“That’s perfect,” he says. He looks tired, and his eyes still look strained. “You’re my hero today.”
“I’m just a hungry girl,” I reply with a laugh and walk out to my car to retrieve the bags of groceries. Reed and Piper follow, and I pass Piper a bag of bread but pretend it’s really heavy. “Be careful with this one. You need lots of muscles to carry it.”
Piper giggles. “It’s not heavy.”
“Maybe you’re just strong.”
Piper helps me unpack the groceries, and I make us a snack of cheese and crackers with a sliced apple and some grapes as I get to work on getting dinner in the oven. We sing songs and dance around the kitchen, having our own little party while I work.
“Can I have the iPad?” Piper asks. This is the usual time of day that the little girl gets to have some screen time, so I set it up for her and then go in search of Reed.
But he’s not in the house.
I look again in his bedroom, his office, but he’s nowhere to be found.
“He would have told me if he was leaving the house,” I murmur as I glance outside and see Reed sitting on a chair, watching the Sound below.
I check on Piper real quick. “Honey, I’m going to step outside for just a minute, okay? I’ll be right back.”
She doesn’t even look up when she says, “Okay.”
I walk outside, pulling my cardigan around me against the cold air. Reed sits, one ankle balanced on the other knee, his fingers steepled under his chin.
He’s clearly deep in thought.
“Penny for your thoughts,” I say as I nudge his leg down so I can climb into his lap.
“I’m just zoning out.”
I kiss his jaw, his neck, and then whisper in his ear, “Bullshit.”
His arms tighten around me. “Work was busy today. I need to hire a nanny. I just have a lot on my mind.”
“Okay.” I don’t like that he’s pulled back a bit, but I understand stress, and sometimes you just need someone to listen. To hug you and be there with you.
So I don’t push.
“What’s Piper up to?”
“She’s watching the iPad. Dinner’s in the oven. When I went to look for you, I worried when I couldn’t find you.”
“Sorry. I just wanted some fresh air.”
“It’s cold out here.”
“I’m not so cold with you on my lap. You’re a nice blanket.”
I laugh and bury my face in his neck. “I’m happy to help.”Chapter Ten~Reed~“Which lights did you like best?” I ask my daughter. We went to the botanical gardens today, and stayed past dark so we could see all of the pretty light displays. Piper couldn’t get enough of it.
“I liked the frogs.” She yawns and nestles her bunny under her chin. I’m tucking her in for the night. We already read through three holiday books, and I should kiss her and go, but I’m feeling extra clingy when it comes to my daughter this weekend.
It’s been a rough few days.
That phone call on Friday fucked me up, big time.
“The frogs had Santa hats on,” I say, smiling. “Do you want me to turn your tree off tonight?”
“No, I like the lights.” She yawns again. “I can see better when I have to tinkle.”
I make a mental note to add a couple nightlights to her bedroom and bathroom after we take down the Christmas decorations.
“Okay, baby. I love you. You know that, right?”
Her eyes are closed as she nods her head.
God, I love her so much, my heart aches with it.
I kiss her forehead and then walk across the hall to where Noel is packing her overnight bag.
“It’s only Saturday night.”
“I know,” she says and shrugs. “I’m not leaving, I’m just organizing. These are dirty clothes.”
“You can wash them here. Hell, I’ll wash them tomorrow when I do mine and Piper’s laundry.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
I cover her hand with mine, stopping her movements. “Look at me.”
She complies, but her eyes are full of tears.
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
“I’ve been asking you the same thing for two days,” she says and wipes a tear away in frustration. “I get that you’re under stress, and I’m guessing your meeting on Monday has messed with your head, but you’ve withdrawn from me, and I don’t know what to do. I’ve been understanding, attentive, all of the things I know to do. But you won’t talk to me, and I feel like you’re pushing me away, and I hate it.”
“Whoa.” I pull her to me, pick her up, and take us over to the sofa in the corner. I sit with her in my arms and brush a strand of hair off her cheek. “I’m not pushing you away. At least, that’s not what I mean to do.”
“You have to talk to me, Reed. Because the past couple of days has me feeling insecure, and that’s not what I want in a relationship. Don’t brush me off when I ask what’s wrong.”