Page 6 of October
Ash just laughs and sighs heavily. “We’d love to have you, Wren.”
While Casey tells me all about the fun we are going to have on the six-hour drive to her grandparents’… all I can think about is that six-hour drive back all alone with her father.
Chapter 3
Ash
My daughter is onlyone of two things at the moment.
She’s either the world’s greatest wingman, or she’s the death of me. The jury is still out on which one exactly she is.
Being in close proximity to Wren is fine, easy, when Casey is around. She levels the playing field. The attraction is still there, but I’m able to push it aside when I’m in “dad mode.”
But when we are alone…
I push the thought aside and scroll the weather app on my phone. We are going to be trying to outrun one hell of a storm if we don’t get moving soon.
“Dad! I’m ready to gooooo!” Casey shouts as she jumps down the last two stairs with her pink backpack hanging from her shoulders.
“I see that.” I bend down to adjust her straps. “Have everything you want for the car in your backpack?”
“Yep, yep, yep,” she exclaims, hopping up and down.
“Someone is excited to go see Grammie today.” I laugh.
“I am so excited! She said we are going to swim in the pool and go to the zoo and go to the petting zoo and go get funnel cakes from a food truck and and and and so many things!” She rambles off in rapid succession without even taking a breath. It was just a long, run-on sentence. Not a comma in sight.
I laugh and kiss the top of her head. “I have a feeling Grammie is going to be exhausted after you’re gone.”
The knock on the door pulls our attention for a moment, then sends Casey into another excited whirlwind. “Wren’s here! Wren’s here! We can go now! Come on!”
“Come on in,” I say loud enough for her to hear on the other side of the door.
The door pops open and in walks the main character of my fantasies, wearing the most incredible looking short shorts that I’ve ever seen.
“Who’s ready for a road trip?” she asks, smiling down at Casey.
“Me-me-me-me!” Casey replies excitedly.
“Good, and guess what? I even made a special playlist on my phone just for you. If your dad says it’s cool, we can play it the whole time.” She looks up at me and wrinkles her nose. “How do you feel about that?”
“I say that I’m outnumbered. You can play whatever you’d like.”
“YES!” Casey exclaims. “Let’s hit the road, Jacks.”
“Go load up, Casey. Car is unlocked. I’ll make sure we have everything from here and be right out.”
We both watch her bound out the door and into the garage to settle into her spot in the back, leaving us alone in my entryway.
“She seems excited,” Wren says, breaking the silence.
“You have no idea.” I chuckle. “Thanks again for coming. It means a lot to her. She didn’t want to lose any extra time with you.”
“I’m flattered, honestly. I love that kid.”
“She loves you. That’s for sure.” I check my pockets, making sure I have everything I need. “Are you all set? Do you need anything before we head out?”
She shakes her head. “Nope. I’m all good.” She holds up her phone to indicate that it’s all she needs and ends up dropping it to the hardwood floor. “Shit.”
