the water table with Aliya by his side.
“They are.” She nodded and gripped my shoulder. “Thank you for your help today and yesterday.” She smiled brightly and released me. “I’m going to set up the piñata. If you see Dexter, let him know.”
The playground was in the field behind their townhome, making the set up easy. I walked back to the house to get the watermelon, scanning the area for Dexter. A group of three boys ran in front of me, chasing Jace with a spray gun. As I left the laughter behind, the sadness I’d been keeping down the past twenty four hours began to bubble up, but I kept a firm lid on it. If I let it escape, I feared I wouldn’t be able to get it back under control.
The watermelon was already sliced and laid on a tray. Leona and I had done most of the prep work yesterday. I pulled the heavy dish from the refrigerator, balancing it on my forearms to leave my hands slightly free to open the door. As I walked through the kitchen, Dexter’s voice in the living room made me slow, but what he was saying made me stop and set the platter on the kitchen island.
“She was here all day and stayed over last night…Because why should she be at the hotel alone?”
I stood at the edge of the doorway. Dexter hadn’t spotted me yet.
He rose to his feet, voice rising. “You’re an ass. Talk to her yourself…You missed your nephews first birthday.” He walked to the laptop on the desk in the corner of the room, and his fingers moved over the keys. “You keep saying that…fine.” His fingers slid over the mouse pad, clicking different things. “Yup, it’s there, thanks.” He pushed the laptop closed and grabbed the back of his neck. “I know. Tomorrow at five A.M., I’ll make sure she’s there.”
My flight was at seven tomorrow, they were talking about taking me to airport.
“Dexter, let me talk to him.” I stepped forward, and Dexter jumped as I interrupted him. I couldn’t keep quiet, not when Gage was arranging things with him about me.
“Hold on,” he said into the phone. A slight smile pulled on his lips as he met my gaze, phone extended to me.
I hadn’t talked to him since he left, although he had texted. Stupid texts saying he arrived in New York and a goodnight text. That particularly pissed me off because he wasn’t really going to bed at that early hour.
Pressing the phone to my ear, I didn’t even wait to hear his voice. “If you want to know what I’m doing, ask me, talk to me.”
Dexter stood in front of me, smile growing as he gave me two thumbs up.
I rolled my eyes and turned away. I couldn’t focus on him, not when Gage was pulling all my strings to the point of breaking, snapping them, and I was close to cutting the rest myself.
The silence stretched, and I wanted to scream into the phone. Then he finally spoke, hesitant. “Okay.”
“That’s it?” I could barely breathe, the pressure on my chest increasing. I wished Dexter would walk away, I held back words I wanted to say because of him.
“That’s why I called Dexter and not you. I can’t say what you want me to say right now.” He sighed like I was draining him of his energy.
“Will you ever?” A chill ran under my skin, everything in me shrinking with fear of his response. I knew the answer anyways; I just didn’t want to hear it.
“We’ll talk tomorrow, just…have fun today.” He hung up the phone.
I turned back to Dexter, barely restraining myself from throwing the phone at him.
He extended one hand and carefully took his phone back. Then he held his hands up in innocence. “Remember, I am not my brother. Don’t hold his faults against me.”
He bobbed from side to side, tentatively going in for a hug. “Is it safe to hug you? You look like you could kill?”
I circled my arms around his waist, letting my body rock with his in his tight embrace. He rubbed his palm in a large circle on my back.
“I’m sorry he’s being a dick. Just give him time, it takes his thick head
“They are.” She nodded and gripped my shoulder. “Thank you for your help today and yesterday.” She smiled brightly and released me. “I’m going to set up the piñata. If you see Dexter, let him know.”
The playground was in the field behind their townhome, making the set up easy. I walked back to the house to get the watermelon, scanning the area for Dexter. A group of three boys ran in front of me, chasing Jace with a spray gun. As I left the laughter behind, the sadness I’d been keeping down the past twenty four hours began to bubble up, but I kept a firm lid on it. If I let it escape, I feared I wouldn’t be able to get it back under control.
The watermelon was already sliced and laid on a tray. Leona and I had done most of the prep work yesterday. I pulled the heavy dish from the refrigerator, balancing it on my forearms to leave my hands slightly free to open the door. As I walked through the kitchen, Dexter’s voice in the living room made me slow, but what he was saying made me stop and set the platter on the kitchen island.
“She was here all day and stayed over last night…Because why should she be at the hotel alone?”
I stood at the edge of the doorway. Dexter hadn’t spotted me yet.
He rose to his feet, voice rising. “You’re an ass. Talk to her yourself…You missed your nephews first birthday.” He walked to the laptop on the desk in the corner of the room, and his fingers moved over the keys. “You keep saying that…fine.” His fingers slid over the mouse pad, clicking different things. “Yup, it’s there, thanks.” He pushed the laptop closed and grabbed the back of his neck. “I know. Tomorrow at five A.M., I’ll make sure she’s there.”
My flight was at seven tomorrow, they were talking about taking me to airport.
“Dexter, let me talk to him.” I stepped forward, and Dexter jumped as I interrupted him. I couldn’t keep quiet, not when Gage was arranging things with him about me.
“Hold on,” he said into the phone. A slight smile pulled on his lips as he met my gaze, phone extended to me.
I hadn’t talked to him since he left, although he had texted. Stupid texts saying he arrived in New York and a goodnight text. That particularly pissed me off because he wasn’t really going to bed at that early hour.
Pressing the phone to my ear, I didn’t even wait to hear his voice. “If you want to know what I’m doing, ask me, talk to me.”
Dexter stood in front of me, smile growing as he gave me two thumbs up.
I rolled my eyes and turned away. I couldn’t focus on him, not when Gage was pulling all my strings to the point of breaking, snapping them, and I was close to cutting the rest myself.
The silence stretched, and I wanted to scream into the phone. Then he finally spoke, hesitant. “Okay.”
“That’s it?” I could barely breathe, the pressure on my chest increasing. I wished Dexter would walk away, I held back words I wanted to say because of him.
“That’s why I called Dexter and not you. I can’t say what you want me to say right now.” He sighed like I was draining him of his energy.
“Will you ever?” A chill ran under my skin, everything in me shrinking with fear of his response. I knew the answer anyways; I just didn’t want to hear it.
“We’ll talk tomorrow, just…have fun today.” He hung up the phone.
I turned back to Dexter, barely restraining myself from throwing the phone at him.
He extended one hand and carefully took his phone back. Then he held his hands up in innocence. “Remember, I am not my brother. Don’t hold his faults against me.”
He bobbed from side to side, tentatively going in for a hug. “Is it safe to hug you? You look like you could kill?”
I circled my arms around his waist, letting my body rock with his in his tight embrace. He rubbed his palm in a large circle on my back.
“I’m sorry he’s being a dick. Just give him time, it takes his thick head
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