Page 125 of Your Last First Kiss
I clap him on the shoulder and then step back. “Thanks, man.” He can’t know how much I appreciate him right now, but I do. It’s an amazing feeling knowing someone has your back. “Same goes for me.”
He nods, and we walk into the family room.
“I’ll go get Penny. Can you get the kids from school? You must be on some kind of list or something, right?” I ask, grabbing my shoes by the door. A pair of Izzy’s red boots are thrown carelessly in the corner, and I take a steadying breath.
I need this mess in my life. I need Penny’s chaos and piles of shoes. I won’t stop until this family is mine in every single way.
“Yeah, I’m the emergency contact. I’ll go get them now. Meet you back at Pen’s?” He’s already heading for the door.
I’m right behind him. “Text me the address of the pediatrician. I’ll get there as soon as I can.”
“Thanks, Dillon.”
“This’s what families are for, right?”
Miller pauses halfway into the cab of his truck, and his expression changes in an instant. “Yeah, that’s what we’re for.” He lowers himself to the seat, then pops back out. “Glad you’ve joined our pack.”
Before I can respond, he slams his door and backs out of the driveway. A second later, my phone dings with a text. The address. Plugging it into my GPS, I take off to find my girl.
I also send up my second prayer this month. Dear God, please don’t let this destroy them.
* * *
I park right nextto Penny’s car. According to Miller, she should be almost done, so I figured it was better to catch her this way than storming the doctor’s office.
I’ve been having conversations with myself, testing out the best way to deliver this news, but I keep falling short. There’s no easy way to say this.
The door opens, and Penny emerges with Mari on her hip and Lia’s hand in hers. She stares down at a chatty Lia, then tips her head back in laughter. It’s the most uninhibited I’ve seen her in weeks.
She’s beautiful.
I watch them while trying to keep my breaths even. Penny’s complexion complements her golden-brown hair, and while the girls have lighter hair and olive skin like their father, Penny’s nurturing nature would make anyone passing by think these are her girls.
And now they might be. Forever.
How does she carry the burdens of others without being crushed by the weight of them?
She’s more than my queen. She’s a goddamned superhero.
Penny looks both ways, instructing Lia to do the same, and then they cross the parking lot. When they’re close, I step out of my SUV, unintentionally surprising her. There’s the flash of happiness before it retreats into sadness, but it’s that flash that gives me hope. It’s that flash that tells me we’ll get through this.
“Dillon? What are you doing here?” she asks.
Lia looks up at my name, and a smile that outshines the sun stretches across her face when she spots me.
Will I ever tire of that purity? Knowing I can make someone so happy just by existing? I know I’ll never take it for granted.
“Dewey!” Lia screeches. When they’re close enough, Penny lets go of the little girl’s wiggling hand and she runs straight for me.
“Penny, the kids are okay,” I say, scooping Lia up in my arms. I inhale her scent, strawberry shampoo, shocked to find comfort in it.
“Oh, God. That’s a precursor to something not being okay, isn’t it?” Penny’s chin quivers as she watches me.
I swallow a ball of sawdust that’s lodged in my throat and nod. “I need you to come with me.”
She doesn’t hesitate. She unlocks her car and attempts to remove Lia’s booster seat with Mari still in her other arm.
I place a hand on her shoulder, and sparks light up my skin even through the thick down coat she’s wearing.
