I’ll assume sex is back on the table now then.
Darcy
Oh, yes. I’m going to ride him like Seabiscuit. All freaking night.
I burst out laughing just as Dad pokes his head around the doorjamb, inquisitive eyes falling to my phone.
“Your cupboards, flooring, and hot water got fixed.”
Locking the screen so there’s no chance of him catching sight of the text thread, I deliberately drop my shoulders in an attempt to appear casual.
“Yeah, my landlord finally came through.”
Thanks to your best friend, but let’s not talk about that.
He looks a combination of disappointed and pleased. “I was going to fix everything for you now that I’m more mobile. I’m sorry I couldn’t get to it sooner, like I’d hoped.”
My gaze falls to the crutch he’s propping himself up on, one leg still cast in plaster. “You still aren’t that mobile. It was my landlord’s responsibility.”
He worries his bottom lip. I recognize that face now that I’m a parent myself—the one where you internally scold yourself for letting your child down.
“How are you doing for money?” he asks, stepping farther inside the room to catch a glimpse of his sleeping granddaughter. His face turns soft the second he sets his eyes on Blake.
When Dad repaid my student loans and wired me some more for general living costs, I felt sure that would be enough, especially with the child support payments from Tucker.
Turns out, raising a baby is way more expensive than any of us could’ve foreseen, leaving me with two choices: be truthful with Dad and ask for more money, or find myself a job—and fast.
“I’ll interpret the silence as you’re running low.”
He takes a seat next to me on the bed, resting his crutch against the mattress.
I don’t say anything as we admire the gentle rise and fall of Blake’s chest.
“If I factor in next month’s bills, I have two thousand dollars left in my checking account.”
Dad’s eyes dart to mine. It’s not the answer he wanted to hear, especially given the additional financial strain his accident has put on the household. He hasn’t been able to claim on his auto insurance since the accident was deemed preventable if he’d replaced the tires on his van.
“Blake’s going through clothes and diapers like crazy, and now that she’s starting on formula, that’s driven costs up again.”
An arm wraps around my shoulders, reminding me of the hugs he used to give when I was a young girl. Sometimes, no matter how old we get, a girl just needs to feel her father’s embrace.
“I was selfish to move out so soon.”
His arm tightens around me, and he drops his chinatop my head. “You are the most unselfish person I know, Bill. The most stubborn too.”
I poke a soft elbow into his ribs, and he chuckles quietly.
“If Mom can start taking Blake on the weekends, then I can find a job.”
A protest rumbles in his chest. “You know we would never have a problem caring for Blake, but you need more unbroken time together as mom and daughter. It’s only been seven weeks.”
“Yeah, well, most women don’t have asshole baby daddies, thankfully.”
Dad’s body stiffens at the mere mention of Tucker. “How much more do you need to see you through another two months?”
I shrug, determined not to accept a cent from him. “I don’t know.”
Unwrapping his arm, he picks up his crutch and takes a couple of steps over to Blake’s bassinet. It’s obvious that he won’t accept any form of no from me. Scott Quinn is a proud man who will do and provide anything for his family in any way that he can, even if he has to sell the clothes on his back. I think that’s why he fell in love with Mom so easily because she’s the exact same. Together, they make the dream team, the kind of modern-day marriage we all aspire to have.
