Page 57 of Until Tomorrow
LOREN: Oh… that.
Yeah. That.
Text bubbles appeared and disappeared several times. That did nothing for my anxiety as I stared at them.
LOREN: I mean… I get it. I’d wrap Katy in bubble wrap and hide her in our house forever if it meant keeping her safe, but that’s not reasonable, is it?
No.
LOREN: The reality is, no matter what we do in life, getting hurt is just how the world works.
LOREN: No matter what you do, the potential for Eva to get hurt is there. You can’t protect her at all times.
I groaned and dropped my phone on my desk, so I could run my hands over my face.I hated that.The bubble wrap idea was so much more appealing. Eva had been through enough—something I had only added to recently. I didn’t want anyone else hurting her.
But it was an inevitable truth. No matter what I did, I’d never be able to fully protect her.
If you could hear the literal groan of frustration I just let out, you’d know how I feel about that truth.
LOREN: Lol. Come hang out with me and a fussy baby. Endless rounds of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star does wonders for the frustration.
LOREN: Or sanity. Not sure which. I’m making up words at this point.
Probably both.
LOREN: Definitely both.
LOREN: But seriously, if she’s happy and you’re comfortable with the arrangement, you just keep doing what you’re doing to take care of her. You’ll never keep her from getting hurt, but you can be there to support her through the aftermath.
Thank you.
LOREN: Anytime. I mean that. Especially late at night. Sophia is terrible at two-way conversations. It’s like talking to a drunk potato. She just drools and babbles. I love it, but I do love some adult conversation.
I chuckled. I glanced at the time. The likelihood that I’d ever be up at this hour to chat with him was slim, but I could make it a point to message him late at night when I was up doing work. Some was better than nothing.
I can’t promise I won’t just start sending bad jokes I find on the internet. Or memes. Sometimes that’s the best conversation I’ve got in me.
LOREN: All I’m hearing is an offer to help me build my bad dad joke armory. Bring it on, baby.
Good to know. Night.
LOREN: Night. Sleep for both of us.
“What are you smiling at?” Eva asked. I looked up to see her leaning against the door, eyes heavy with sleep and her robe wrapped tight around her.
“I was just talking to Loren for a few minutes,” I told her honestly. “Just trying to work through the events of the night and feelings.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“It is.”
“You two seem to get along well,” she pointed out with a yawn.
“We do. He’s a good guy. I like him.” I faltered at the notion. My brain fell into a mini-spiral.Did I like him? Like-like him? Did I just like him?I reeled those thoughts back in. This wasn’t the time to jump off that cliff. “What are you doing up, honey?”
“I wandered over to your side of the bed to cuddle you, and you were gone,” she said. I smiled at that notion.God, I couldn’t remember the last time she and I cuddled in bed that wasn’t post-sex for a few minutes.We each had our sides of the bed and had grown all too comfortable with that individual space.
Admittedly, I missed the warmth and softness of her body pressed against mine.
