Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 70516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“What are you looking for?”
I looked over my shoulder at my daughter. “I was thinking I’d have a little ice cream.”
“That, uh, might be kind of hard,” Boston whispered. “I might have eaten it.”
I grinned and closed the fridge door. “I never would’ve thought you could put away so much food. I’ll be sure to stock extra ice cream.”
“If you’re giving me a choice on what kind you provide, I really like Blue Bell.”
I looked at my daughter. “They don’t have Blue Bell up here, kid.”
“They do!” she disagreed. “Though I found out that you can also order it online.”
“Like the pineapples you charge to my account every month when you order them directly from the Dole Plantation in Hawaii?” I teased.
“Hey.” She held up her hands. “It’s not really like I meant to find out that they were good. You were the one that had them delivered.”
“You sent me the video.” I pointed out.
“True.” She smiled. “We’ll have to keep ordering them. I’ll bet Eddy will love them.”
“She told me she hates berries, but loves citrus. So I’m assuming she’ll probably like pineapples from Hawaii just fine.”
I watched Boston walk around me to the kitchen cabinet where I kept my pantry staples and pull out a package of Oreos.
I grinned when she placed it between the two of us on the island and went for the milk.
Grabbing two perfect dunking cups down from the cabinet, I placed them on the counter just in time for Boston to fill them both to the brim.
I peeled open the package and the two of us took turns grabbing a cookie and dunking it.
“I taught you well,” I teased on my fourth Oreo.
“I’ve missed this, Daddy,” she said softly. “I love Grandma and Grandpa, but they’re not a good substitute for you.”
I tapped her on the nose before pulling another Oreo.
“I wish I could rewind and start over. Maybe stayed in the Navy so I didn’t insert myself into places I didn’t need to be.”
“Or,” Boston said softly, “you might’ve been unable to save any of us.”
She had a point.
“What ifs are just that, what ifs. We can’t change the past, we can only guide our future. Nor can we make decisions for others. We have to live the life we’ve been given—the life we’ve had a choice in making—and make the best of it.”
“When did you start sounding so wise?” I asked.
“When I realized that feeling sorry for myself didn’t change anything.” She leveled me with a look. “You really like Eddy, huh?”
“Like is too tame of a word for what I feel for Eddy,” I admitted.
“I like her a lot, too,” she said. “For what it’s worth, I’d be super happy to have her here all the time.”
“You think she knows that you’re half in love with her?” I teased.
Boston’s face flamed. “I can’t wait until she’s better and she can coach me in soccer. I’ve heard so much about her. And meeting Nettie was the highlight of my life.”
“My little soccer star, so in love with two women who have no clue how obsessed you are.” I laughed.
“Do they know you’d heard about them from me?” she asked. “Before you even knew them?”
“No,” I admitted. “I’m not really all that sure how to bring it up, to be honest. It makes me feel weird to tell them that you’ve followed their whole careers.”
“You what?”
We both looked guiltily at the entrance to my bedroom where Eddy was now standing looking at us.
“Uhhh,” Boston drawled.
“You like soccer?” Eddy asked.
“I love soccer,” Boston admitted. “I actually used to follow y’all’s careers. You both came to a tournament that I was at when I was six. My grandmother had taken me since my dad wasn’t able to, and I fell in love with you both.”
“Really?” she asked. “What are the odds?”
“One in a million,” I admitted. “I hate to admit this, but I didn’t even realize who y’all were until I called Boston to tell her about you.”
“That might’ve also been a reason that I hopped on a Greyhound bus and made my way here…”
“You’re joking.” Eddy walked toward us, stiff and hesitant.
“Want some Oreos?” I asked.
Eddy reached us and took a seat between the both of us.
She didn’t dunk an entire Oreo, though. She twisted the two sides apart and ate all the cream before dunking the plain cookies into my milk.
“Blasphemy,” I teased.
She grinned and followed the same steps with her second one.
“We should try those double-stuffed ones next time, Dad,” Boston said. “We like them just as much, but if she likes the filling, she’d probably prefer those.”
“Oh, you don’t have to…” Eddy started, but Boston waved her off.
“Dad likes to buy these because he feels like they’re healthier…” She laughed. “When in actuality, neither cookie is really all that great for you.”