I laugh and before I know it, we’ve filled up the whole damn sheet and Dani stands to leave. I look down at our list and smile.

“You’re going to have one hell of a fight on your hands here, Lee,” she says and wraps her arms around me in a hug of support.

“Yeah, but it’s one worth fighting.”

She gives me a squeeze and mumbles, “I’m here if you need me.”

“Thanks for today, Dani. Go get home to your boys before Cohen comes kicking my door in.”

After walking Dani out, I head over to my cell and pull up an empty text screen. I send what I need and with a smile I head to the living room to catch up on Sports Center before bed.

I SAVED THE DOCUMENT I had been working on when my phone chimes. Molly crashed early, so I had been working for a little while before bed. It wasn’t often that I got to work before the late hours, so I was soaking it up while I could. One plus about being an author, I set my own hours. Of course the flip side of that, with each release, it was a little bittersweet because I didn’t have anyone to share those moments with.

My phone chimes again and I’m reminded of the text that came through earlier.

Unknown: Your house. Tomorrow. Noon.

What in the world?

I run through my mind who could possibly be texting me when my phone goes off again.

Unknown: Don’t ignore me. I’ll find you.

A shiver runs through me.

Me: Who is this?

Unknown: Lee, baby.

I drop my phone and listen as it clatters against my desk. Liam. My God, he doesn’t give up. I pick up my phone and without much thought, program him into my phone.

Me: I’m busy.

Liam: Don’t lie, darlin', we both know you aren’t busy. Molly will be in school so don’t use her as an excuse either. It’s my last off day and WE have plans. Night, doll.

Me: I won’t be here.

Liam: Then I’ll find you.

Me: Liam . . .

Liam: Megan . . .

I ignore him. If I continue with this bazaar game he seems to be playing then I’ll just encourage him. I turn my attention back to my computer when my phone chimes again. I spend a few seconds telling myself not to look. Just ignore it. My willpower lasts all of five of those seconds and when a reminder chime goes off, I snatch the phone up and I can’t help the smile that slowly tugs my lips up.

Liam: Sweet dreams, darlin'.

I don’t respond. I don’t acknowledge the warm feeling that covers me like a blanket either. But I also don’t stop smiling until long after those sweet dreams he told me to have had taken over.

Each and every one of them included Liam Beckett.

“Mommy! I want to wear the white ones,” Molly whines and points to her dress shoes.

“Baby, not today. Let’s wear those when you get home from school. The last time you wore them you had blisters. Remember how bad you said your feet hurt?”

She wrinkles her little button nose and her smile drops.

“How about when you get home we can put on a fashion show? We can both wear our pretty shoes.”

Just as quickly her mood changes and a big smile takes over her adorable face.

“Kay!” she screams and leaps up to wrap her arms around my neck, causing me to lose my balance from where I had been hunched down to pull her shoes out of the hall closet.

We both land and laugh before I climb up and finish getting her ready for school. By the time we leave the house we’re already running ten minutes behind. I try not to pay too much attention to how beautiful my yard looks now that Liam spent yesterday morning giving it some much needed attention. I definitely don’t look at the fence on the side of the house that now doesn’t look like it is about to fall apart. I most definitely don’t look at my now weedless flowerbed and its addition of a wide variety of new flowers he planted yesterday in a rainbow of colors. Nope. I don’t notice any of that. And I for sure don’t have a huge grin on my face as I drive away from my now perfect yard.

After I drop Molly off at school, I head to the grocery store to get a good shop in while I don’t have an energetic five year old with me. The last time she was with me at the store, she very loudly told me and everyone around the freezer section how her ‘gina’—what she calls her vagina—got cold when I opened the door to get some ice cream. That’s my Molly. No filter at all.

By the time I finish up my shop it’s only nine so I rush home and unload before heading back out to run some errands. Errands I really don’t need to run.

My plan is to stay as busy as possible. I have to pick up Molly at two thirty, so I have a lot of time to kill. So I do what every woman does when you need to kill a few hours, just walk into a Target. You could probably lose a decade of your life in one shopping trip, not to mention spend enough money to need a second mortgage. That store, it’s my crack.