I should call 9-1-1. Surely, I’m hallucinating. “And the kids?”
“As many as you want to have,” he replies just as quickly.
“I was an only child and I didn’t really like it so…” I pretend to think, but pretending becomes easy as images play in my head. “Two or four. I really don’t like odd numbers.”
He drums his fingers on the table, head tilted to the side as if he were pondering it. “Four sounds nice. What are we talking, back-to-back or a little age gap in between?”
I can’t help but giggle. Did I really just giggle? I’m losing it. “It depends…have you heard about the terrible twos? Imagine a newborn, a one-year-old, a two-year-old, and a three-year-old. I’m sure that can’t be safe anyway. Maybe a little age gap? We’re also going to need the break to catch up on sleep.”
“I’m not sure we’ll be getting much sleep.” I hear the innuendo loud and clear. I know I shouldn’t but I do imagine it—him and me.
“As long as you promise to help me with the kids.”
“You won’t have to worry about anything. I promise to be the best DILF.” He wiggles his brows.
“Oh God.” I roll my eyes, ignoring the way I’m burning. “So, you want to get married and have kids?”
“With you, yeah. Just tell me when and where and I’m yours forever.” Something sounds different now, but I’m sure I’m reading into it.
“Be careful what you wish for.”
“I know. That’s why I’m wishing for it.” His smile and eyes seem different. Even his voice sounds different.
I bet he’ll make it to the MLB. He’ll have babies with a woman who isn’t emotionally stunted and compared to Wednesday. A woman who has her shit together and didn’t want to kill herself because she forgot how to feel.
Yeah, he’ll find a pretty awesome woman to spend the rest of his life with, someone who isn’t me.
24
DANIEL
I knowI’m screwing myself over by drinking coffee past eleven p.m., but it gave me an excuse to spend more time with Josie.
I didn’t want to say good night and maybe I’m hoping she didn’t want to either. Because after I washed the dishes, I saw her fancy coffee maker, and made a comment about it. I said, “I bet the coffee tastes as fancy as it looks.”
It was a lame comment, but the faintest smile curled on her lips, and she offered me a cup. I couldn’t say no even though coffee’s the last thing I need because I need to be up at five thirty a.m. for morning lift.
In hindsight, it really doesn’t matter because morning lift could’ve been at two in the morning and I still wouldn’t have said no. Though she could ask me to do just about anything. I’m not sure I’d ever have the ability to say no to her.
“You know, you really could’ve just put the dishes in the dishwasher.” She hands me a steaming mug then settles down on the couch next to me with her own.
We would’ve stayed outside longer but it got a little chilly, and while I don’t mind it, Josie is wearing a tank top and these tiny shorts. I hadn’t noticed them at first, but then I did. I wasn’t trying to stare, but when we came inside, she accidentallydropped something and bent over. It happened so fast, I didn’t get the chance to turn around or shift my gaze away. I got a view of her ass cheeks. They were just there, hanging out, and I was there, staring like I’d never seen a girl’s ass before.
“Growing up, we always washed all of our dishes by hand.” Not only did we not have a dishwasher, but even if we did, Mom would’ve refused to use it. She said it’d make us lazier.
“Just letting you know, dishwashers save more water.” She raises her mug, blowing into it to cool it down.
“Don’t laugh.”
“Why would I?”
“I don’t know how to use a dishwasher,” I admit and point an accusatory finger at her when I spot the slight twitch of her lips. “You said you wouldn’t laugh.”
“I’m not laughing.” She raises a hand in surrender but still I hear the humor shining in her tone. “You know there’s YouTube and the internet and?—”
“I know. I guess I could’ve looked it up.” I stifle my chuckle. “But I’ve just always washed them by hand, and the dishwasher at the baseball house is broken. We actually use it to store extra dishes and whatnot. When you go over…maybe don’t look in there.”
She takes a small sip, but I think that’s to hide her smile.Fireworks. “So what you’re saying is that I need to teach you how to use one?”
