I groan, staring at the ground. “Thanks. Um. I’m fine. I think.”
I don’t figure out how to finish before Jackson rumbles. “Ah, fuck. It’s today, isn’t it?”
There’s just no way around talking about it. I close my eyes for a second before I open them and lift my head to glance at him. “Yeah.”
He scrubs his hand over the two days’ worth of stubble on his cheek. “You should have said something. I might have been able to do this without you.”
With my lips tightly pressed in a line, I inhale through my nose, then let the air out with a frustrated sigh. “Nah, man. It’s fine. I committed to doing it, and I always follow through. And I thought maybe it’d do Sailor and me some good if we got out for a bit. She loves playing with the other kids, and if she’s happy—”
He claps his hand on my shoulder. “Noifabout it. For one, you’re doing just fine at the single dad thing. She’s a happy kid. And two, I gave her a big-ass cookie with M&Ms in it before class started.Definitelyhappy.”
I can’t help it, I snort a bit. “Yeah, she asked if she’d see ‘Dackson’ before we headed over.”
A rough chuckle tumbles from his lips. “I love how feisty and cute your kid is. Little Miss Independent.”
I smirk a bit. “Reminds you of Addison, huh?”
“Yeah. Christ, take it from me, you’re going to have your damn hands full when that girl starts dating. Most days I just hang on tight and let Addison take me on a wild ride.”
At my raised brows, he snickers, then jerks his thumb over his shoulder. “I’m going to help out. Take a minute if you need one.”