laughs, pretending to eat her skinny legs.
The little girl, who looks to be eight or nine years old, squeals with delight. "Let go! Let go! You suck big fat monkeys, dude! Aaaaaah!" She squirms and squeals, trying to break free, but his grip is firm. It looks like he's shaking loose change from her pockets.
I'm stunned. Graham is already adorable in the best kind of way, but seeing him roughhousing with this little girl causes my hormones to go into hyperdrive. I think I may have sprained an ovary.
The two other women whisper to each other, laughing as they continue to approach us. This is it. I push myself off the bench, putting my best plastic smile on, and attempting to look as amiable as possible. The two women reach us, and I stand awkwardly behind everyone, waiting for my introduction.
"Hello, Graham!" The blond tilts her head to the side and greets Graham with fondness in her voice. She places a hand on his arm.
"Hi, L... Hey! OW! Did you just bite me, Crab Cake?" Graham looks down at the little girl, who has a wicked smirk on her face, made all the more mischievous by the gap in the top row left by a recently fallen tooth. The resemblance between them is remarkable, right down to the thick, dark, wavy hair, and blue eyes.
The blond shakes her head and continues, "Graham, this is Trish. She's new to our team, and will be working with this little squirt's group."
Well, that rules out the brunette. So the preppy blond with the bright blue eyes and soft, shy smile is THE Lori. Her hand is still resting on Graham's arm. He nods in the brunette's direction. "Nice to meet you Trish, and I hope Crab Face, here, isn't giving you too much trouble. Hey! Watch the family jewels there, Crabapple!" He scoots his hips backward, bending at the waist to keep his stones away from the little girl's swinging fists. This sudden defense prompts the blond to let go of his arm. She notices me standing behind their group, and looks at me quizzically, assessing me. Here we go. I shoot her what I hope is a friendly smile, but our attention diverts back to the little girl who's still putting up a struggle.
"I'm not a crab, you crusty barnacle, now let me go!" Her face is growing beet red from hanging upside down, and she's laughing uncontrollably. The whole scene is so real. It's beautiful and painful and out of my reach. All the riches in the world can't buy that kind of happiness.
The blond disrupts my epiphany by saying, "I have to get back to the playground before anyone goes missing. I'll see you tomorrow, Graham." She bends at the waist, tilting her head to the side until she's almost upside down, facing the little girl. "And I'll definitely see you tomorrow after school, Lori."
The little girl stops fussing for the short time it takes to wave back to the blond and says, "Bye, Lilah! Bye, Trish!"
Graham puts the little girl back down on her feet and places his hands on her shoulders. The two women turn back toward the playground, where a large group of kids swing and climb giant rocks.
Shock doesn't even come close to what's going on inside of me. What the hell just happened? I need to process this. I back up until the backs of my legs hit the bench and let myself plop down. The infamous Lori, the person who owns Graham's heart, the woman I thought was his girlfriend, is a little girl?
With the physical resemblance, there's no way he can deny it. Plus, with the way he talks about her, the way his eyes light up every time she calls—of course, he'd wear a look of total devotion. No wonder he laughed his ass off at me when I suggested his girlfriend would be jealous of me.
Lori is not Graham's girlfriend. She's his daughter.
Graham is a father.
"Holy shit!"
CHAPTER 14
" S hit is a bad word . Will Kia have to wash her mouth out with soap, too?" Lori tilts her head to the side, studying me curiously, while I stare, wide-eyed, mumbling to myself. Graham stands behind her cocking his head at an identical angle. They look so
The little girl, who looks to be eight or nine years old, squeals with delight. "Let go! Let go! You suck big fat monkeys, dude! Aaaaaah!" She squirms and squeals, trying to break free, but his grip is firm. It looks like he's shaking loose change from her pockets.
I'm stunned. Graham is already adorable in the best kind of way, but seeing him roughhousing with this little girl causes my hormones to go into hyperdrive. I think I may have sprained an ovary.
The two other women whisper to each other, laughing as they continue to approach us. This is it. I push myself off the bench, putting my best plastic smile on, and attempting to look as amiable as possible. The two women reach us, and I stand awkwardly behind everyone, waiting for my introduction.
"Hello, Graham!" The blond tilts her head to the side and greets Graham with fondness in her voice. She places a hand on his arm.
"Hi, L... Hey! OW! Did you just bite me, Crab Cake?" Graham looks down at the little girl, who has a wicked smirk on her face, made all the more mischievous by the gap in the top row left by a recently fallen tooth. The resemblance between them is remarkable, right down to the thick, dark, wavy hair, and blue eyes.
The blond shakes her head and continues, "Graham, this is Trish. She's new to our team, and will be working with this little squirt's group."
Well, that rules out the brunette. So the preppy blond with the bright blue eyes and soft, shy smile is THE Lori. Her hand is still resting on Graham's arm. He nods in the brunette's direction. "Nice to meet you Trish, and I hope Crab Face, here, isn't giving you too much trouble. Hey! Watch the family jewels there, Crabapple!" He scoots his hips backward, bending at the waist to keep his stones away from the little girl's swinging fists. This sudden defense prompts the blond to let go of his arm. She notices me standing behind their group, and looks at me quizzically, assessing me. Here we go. I shoot her what I hope is a friendly smile, but our attention diverts back to the little girl who's still putting up a struggle.
"I'm not a crab, you crusty barnacle, now let me go!" Her face is growing beet red from hanging upside down, and she's laughing uncontrollably. The whole scene is so real. It's beautiful and painful and out of my reach. All the riches in the world can't buy that kind of happiness.
The blond disrupts my epiphany by saying, "I have to get back to the playground before anyone goes missing. I'll see you tomorrow, Graham." She bends at the waist, tilting her head to the side until she's almost upside down, facing the little girl. "And I'll definitely see you tomorrow after school, Lori."
The little girl stops fussing for the short time it takes to wave back to the blond and says, "Bye, Lilah! Bye, Trish!"
Graham puts the little girl back down on her feet and places his hands on her shoulders. The two women turn back toward the playground, where a large group of kids swing and climb giant rocks.
Shock doesn't even come close to what's going on inside of me. What the hell just happened? I need to process this. I back up until the backs of my legs hit the bench and let myself plop down. The infamous Lori, the person who owns Graham's heart, the woman I thought was his girlfriend, is a little girl?
With the physical resemblance, there's no way he can deny it. Plus, with the way he talks about her, the way his eyes light up every time she calls—of course, he'd wear a look of total devotion. No wonder he laughed his ass off at me when I suggested his girlfriend would be jealous of me.
Lori is not Graham's girlfriend. She's his daughter.
Graham is a father.
"Holy shit!"
CHAPTER 14
" S hit is a bad word . Will Kia have to wash her mouth out with soap, too?" Lori tilts her head to the side, studying me curiously, while I stare, wide-eyed, mumbling to myself. Graham stands behind her cocking his head at an identical angle. They look so
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