Page 88 of One Last Time
Busted.
“Aubrey!” She puts her hands on herhips.
“Noah gave mecookies!”
“Hey!” I poke her in the side, and she giggles. “Youpromised.”
I was played. She realized I was a sucker and totally took me for a ride. She’s good, and I’m going to be in trouble with her mother. Kristin puts her hand to her head and mumbles under her breath about the death ofher.
She tries to look angry but fails, clearly fighting a smile. “You know better thanthat.”
Aubrey’s eyes are soft, and that bottom lip pushes out. Man, she’s a damn pro. I’d give her anything she wanted with that pout. “Sorry,Mommy.”
Kristin doesn’t seem fazed at all. “No more snacks until after lunch, and the zoo needs to becleaned.”
“Noah is on TV!” Aubrey tells her mother with a hint ofsatisfaction.
“I know. Remember that big article I told you about?” she asks as she wipes the cookie crumbs off her daughter’s arm and shirt. “He’s who I’m writing about,” Kristin whispers and points atme.
Aubrey walks over and throws her arms around my neck. “Thank you for the cookies. I like you.” She kisses my cheek, and I’mtoast.
This little girl just stole my heart. Seems that this girl is more like her mother than I firstthought.
Yup. I’d buy her anything she wants. A pony . . . done. I’ll get her an entire barn full. If she wants to meet this Charlie person, I’ll track them down and it’ll happen. And the zoo is happening, whatever her mother says, I’ll find a way aroundit.
She lets go and headsout.
“Is Finn okay?” I ask as Kristin leans against thecounter.
“Not really. It was bad enough that his parents got divorced, but . . . this is too much. Marrying her? Pregnant. He just kept saying he hates usboth.”
“He doesn’t hate you. He’s mad, and boys say stupid shit when they’reupset.”
If she knew the shit I said to my mother, she’d understand this is normal. I was a little bastard for a period of time. There wasn’t a rule I felt applied to me, but Ilearned.
“I don’t know. I can’t believe this. I mean . . .” Kristin’s head drops into herhands.
I step forward, pulling her against my chest. “It’ll beokay.”
She lifts her head and reveals the tears pooling on her lashes. “How? How is this okay? We haven’t been divorced more than a few weeks, and now he’s marrying his pregnant girlfriend? Then there’s the fact that he got her pregnant when I was still living in that fucking house withhim.”
I’m doing my best to let her work through this in her head. Finding out something like this has to be difficult, and I’d be an asshole to push my own doubts on her. Knowing all that doesn’t stop my unease. She has a right to be pissed, but I’m still aguy.
“The situation isn’t okay, but your kids have you. My mom is the only reason I survived the shit with my dad. Trustme.”
She drops her head back onto my chest. I hold her because that’s all I can do. There’s nothing to make this better except behere.
“How are you not running for the hills?” she mumbles into my shirt. “I told you I’m a mess, and now you get to see itall.”
Kristin is the woman I want, and I’ll take everything that comes with her. “I told you before that I’m not goinganywhere.”
A tear falls down her face. “You did.” She plays with the button on my shirt. “I just didn’t believe you because it was easier notto.”
“Andnow?”
“Mommy!” Aubrey yells, and we break apart, moving to opposite sides of thekitchen.
“What,honey?”
