Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“You can travel,” he said, giving me permission. “That sounds great. But maybe wait until the summer, because I might wanna go.”
“Me too,” Hannah chimed in. “I saved Italy for you and Dad.”
She had been to Paris, of course, having gone with Aaron more than once, and England as well. I was not at all the globe-trotter she was.
“Okay,” I whispered, snatching the salad back from him.
Kola took it away from me again and then leaned in and gave me a one-armed hug that squeezed the air from my body. I couldn’t move, so I knew it was sincere. Hannah was next, and finally Jake, who said that he would still be there at the house.
“I have no desire to live in a dorm,” he announced, and I realized that I would be very happy to keep Jake.
Sam arrived home and was pleased to see that we were all eating since he was starving. Crossing the kitchen to me, he grabbed me tight and kissed me hard, and as always, that was good. He had news as well.
“They found the five guys, and it looks like they’re part of a drug cartel out of Sinaloa, so you did really great tonight, love,” he told his daughter.
She, of course, melted under his admiring gaze and lavish praise.
“And you guys handled yourselves well during your detention,” Sam commended the boys. “I’m very proud of both of you.”
All the love floating around the kitchen had me beaming with happiness.
“But what was all that about me worrying your father?” Sam asked the kids. “I’m the good one. You guys are the ones that take years off his life with your antics.”
Kola laughed at him.
Hannah gasped.
Jake put his hands under his chair, lifted up, and moved away from Sam.
“What’re you doing?” Sam groused at him.
“I don’t wanna be anywhere near you when the lightning bolt comes through the ceiling,” Jake apprised him.
“That’s ridiculous,” Sam scoffed, looking over at me as I shook my head. “What? When have you ever had to worry about me?”
But Kola had a list on his phone, so I didn’t have to say a word.
That's it, all. Have a good rest of June and stay safe and healthy. I'll see you in July.
JULY 2022
Hello, all, happy July 2022 and welcome to He Said, he said and the ongoing trials and tribulations of the Kage-Harcourt clan. I’ve been saying Kage-Harcourt for years, because even though Sam Kage and I are married, I didn’t change my name from just Harcourt. I don’t even hyphenate. For me, because I was not born a Harcourt, but made one when my brother basically adopted me and had me change my name, it’s always been a weird subject for me. Lately though, my husband has been not so subtly hinting that he’d like to see a change in this area. I haven’t asked why, because once I ask, the door is open and we have to have a discussion. Besides, we’re dealing with other things, big huge things like becoming empty nesters.
“Wait, what?” I asked my son’s best friend, Jake, who’s been living with us since his parents got divorced and both moved out of state.
He shrugged. “I’m going to go to Stanford with Kola. They have a great civil engineering department, and they’ll let me transfer.”
“Yes, but––”
“They want me,” he said, smiling sheepishly. “And, you know, a lot has changed since the beginning of the year.”
He meant between himself and Hannah.
“And I think I need to spread my wings too, and going someplace without any parents super close by will be good.”
I was upstairs in my bathroom when my husband found me an hour later.
“Hey,” he greeted me, talking to me from the doorway. “What’s going on?”
“Jake’s leaving too,” I got out before I started crying.
“I know. He told me.”
“I wasn’t counting on Jake not being here.”
“Jake was never yours to begin with.”
“Really? Are you sure? Because my grocery bill says different.”
He chuckled. “Okay. You’re right. I misspoke. But you’re not looking at the upside of this,” he assured me. “Now we can have sex on the couch.”
“We’ve had sex on the couch,” I replied before blowing my nose with toilet paper.
“But now we can do it whenever we want.”
I looked up at him, only to watch him dissolve as hot tears filled my eyes.
“Oh, love,” he murmured, walking over to crouch down in front of me and take hold of my hands. “It’s gonna be okay.”
“I will lose my mind worrying about them every day and not being able to see them.”
“At first, I’m sure,” he agreed, leaning forward to kiss my cheek. “But it’ll change, because it has to.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Because kids leave home and live their own lives,” he assured me. “I think we’ve put down deep enough roots with our kids that they’ll want to come visit, but we have to take into consideration that they might end up with people who have wonderful parents just like us.”