Chapter Seventeen

Boone

I sent the text before I even thought about it.

What are you doing?

I leaned back in the chair on the deck, watching the sunset dip below the horizon that cast a golden glow over the river. The water moved lazily like it had all the time in the world. Unlike me, who was sitting here wishing I was somewhere else.

My phone buzzed in my hand, and I opened Dolly's message.

Helping Nash with his English paper.

I winced. I had dodged that bullet—no kids, no homework help. Start drinking. That might help , I typed back.

Her response came quick. LMAO. It might come to that.

I smiled, but it wasn't what I was hoping for. I'd been hoping she'd say she wasn't doing much, maybe give me an excuse to swing by. It had been a long day, and I wanted to see her. I wanted to do more than just text back and forth, but I couldn't interrupt her when she was helping Nash. She was a mom first—that much was clear to me.

I stared at the screen, wondering what else to say. Finally, I typed out: When's the last time you had a bagel?

There was a pause before her reply. I think I'm due for one.

That made me grin. I could picture her face, probably smiling, her fingers flying across the keys. Meet me there at 8:30 tomorrow morning? I asked.

My phone buzzed with her response a second later. It's a date.

I tossed my phone on the patio table and leaned back in my chair as I took a swig of my beer. The cool bitterness slid down my throat, but it didn't quite settle the restlessness I felt. I wanted to see her now, not tomorrow morning. But I knew I had to be patient. Dolly had a lot on her plate, and if I was going to be a part of her life again, I had to respect that.

Her kid came first.

I'd always known that if I ever came back into her life, things wouldn't be like they were when we were teenagers. Didn't mean it was easy, though. I wasn't used to waiting, especially not when it came to her. Hell, fifteen years was already more waiting than I ever thought I could handle. I was ready to be in her life now, but I also knew that if I wanted this to work, I couldn't push too hard. I took another drink, letting the beer settle me down. Tomorrow morning couldn't come fast enough. I'd take whatever time I could get with her—breakfast, lunch, late-night visits. It didn't matter.

The sound of crickets chirping filled the quiet of the night, and I glanced down at my phone, itching to text her again. But I stopped myself. I knew she'd be wrapped up with Nash, and I didn't want to take her away from that. Instead, I leaned back in my chair and stared out at the river, watching the water reflect the last bits of sunlight. It was peaceful out here, but peace wasn't what I wanted. I wanted Dolly. I wanted to sit next to her, hear her laugh, feel her hand in mine.

I took one last swig of my beer and set the bottle down on the table. If I was going to be with Dolly, I had to remember that Nash was her number one priority. I respected that, but damn, I couldn't help wanting more of her time to myself. But if it was just an hour in the morning over bagels and coffee I could get, I'd take it.

But what I really wanted… was all of her kisses.