Page 74 of A Kingpin's Weakness
“He’s got a tiny crush on you.” I smiled, cheeks warming.
“So, you and Seth?” she asked, the question hanging soft but curious.
“Umm… yeah. We’re taking it slow.”
“Nothing wrong with that.” She nodded. “Seth loves hard. Falls even harder. The morning after Sunday dinner, he came to me and said, ‘Ma, I want to pursue her.’”
My heart fluttered, even through the nerves. “Yeah?”
“Mmhmm. So, I know he’s serious.”
“Then why isn’t he texting me back?” My voice broke a little. I hated how needy I sounded, but the silence was getting loud.
“He will,” she said, without missing a beat. “Or he’ll come walkin’ through that door before you know it.”
“I hope so.” I glanced down at my phone again, like maybe this time there’d be something.
Nothing.
“Stormi! Come see what I made!” S3 yelled from across the yard.
“Make sure you tell him about you and Seth,” Ms. Serena said, smirking. “Let my grandson down easy.”
“Shouldn’t I wait for Seth to have that conversation?”
“You got this.”
I shook my head, laughing a little as I made my way to S3.
“Hey, what you doing over here?”Before I could even brace myself, I got soaked. S3 had a water gun and no mercy.
“You wanna have a water gun fight?” he asked, grinning.
“Do I have a choice?”
He pointed to the second gun on the patio table. I grabbed it and went straight at him. Water sprayed everywhere as we raced around the yard. For a moment, just a moment, I forgot everything else. After we were drenched and breathless, we changed clothes, watched some movies, and I got S3 ready for bed.
“I miss Daddy,” he said as I pulled the covers over him.
“Me too,” I said before I could stop myself.
“You like my daddy? He likes you?” he asked, all innocent curiosity.
“Oh yeah?” I smiled, tickling him gently.
“He told me,” S3 giggled. “He wanted to make sure I liked you too.”
“And?” I teased.
“You’re the best.”
“The best? Your daddy might get jealous.”
“We can be a family and go to Disney when he gets back.”
“Disney sounds fun,” I said, my voice soft. I meant it.
Seth, please come back home. I sent that prayer straight to the stars.
