Right With Me - Stacey Lewis Page 0,13

the way to my truck is one-word answers. Getting this kid to engage with me is like pulling teeth. Luckily, Evie has no problem telling us both all about “Ms. Lucas” and all the things she’s going to do this year.

After making sure both kids are in the truck and buckled, I turn to start the car and freeze when I see her getting into her car. So much for trying to talk to her tonight. She doesn’t look at me, but the way her shoulders are hunched slightly forward tells me she can feel my gaze on her. Knowing she’s still just as affected by me as I am her makes me grin as I start the truck.

“Daddy, can we have hamburgers for dinner?” Evie isn’t asking for burgers made at home. She wants a kids' meal with a toy and crappy drive-through burgers.

It will piss Tabitha off when she finds out, but burgers sound good to me, even if the ones I make on the grill taste ten times better than anything we’ll get at a fast food place. Fast food is easy though, and it means I don’t have to stop at a grocery store on the way home. “Sure, sweetheart.” I don’t ask Ben because I know he’ll go along with whatever Evie wants, and he won’t answer me anyway.

We’re just pulling into the parking lot of the apartment I rented after the divorce when I see the same car from the school parking lot. Is she here visiting someone?

My luck fucking sucks. I can’t go say anything to her tonight, and I don’t know when I’ll see her again without my kids.

Mine are racing each other up the stairs, leaving me to carry in all the food when I see her heading up the stairs to the building next to mine holding hands with a boy who looks to be a few years younger than Evie. I can’t see him well because both their backs are to me, but her head is turned towards him and the love on her face is clear.

As much as I want to follow her and see where she’s going, to force her to talk to me, to hear what I have to say, I don’t. I head for my apartment and my kids. Making things clear to Hailey will just have to wait.

Chapter 10

Hailey

When I get to my mom’s to pick up Connor, she has dinner ready and waiting for me to eat. I’m not about to complain because after talking to all the parents and kids I am starving and was so not looking forward to having to figure out what to eat that Connor will agree to.

The smell of mom’s chicken and rice casserole fills the kitchen and as soon as I smell it my stomach growls like I haven’t eaten in a week instead of just a few hours. Mom’s standing at the stove when I walk in and she starts to laugh when she hears the noise my belly is making.

“Hungry much?” she asks, turning to face me and holding two plates in her hands.

I reach over and grab them from her. “Definitely. Spending two hours explaining my teaching methods to parents takes a lot of energy.” Of course, seeing and trying to avoid the man who makes my body, heart, and brain pull in different directions is probably the real reason my energy level is zero. Mom doesn’t need to know that though.

“I’m sure,” she agrees just as my dad walks into the room with Connor on his shoulders. “Eric! Put that child down before he smacks his head on the ceiling fan.”

Dad chuckles and Connor lets loose a belly laugh. “Like I’d let that happen, right Con?” My son continues to laugh, bending forward with my dad so he can pull him off his shoulders and put him on a chair. At first, he acts like he’s going to try to sit him down headfirst which just makes Connor laugh harder.

My heart squeezes at the sight and I wish he had this type of relationship with his dad. Seth hasn’t seen him since the day I left. He hasn’t even attempted to. If it wasn’t for the child support getting deposited every other week I’d wonder if he disappeared off the face of the earth.

Passing me on his way to his chair, dad stops to drop a kiss on the top of my head and wrap an arm around my shoulders to give