can still dazzle me stupid.
She places the key ring in the palm of my outstretched hand.I expect her to just drop them in, but instead, she clutches the keys and my hand and squeezes.
Our eyes connect.Despite the dark circles and red, swollen eyes, I see her more clearly than I ever have before.
She is incandescent and as authentic as they come.I’m literally in awe of who she has become in the face of everything these past five years.She brought a child into this world and raised her, all while I’ve been living free and having fun.
Halle has proven that she is driven, ambitious, and also a great mother to her daughter.
“I can’t ever repay you, Dane,” she sniffles.“I’m so sorry I never…”
I cut her off when I pull her into me, pressing her body against my chest and wrapping her in my arms.
“I would do it again a hundred times over,” I whisper into her hair, placing a kiss on top of her head.“She’s my daughter.I did it for you both.”
When I release her from my hold, she steps back, sniffles, and lowers her head to stare at the floor.I cup her cheek and lift her chin to meet my gaze.
“I loved getting to know her, Halle.She’s such a great kid.And I hope once you’re feeling better, we can sit down and talk through the hard stuff, like when we can tell her I’m her dad.”
On that note, I turn and stride out of the room, readying myself for my first preschool drop-off.
It’s scarier than heading into Game 7 of the Cup finals.
