Page 12 of Impossible

Chapter Six

Liam

One Month Later

“Hey, Brady!” I turn from my desk to see my buddy, Colson, walking towards me. He works in the homicide department which has him working outside of the office most days.

“Hey, man. It’s been a while,” I stand from my desk and shake his hand.

“Yeah, it has. How’ve you been doing? You holding up okay?” he asks with a concerned look on his face.

”As good as I can be.” Folding my arms, I lean against my desk.

“When did you get back to work?” he sits on the edge of Jarod’s desk across from mine.

“It’s already been a month. Time is flying by.”

“Wow! Sorry I missed you. I thought you were going to be at home for a while.”

“Nah, I had to come back. It’s been good for me though. Harper and I are on a good schedule right now.”

“Well, I’m glad to see you back and doing well, buddy. I have to run over to the sergeant's office, but we should do lunch soon. I’ll text you.”

“Yeah, sounds good. Catch you later.”

We shake hands and he heads towards the sergeant’s corner office. I watch on, thinking about how different I feel today. A month ago, I was terrified to go back to work. I didn’t want to leave Harper, to leave the little life we had together at our house. Today, I enjoy getting up to go to work. I know Harper is safe with Riley and my mom. Harper adores both of them. Riley has gone above and beyond what I have expected of her. She cooks me dinner on the days that she watches Harper and sends me pictures while I’m away.

The other day, she had Harper dressed in a little summer dress with a matching flower headband. They were in the park on a blanket having a picnic and she took several shots of Harper smiling at the camera. Riley is always so enthusiastic when I get home, telling me about all the fun that the two of them had. She really seems to love spending this time with her. Unfortunately, it can only last for another six more weeks before she will be back at school.

The other day I was talking to a neighbor about where they send their kids to daycare. She told me about one of the moms in the neighborhood with a girl in college. She will be taking a night class in her first semester, leaving her morning and afternoon free for two days. When I reached out to the mom, she told me she will talk to her daughter about whether or not she is interested in watching Harper on those days. It seems like a better option than taking her to a daycare two days a week.

Once it hits five, I shut down my laptop, put it in my bag and head out the door. The drive home gives me time to myself. Sometimes I use the time to listen to the radio and enjoy my alone time. Other times, I’ll use it to enjoy peace and quiet. Today, I keep thinking about Becca. She is never far from my mind, every second of every day. I make every decision about Harper with Becca in mind.What would Becca want?That’s the question I ask myself all the time. I want her looking down on Harper and feeling proud. That’s the only reason I’m not a depressed mess of a man. Becca would hate that life for me.

When I walk through the door, I’m hit with the smell of something amazing. Walking into the kitchen, I find Harper in her bouncy seat on the floor as Riley dances around her while singing and cooking. I can’t help but laugh at the scene in front of me. Riley is wearing jean shorts and a red tank top with her blonde hair piled on top of her head. Before this, I rarely saw Riley in this kind of environment. She always let Becca take the lead and be center of attention. Now, I’m starting to wonder why Riley was always hiding in the shadows of everyone around her.

“What smells so amazing?” I ask as I put my bag down and walk towards the stove.

“Ahhh!” Riley screams as she whips around, her hand on her chest.

I laugh as I put my hands up. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Shit, Liam. You’re always doing that!”

“I’m doing what? Walking into my own home and saying hello?” I say with a smile on my face.

She laughs. “I know, I know. Still, you can wait until I noticed you or something. Especially when you walk in on me doing something so embarrassing.”

“You mean dancing and singing in my kitchen?”

“Whatever!” she says all flustered. “In answer to your question, what smells amazing is chicken parmesan.”

“You spoil me, Riley. I’ve never eaten this good in my life.” I take a whiff of the food simmering on the stove.

“I like to cook. It’s something I always did a lot of over the summer when I had the time.”

“How about you join me for dinner this time?” I suggest.

“Liam, I already told you. I don’t do this for an invitation. I cook this for you, so you have leftovers for lunch or dinner another night.”

---