Page 124 of Single Dad Dilemma
Sweetgood morningtexts waiting for me when I woke up.
Dirty ones when he was at the office longer than he wanted to be.
He’d come home from work with bouquets of bright, cheery flowers. One for me, one for Maggie.
He took me and the kids on fun, interesting outings on the weekends. Legit family shit that didn’t even feel scary anymore.
Go me, right?
I started getting to know the people at the front offices in Buffalo because we had standing lunch dates on Tuesdays and Thursdays, where I brought takeout to his office. Once—and only once—I got him to screw me up against the wall where no one could see us, his hand over my mouth so I wouldn’t make all those porny sex noises that he was exceptionally skilled at yanking out of me. I swear, if I wasn’t experiencing the sex myself, I’d have thought I was faking it too.
At the end of the month, the temptation to say fuck it to Florida was huge.
But I’d made a commitment, and it was important to honor those. Or at least, that was the bullshit I’d told the kids when they askedwhy I still had to leave. Sometimes it had to be okay to cancel, right? Especially for hot, amazing boyfriends and their cute children who’d stolen my heart with equal force.
But in my gut, I’d known it was the right thing to do. Even though it was awful and heartbreaking and really, exceptionally shitty.
Missing him was important. Missing the kids too.
We talked every day, something he’d promised me when I left. Even if it was only for five minutes, he wouldn’t let the day end without hearing my voice, he said.
This was the kind of pain that stretched my heart in incredible ways, and even though we were only five days in, I was proud of myself. I hadn’t felt that in a really long time.
“I miss you too,” I whispered.
Barrett:Maggie got suspended today.
Me:Omg who do I have to fight?
Barrett:Easy, turbo.
Barrett:She told a friend she figured out there’s a way to hack the site where the teachers input the grades.
Me:Good God. She changed her grade??
Barrett:Oh no, she genuinely has straight As. She just wanted to see if she could do it.
Me:Ahh. And what’s the punishment at home?
Barrett:Nothing. We just had a talk about integrity at school, and not bragging to friends when you figure out illegal things, especially when you have no intention of doing them.
Me:I love it when you talk about ethical shit. It’s so teachery and hot. Will you put on the glasses and do a FaceTime with me?
Barrett:I knew you had a thing for those glasses.
Me:They’re acceptable. Wear them the next time I see you, please.
Barrett:I saw you two weeks ago, why didn’t you ask then?
Me:I was too busy trying to figure out how to ravage you without your kids hearing. Why are the walls so thin in this house? It’s dumb.
Barrett:Maybe I’ll leave them home next time.
Me:I don’t know, I like them more than I like you.
Barrett:That so?
Me:You’re all right.
