Page 19 of Recipes for Life

Murphy's train of thought was interrupted by Lux again, and I couldn't help but smile at hearing her voice.

"Could Mom come here for dinner? Please, Daddy...please! I want to stay in my treehouse."

I could hear the pout in her voice from here, and that still didn't discourage my smile, but Murphy's muffled response sent shooting pains through my chest.

"Baby, Mom hasn't seen you since you've been sick. She might just want to spend time with you..."

I could tell he was trying to diffuse a potential meltdown from Lux.

"I can come by for dinner, and then we can let Lux decide where she wants to spend the evening." The words were out of my mouth before I even had time to process them. My hand immediately flew to my forehead, and I smacked myself.What the hell was I thinking?

"What?" The shock in Murphy's tone was evident, and I told myself that my sick daughter wanted me to come for dinner, so why wouldn't I go?

"I mean, if that's okay... If you have other plans, I'll come pick her up." I couldn't help the uneasiness that flowed through me thinking about Murphy needing to be somewhere else.Not my business,I told myself for what felt like the 700th time in the last two days.

"No!" he practically shouted, and I pulled the phone away from my ear since I wasn't expecting that outburst. "Shoot, sorry. No, please, come over." He stumbled over his last sentence in a rush to get the words out, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"If you're sure?" I offered again as a chance for him to back out.

"Please, Ode...come have dinner with us." His voice was barely above a pleading whisper, and I felt goosebumps rise over my skin at the blatant wanting I heard. Pushing down how that made me feel, I asked, "Is an hour or so enough time?"

"Absolutely, see you soon."

And just like that, I was having dinner with my ex-husband for the first time in years.

Chapter 14

Odette

After saying my goodbyes to the rest of the staff, I found myself heading to Murphy’s. I wondered if I should stop and find something else to wear but thought better of it. What’s wrong with my scrubs? Luckily for me, there had been no incidents today, so they were relatively clean.

The drive passed by quickly, and I found myself once again sitting in the driveway of my old home. I couldn't help but sit and stare at the old house and allowed myself to remember somegoodmemories.

We had just purchased the house with the help of Murphy's parents. It was way out of our budget, but they loaned him the money for the down payment. We both knew the second we stepped inside that it was perfect for us. We were cutting it close to Lux's due date, but we didn't mind. It was the one.

Murphy, his brother, and his dad were bringing in the last of the boxes while Susan and I were making some lemonade in the kitchen. I felt a twinge in my lower abdomen but figured it was just from what little I did. After fifteen minutes of random pain, I felt pressure down below and then a wet sensation.

"Uh...Susan?" I mumbled while still looking at the puddle on my new kitchen floor.

"Yes, dear? Can I grab you something?" She was still facing away from me, putting away cups and plates from the boxes the boys had brought in.

"I think my water just broke."

It was chaos of the best kind after that. Susan hollered for the boys, and Murphy made a beeline for me.

"It's time, baby; she's coming." He smiled at me, and I could see the love and devotion on his face.

"It's time." I smiled back at him, knowing that this point in time would always be one of my favorites.

The knocking on my car window jolted me back to reality. I felt my face flush, a little rattled from being jostled from my memories. Murphy was looking at me with a rather intense look coating his face. I opened my door a little haphazardly, which caused him to take a step back so I could get out.

"Sorry, I just...well, I got lost in some old memories." I shrugged. The intense look Murphy was giving me never faltered, but I heard giggling and little footsteps pattering my way.

"Mommmmmyyyyy!" Lux ran from the backyard toward me with the biggest smile on her face, and I couldn't help the one that overtook mine. Without breaking her speed, she took a leap when she was close enough, and luckily for me, I caught her just in time.

She wrapped her arms around me, and I couldn't help but bury my face in her neck. I loved the way she smelled, like strawberries and happiness. My entire world in one little human.

"Hey, kiddo, you seem to be feeling better." I tickled her sides, and she let out a gleeful giggle that caused my already full heart to feel like it was ready to burst.

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