If It Makes You Happy: A Small Town Single Dad Romance by Julie Olivia

Author:Julie Olivia [Olivia, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-09-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Cliff

Hand in hand with Michelle, I shimmy through the scratchy bushes and run down the leaf-filled yard in search of my daughter, who’s calling my name. My heart is pounding, my pulse beating into Michelle’s palm.

One second, I was in bliss, holding this beautiful woman by the waist. And now … now …

I’m terrified.

It doesn’t take us long to find the source of the call.

A collection of people stands in a circle near a storm drain. George sees me and solemnly waves me over. The crowd parts when I run up, and Michelle drops my hand when there’s only enough space for me to break through. On the concrete, Brittany is holding her knee through sobs. My stomach plummets.

Maybe it’s like the pumpkin patch. She took a simple fall.

One knee looks scratched, but the other … it’s not as lucky. The wide cut looks like it penetrated deep. My heart leaps into my throat as I squat down beside her.

“Hey, Britt.” I hold her cheeks in my palms. “Tell me what happened.”

Snot slides down her upper lip. She’s sniffling too much to get out words. They’re jumbles of, “Uh,” and, “He,” and, “Scary.” With a single finger, she points at Rocket.

The dog slinks next to Emily, his body crouching low to the ground, whining with his tail tucked between his legs. Emily’s fist is tangled in Rocket’s leash.

“What happened?” I ask Emily.

“One of the yard ghosts scared Rocket,” she says. “When Brittany went to pet him, he freaked out and tried to run. She had the leash, so it dragged her with him.”

My first instinct is to get angry with Rocket. But once the fuel in my veins runs its quick course, I’m sad. I’m sad because Brittany is looking at him like she’s been betrayed.

Brittany sniffles, choking through another outburst of tears. She tries to wipe them with the heel of her hand, but there are rough road marks there too, where she must have caught her fall. I move her hands away and stroke my thumbs over the tears myself.

Michelle—Michelle—takes the leash from Emily’s hand. Rocket scurries behind Michelle’s legs, trailing his belly low to the ground and continuing to whine. Michelle crouches to pet his fur, but the dog only stiffens up more, managing a small warning growl of discomfort.

He’s scared.

And then I realize the small Clifford who was bitten isn’t the same man staring at this dog now.

I know it isn’t Rocket’s fault. It’s Halloween, and any dog would be uneasy around skeletons and ghouls and devils. But I don’t like that my daughter was collateral damage or that he’s taking it out on Michelle too. He’s an animal; expecting rationality from him is ridiculous, but I’m too fueled by irritation. Every extra moment I look at him, the more upset I get.

Brittany squirms in place. She’s overwhelmed with tears. I glance at her knee. The skin is split; the cut is deeper than a Band-Aid can probably handle. I wonder if she’ll need stitches.

I can’t slow down my racing heartbeat.

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