Page 95 of All of Me

Danielle. Another new girlfriend. Another distraction from the responsibilities he keeps running from. I don’t know much about her, other than the fact that she’s young and works at the same bar Adam frequents. According to Taylor, who saw them together, she doesn’t seem particularly interested in kids.

Which is just great, considering Adam already has two and another on the way.

“Mommy?” Sara’s voice breaks through my thoughts again. Her little hand pats my arm, her head tilting up to look at me.

I blink, realizing I’ve been staring at her drawing without really seeing it.

“Sorry, baby,” I whisper, smoothing my hand over her soft curls. “Mommy’s just thinking.”

She studies me with a seriousness that’s rare for someone so little, her fingers curling into my shirt like she knows something is wrong—even if she doesn’t understand why. “Mommy okay?”

My throat tightens.

I want to tell her yes, to reassure her with something light and easy, but the words get stuck. Because I don’t know if I am okay.

Instead, I force a smile. “Yeah, baby,” I murmur. “Mommy’s okay.”

She stares for another second, as if deciding whether to believe me, then suddenly squirms to get down. “Play!”

I set her on her feet, and she toddles off toward the living room, already lost in whatever has caught her attention next.

I exhale, pressing a hand to my forehead.

I wish I could move on that easily.

I glance at the list on the table, then at my phone, where Adam’s name sits in my call log from earlier. I’d tried to talk to him about his missed weekends, about how much Sara misses him, and how I can’t keep rearranging my life to cover for his absence. But as usual, he’d brushed me off, promising to “make it up to her” without offering any specifics.

I set the phone down with a frustrated sigh. How do I explain to Sara and Ruby why their dad keeps choosing everything else over them? How do I make peace with the fact that no matter how hard I try, I can’t shield them from this?

The sound of the front door opening pulls me from my thoughts, and Owen steps inside, his presence as steadying as ever. He sets his lunchbox on the counter, his brow furrowing when he sees me.

“You okay?” he asks, crossing the room to press a kiss to my temple.

I nod, but the tears prickling at the corners of my eyes betray me. “It’s just… everything,” I admit, gesturing to the list on the table. “The wedding, the girls, Adam…”

Owen pulls out a chair and sits beside me, taking my hand in his. “Talk to me,” he says gently.

I hesitate, the words stuck in my throat, but when I look into his eyes, the dam breaks. “I’m worried about Sara and Ruby,” I confess, my voice trembling. “Adam’s barely around, and when he is, it feels like he’s just going through the motions. And now he’s got this new girlfriend…”

Owen’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t interrupt. He listens, his thumb brushing over my knuckles in a steady rhythm that calms me enough to keep talking.

“I don’t want to be that mom who bad mouths their dad,” I say, my voice breaking. “But how do I explain to them why he keeps letting them down? How do I make them understand that it’s not their fault?”

Owen exhales slowly, his grip on my hand tightening like he’s anchoring both of us. “If Adam’s not stepping up, then I will.” he says, his voice firm but gentle. “We’ll figure it out together. I already love those girls like they’re my own.”

His words wrap around me like a lifeline, steadying me when everything else feels uncertain. The weight pressing on my chest starts to lift, and I can finally draw a full breath.

“Thank you,” I whisper, leaning into him, letting his strength become mine.

“We’re a team,” he reminds me, his voice unwavering. “Whatever comes our way, we’ll handle it. Together.”

With his warmth and conviction surrounding me, I believe him. I believe in us.

thirty-four

HERE WITHOUT YOU - 3 DOORS DOWN

OWEN - MAY 28, 2014

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