my ears is too loud.
He’s gone.
Yes, he’s coming back. And, yes, I’m the one who told him to go.
But I’ll miss him.
“Why are you crying?” Kelsey asks as she slips into my lap, framing my face with her tiny hands. “Are you sad?”
“A little.” I wipe a tear off my cheek and smile at her. “But I’m okay.”
“Do you want to snuggle my Teddy?”
“Nah, I think I’ll just snuggle you.” I tug her close and breathe in her sweet smell. She’s so little. So sweet.
And it’s just the three of us against the world now.
“Maybe you need a cookie,” Kevin says.
“Do you want a cookie?” I ask him.
“If it makes you feel better for me to eat a cookie with you, that would be okay.”
I laugh and set Kelsey on her feet, taking their hands. “We have one snafu. No cookies in the house. I guess we’ll have to make some, huh?”
“With chocolate chips!” Kelsey exclaims.
“We can do that. Just no sprinkles or anything shaped like Santa. I’ve had my fill of that for a whole year.”
“Chocolate chips are circles,” Kevin says like I’ve lost my mind. “Not Santa.”
“True that. Okay, let’s get started.”
“Maybe, if it’ll make you feel better, we can have hot chocolate, too.” Kevin’s grin is sly and wide.
“You’re a con artist.” I kiss his head. “But you have good ideas.”
Chapter 18
~Sam~
The roads suck. I should have realized that I’d run into snow and ice on the highway in early January. It slows me up a bit.
It’ll probably add an extra hour to the drive. Tash was right, I should have left earlier. I’m supposed to meet with the chief at the station at three this afternoon.
Being late on day one isn’t the best way to make a first impression.
And I’m never late.
But leaving Tash and the kids was torture.
“I’m fucking up.” I rub my hand over my mouth. “I should be there.”
I tap the screen on my truck and listen as the phone rings on the other end.
“Hello?” Tash says. I can hear the smile in her voice.
“Hey, babe. What are you doing?”
“The kids and I made cookies and then we had some hot chocolate because I’m a horrible parent who gives the kids loads of sugar. Now, we’re building stuff with the blocks Kevin got for Christmas. Are you there already? You made good time.”
“No, I’m about halfway there. The roads are shit, so I’m taking it slow.”
“Oh, no. Be careful. You shouldn’t be talking to me.”
“I need to.” I blow out a breath. I should have had this talk with her weeks ago. “Maybe I should turn around and come home.”
“Why? Did you forget something?”
Yes, damn it, I left you behind.
“I just think that I should be there. Maybe I made a mistake in taking the job, Tash.”
“Sam, we’re fine. Honest.” She says something to the kids, and then I hear her walking away from them. “Don’t worry about us.”
Of course, I’m going to worry about them.
“Maybe I’ve changed my mind. Maybe it’s not my dream job.”
“Right. And pigs fly. Sam Waters, you’ve been talking about this for years. Now, I want you to take a deep breath and remember how hard you’ve worked over the past few years. You’ve worked your ass off. You put it all on hold for too long. This is a great opportunity for you.”
How does she always know the right thing to say?
“Send me cookies,” I reply softly. She makes the best fucking cookies I’ve ever had.
I can only admit that because my mom is dead and it won’t hurt her feelings.
“I’ll send you all the cookies you want. I should have made some for the road. I guess we’ll just figure this out more and more as time goes on, right?”
I smile at the optimism in her voice.
“Yeah. I guess so. I’ll send you the mailing address when I get there.”
“Are you still bunking with the guy you know?”
“That’s the plan. He’s single, and if I’m only in town a week at a time, most of that at the station, I don’t really see a need to get a place.”
“Well, just get there safely, get settled, and then call me. Sam, it’s going to be awesome, and we’ll be fine. Just think of all the phone sex we can have.”
“That’s a bonus.” I laugh, feeling better. “Thanks for the pep talk, babe.”
“Anytime. The kids are arguing again, so I have to go be the referee. I love you.”
“I love y—” Before I can finish the sentence, she