Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“Usually there is a family bathroom,” I tell Grace, looking around once more. “Are you sure?”
“Yup,” Grace assures me, holding out her hand. “Let’s go, Meadow.” She turns and guides her to the bathroom. I watch both of them walk away and everything in me shifts, or perhaps it shifted a while ago.
I walk over behind them and wait for them to come out. When they do, they are both laughing. I see Meadow’s ponytails are now fixed, and she is looking up at Grace with a smile. “Hey,” I say, and they both look at me. “What’s so funny?” I ask.
“Grace was making funny faces at me in the mirror when she was fixing my hair,” Meadow replies, “like this.” She sticks out her tongue and tries to do something with her eyes. “I’m going to play,” she declares, running away from us.
“Want to go and make out somewhere?” Grace asks. My head snaps back to her, and she winks at me. “It was just a thought.”
“A good thought,” I say as we walk back over to the party. Even though she knows everyone here, she stays pretty much by my side and includes me in the conversations. I hate that she introduces me as her boss, but it is what it is. When it’s time to sing “Happy Birthday,” our fingers graze and I want to wrap my arm around her.
After we each have cake, Meadow comes over to us. “Can we go play in the park before we go?”
“Yeah,” I agree, looking around, thinking of how I’m going to ask Grace to come with me.
“Come on, Grace, you can come too.” She grabs her hand, and I’ve never been happier in my life. She gets to eat two desserts tonight. She skips over holding Grace’s hand. “We can go on the swings,” she tells Grace who just nods.
“I have a trick to go high, high,” Grace shares with her, and Meadow looks over at me like I’ve been keeping her from the state secrets. “I’ll show you.”
They run their way to the swings. “When I push, you keep your legs bent, and then when you go high, put them out again, and then when you come back down, bend them.” She sits on the swing. “Look at me,” she instructs her and shows Meadow, who watches her like a hawk. “You got it?”
“Got it,” she parrots, and I sit back and watch the two of them. She sets Meadow on the swing. “Okay, I’m ready,” Meadow calls, holding on.
“Don’t let go,” Grace tells her as she pushes her on the swing. “That’s it, bend your knees tight.” I listen to the two of them giggle with each other, and it fills my soul.
“Dad, I’m going to fly to the moon!” Meadow shouts, and all the words are stuck in my throat.
“Come back,” I say as I listen to the two of them laugh when Meadow thinks she’s too high, but really, she isn’t.
“That was so much fun,” Meadow says when she finally gets off the swing. “I’m hungry.”
“It’s almost dinnertime,” I report, looking at my watch. “Do you want to come over for dinner?” I ask Grace, thinking it won’t be that much of a stretch since they spent today together.
“Yes, yes,” Meadow says to her, “it’s pizza night.”
“Is it?” Grace replies, looking at Meadow. “Well, I love pizza.”
“We should say goodbye,” I suggest, pointing over my shoulder at the party as we head back toward the group of people that is shrinking as the day has gotten later.
“I will meet you at your place,” Grace says when we are almost close. “See you soon,” she says before she walks away. I walk up to Levi and Eva while she heads over to the other side. I thank them for inviting us and leave, looking over my shoulder the whole time.
“That was fun,” Meadow says as she gets in the car, and all I can do is agree with her. I’m trying not to hate that she has to sneak over to my house. Meadow talks my ear off about how much fun she had and how she went high, high, high to the moon. “She’s better than Uncle Nash.”
I chuckle. “We should call and say that.” I look into the rearview mirror at her.
We pull up in the driveway and see Alexa walking down the steps. “Alexa,” I call once I get out of the car.
“Hi.” She smiles, coming toward the car as Meadow emerges. “I’ve just invited Tamara and Joyce over to my house for a slumber party.” She mentions the other two kids on the block she watches. “I promised them all I would do it, and it’s the only weekend when I’m free, and my parents are home to help me if I need them.”