Page 125 of Loud Unspoken Memories

I turn to page one, then pat my lap. He wastes no time lounging on the couch and putting his head on my thigh. And as I read to him, I weave my fingers through his hair. I clear my throat, having a hard time forming words, because this is something I didn’t expect to ever do again. But now… now I think it’s something we might do every day for the rest of our lives.

Chapter Forty-seven

Dallas

I shovel the last of the chicken casserole into my mouth. I think I’ve gained five pounds over the past three months, courtesy of Marti’s mad cooking skills.

Even though my house is three doors down from hers, we eat together almost every night. Then I leave, she puts Charlie to bed, and I come back. Sometimes we accidentally fall asleep in Marti’s bed. I’ve almost been caught by Charlie a time or two.

I have the perfect house in mind for when she’s ready for the next step. But I haven’t pushed her. She’s been worried about Charlie and moving on too quickly after Charles’s death. Me—I’ve been ready to live with her since Christmas. And not only her… Charlie too. He is amazing. He’s wormed his way into my heart in a way I never thought possible.

I stand and pick up the plates, always doing the dishes with ‘help’ from Charlie.

“Bex needs to go out,” Marti says. “Charlie, will you take him?”

Her rental has a fenced-in back yard. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a two-car garage. Same as mine. Neither are anything special, but honestly, after living in the cabin for years, both seem palatial. And it wasn’t the houses that mattered. It was my proximity tothemthat did.

Marti stands by the French doors, supervising her son and Bex as Charlie lets him do his business then throws him a tennis ball.

I snake my arms around her, sneaking a hug. I kiss her neck. “Those two are best friends if I’ve ever seen any.”

She nods. “I actually think Bex is the reason he wanted to move here. He gets so excited on the days Bex sleeps here.”

Marti and I share ‘custody’ of Bex. He alternates sleeping here and at my place. From the beginning, it’s felt like he’s been moreourdog thanmydog, so it was the only thing that made sense.

When Charlie and Bex come back inside, Charlie gets out his AI robot, Robbie, and Bex barks at it. He’s still uneasy around the thing and it’s become quite entertaining to watch Robbie chase Bex around the room.

Bex is incredibly intelligent for a dog. Sometimes I think he acts this way around the robot simply because he knows Charlie loves it. Charlie giggles at the controls, which he’s nearly mastered by now, as he guides Robbie through the living room.

Marti and I watch this routine for nearly an hour, her sitting on one end of the couch and me on the other. Her feet are in my lap. It’s the closest we’ve come to showing affection around Charlie. After all, his father only died four months ago. And I, of all people, have to respect that. Even though Charlie hasn’t gone through the grieving process an older child would have, there are still moments when you can tell he really misses Charles.

“Time for bed, buddy,” Marti says. “Go get into your pajamas and use the toilet. I’ll help you brush your teeth in a few minutes.”

“Okay then.” I stand, recognizing my cue to leave. “I’ll see you two tomorrow.”

As he always does, Charlie trots over and gives me a hug. Today, however, he does something different.

“Dallith read to me?” he asks, looking at his mom for permission.

Her eyebrows shoot up in delight. “You want Dallas to read your bedtime story?”

Charlie nods excitedly.

Marti looks at me, not wanting to answer on my behalf.

“I’d love to.”

He skips back toward his room, Bex at his heels.

“That was unexpected,” I say.

“You sure you’re okay with it?”

I draw her into my arms. “Sweetheart, I’d have been okay with it months ago. But what do you think changed? Why would he ask now?”

“I don’t know.” Her eyes dart from one side of the room to the other, as if she’s deep in thought. “But now that I think of it, a few days ago at preschool, they had a ‘daddy day’ where all the dads came in and did projects with their children. I went myself, as did one other single mom, along with a woman who’s part of a lesbian couple. Charlie drew a picture of Charles and Alex. It was very sweet.”

“And you think that has something to do with him wanting me to read a book?”

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