Page 195 of Bossy Romance

He snorts.

I glare at him. Here I am, trying to be World’s Best Dad and he’s laughing? “What’s so funny?”

“You could have just texted.”

I scowl. “It wouldn’t have the same effect.”

“I’m okay.”

“Now you sound like Nova.”

“Maybe Nova’s really okay too. You’re the one who never believes that.”

I scrub my chin and think it over. “You have a point.” Something clicks into place. It feels like my son just tore a band-aid off a wound I didn’t even know I had. “I think it’s because… if I’m not constantly looking for a problem to fix, I feel a little empty.”

“Maybe you should see a therapist.”

“Maybe I should, smart mouth.” I smirk.

He smiles back. Then his eyes grow thoughtful. “I’m going to miss my mom,” Rowan admits quietly. “And I’m sad that she’s gone. But I talked to Micheal and Bailey about it. Micheal said he didn’t have much time to talk to his dad before… you know.”

Sympathy washes over me. “That’s too bad, bud.”

“I had a lot of time with mom,” Rowan says. I can see him reasoning through his pain even as his voice cracks. “I got to make her smile a bunch of times. I got to scratch off all her wishes.”

I nod. “You did, bud. You did good.”

He sniffs, his eyes tearing up. “I never forgot what you told me that night in the lab. That thing your dad said, about pouring everything into one person, I did that. I dropped out of art camp and stopped hanging out with my friends and I gave everything to mom. I did everything I wanted to do and thought of other things too. I tried my hardest. I really did.”

“Come here, bud.” I wrap an arm around my son.

He sniffs. “But Adam, I don’t want to die of a broken heart.”

“You won’t.” I lean back and tap his nose. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“You and Nova?”

“Yeah. Me and Nova.” I help fluff his pillow and then point down. “It’s late, bud. You should get some sleep.”

“Okay.”

I pat his shoulder. “Night.”

“Adam?”

“Mm.” I stop just before pressing off the light.

“Mom had one more wish.”

I freeze.

Rowan’s eyes glisten in the shadows. “She wanted me to add it to the wish list, and then she changed her mind. But I remember it.”

“What was it?”

“That you and Nova would marry each other,” Rowan says simply.

My eyebrows hike.

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