Page 51 of Reclaim Me

“That’s cool. You have a pretty awesome mom, don’t you?”

Riley nods enthusiastically, which makes my chest go warm. Watching Rae be a mother is one of the many things I thought I’d lost forever to my battle with addiction, so every time I get to see her and Riley together or just talk about how amazing she is with our kid, I feel a surge of pride.

“You’re pretty awesome too, Daddy,” she tells me, shredding my heart with the well-placed compliment. Emotion clogs my throat, making it hard for me to respond, but somehow, I manage to push the words out.

“Thanks, Nugget. You’re not too bad yourself.”

“Do you have a daddy?”

I should have seen this coming. Riley is one of those kids who notices everything, even if she doesn’t comment on it right away. I should have known that she’d eventually bring up why I’m the only new person in her life. Dads usually come with a whole host of people in tow, grandparents, uncles, aunts, maybe even cousins, but all Riley’s gotten out of the deal is me and an uncle who lives eight hours away and isn’t yet aware of her existence because even though our relationship has improved the longer I’ve been clean, we still don’t talk much.

“Uh, I had a dad, yeah, but he and my mom died before I met your mommy.”

“Oh. That sucks.”

I huff out a short laugh. “Yeah, it does. They would have spoiled you rotten.”

“Marcy says being spoiled isn’t a good thing.”

I frown. “Who’s Marcy?”

“Aaron’s mom. She lives with us at our house.”

Suddenly, everything about Aaron’s fucked up personality makes sense to me. Of course, he’s a little bitch boy with a buzzkill for a mother. I bet together, the two of them suck all the joy out of that house.

“Oh, well, I don’t know why Marcy would say that, but there’s nothing wrong with being spoiled unless, of course, you’re a piece of fruit.”

I’ve been a dad for all of two seconds, and I’m already making dad jokes. I shake my head, hating myself just a little but not caring because the joke serves its purpose. Riley giggles and forgets all about the misery awaiting her at home, and I join in, too, cracking more jokes to make her laugh and distract myself from the fact that at the end of this car ride, I’ll have to let her go.

By the time we arrive at Rae’s house, my face hurts from smiling so much. Rae parks Aaron’s luxury vehicle next to the car I see her in all the time, and I pull up behind her, noting that she hasn’t cut the engine yet. I wait for a moment to see if they’re going to get out, but Riley gets impatient, unhooking her seat belt and grabbing her trophy, which leaves me with no choice but to hop out of my truck and help her down. When I decided to take the truck instead of the car, I didn’t think she’d be riding home with me. I had no reason to since I’ve never driven her anywhere before, but that still doesn’t stop me from feeling like an idiot for not choosing the vehicle that would have been easier for her to maneuver in and out of. To make myself feel better, and to put one last smile on Riley’s face for the night, I scoop her up off her seat and sling her around until she’s on my back for the second time tonight.

Her giggles of delight fill my ear as I bounce her all the way to the front door, only sparing the car where Aaron and Rae still are a passing glance. When we get to the door, I crouch down to make it easier for Riley to slide off, and she plants a kiss on my forehead.

I look up at her, fighting back the very real urge to cry at how precious she is. “What was that for?”

She shrugs her little shoulders, squeezing the base of the trophy tight. “Just because.”

“Can I have a just-because hug too?” I ask, opening my arms wide.

“Sure.” She wraps her arms around my neck and squeezes, allowing me just a second to squeeze her back.

“I love you, Nugget,” I remind her, the way I have every time we’ve said goodbye since we’ve known each other. She’s never said it back, but that’s okay. I don’t want her to give her love freely, to dispense it just because we share DNA. I want her to be stingy with it, discerning about who she gives it to. That way, it’ll be so much sweeter when she chooses to give it to me.

When I let her go, she’s smiling again, basking in the glow of a bond we’ve only just established. I watch that smile fall when the front door opens, the light from the entryway cutting a harsh line across Riley’s face as an older woman steps onto the porch with us.

“Riley! What are you doing out here?” The woman, who I can only assume is Marcy, asks, literally clutching her pearls as she watches me straighten to my full height. “And who are you?”

I extend my hand, offering her a courteous smile. “I’m Hunter Drake, ma’am, Riley’s father.”

“Oh, hello.” She doesn’t take my hand; she just puts the one not at her neck on Riley’s shoulder and guides her inside. “Where are Aaron and Rae?”

“They’re in the car,” Riley says, inside the house now but still lingering on the threshold because we haven’t said a proper goodbye yet.

Marcy peeks her head out the door like she’s looking for proof that the statement is true. When she sees the running car in the driveway in front of my truck, she sighs in relief.

“Okay, well, let’s get you inside, Riley.” She glances at me, judgment and disdain all in her eyes. “Thanks for bringing her to the door.”

“No problem.”

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