Page 126 of One Last Time
“Scott,” I say, extending myhand.
I can feel Finn watching. I’m not ever going to let him see me as less than the man I was raised to be. My father may have been gone, but if my mother ever met someone and he disrespected him, I’d never forget it. A boy, no matter how he acts, wants his fatheraround.
I was able to hide my feelings pretty well as a kid. It didn’t stop me from wishing he’d come back on my birthday or writing it on my Christmaslist.
Tough kids hurt the deepest atheart.
Scott places his hand in mine. “Noah.”
Kristin’s hand slides up my arm and comes to rest on my shoulder. It’s the most she’s touched me in front of the kids. “Thanks for bringing them home. I’ll see you in a fewdays.”
I go to shut the door, but he stops it. “She’s packing now. Just so you know. I found out she was never pregnantand. . .”
“Okay then.” Kristin nods and closes the door with a softclick.
“You okay?” Iask.
“I’m fine. Sorry I fellasleep.”
“Don’t be,” I assureher.
In the car home, she was quiet, but I’ve learned she needs that time. Kristin spent a lot of her marriage in her head, and bit by bit, I’ll get her to come out from there. She doesn’t have to be afraid with me. Just the same as I’m going to have to remember she isn’t like everyoneelse.
“How long are you here for?” she asks with sadness in her eyes. “We didn’t even talk aboutthat. . .”
“I have two days, sweetheart,” I tell her as I touch hercheek.
“Damn.”
I feel her pain. The last thing I want to do is leave. However, before I do, I have a lot of shit to take care of. Speaking ofwhich. . .
“Where’s your phone?” Iask.
“Myphone?”
I raise my brow. “Yes, the phone that got a lot of troublestarted.”
She grimaces. “Thatphone.”
Kristin walks over to her purse and hands it to me. I don’t say anything. I grab my keys to the rental car and head out thedoor.
“Noah!”
“One minute!” I call back over my shoulder. I place the phone on the road right in front of my tire, climb into my car, and start itup.
Kristin stands on the porch with a confused look on her face. Maybe she missed the fact that I’m going to run the piece of shitover?
I shift into drive and roll forward and backward a few times. Should begood.
“What the hell are you doing?” she asks while descending thesteps.
I grab the smashed device from the ground and smile. “You’ll have a new one with a new number in a little bit,” I inform her as I place the crushed phone in herhand.
“You’re insane! That was myphone!”
“It sure was.” I wait for thefight.
“You smashedit.”
