Page 79 of Not How I Saw That Going

Ward shakes his head, and takes it from me, tucking it into his side. “Only you.”

He leads us out and buckles Crew in his car seat. We head for the hospital, and maybe it’s just the pain, but I swear Ward is only going twenty miles an hour.

“Don’t you have a siren on this thing?” I groan as the pain flares up.

Ward watches me stifle a scream and thankfully distracts Crew by pointing out the window and asking him to find different colors and signs.

Ward stops at a red light and rummages through the middle console, pulling out a bottle of ibuprofen. “Here.”

I smile despite the pain. “How awfully responsible of you.”

The smile he gives me in return makes me feel woozy, and I haven’t had any painkillers yet. “I’m a trained professional.”

Oof. That was sexy.

I hurry to stuff a piece of pizza in my mouth before I say that out loud.

When we get to the hospital, I stop him before he can park. “Wait, will you take Crew home? I don’t want him to have to wait here,” I say, completely shocked I’m trusting this man to care for my child.

“No! I wanna stay with Mommy,” Crew cries.

My resolve fades.

“Hey buddy, what if we go get a surprise for Mommy?” Ward says to Crew.

He stops crying and looks intrigued. “Mommy gives me suckers when I’m good at the doctor.”

“That’s a great idea,” Ward says, then winks at me.

I hesitate at the door handle, still worried about leaving Crew, but the pain in my wrist and my trust in Ward propels me from the vehicle.

“Mommy, be good so you can get a surprise,” Crew calls to me.

“I will, sweetheart,” I say. “Thank you,” I whisper to Ward, then leave my most precious gift with someone who was just a stranger a few weeks ago.

Twenty Eight

Ward

“Ithoughtweweregetting suckers,” Crew complains when we get back to the apartment.

“We will. Right after we leave a surprise inside.” I say.

He jumps up and down. “What kind of surprise?”

I take him upstairs, and once again I’m floored by the number of boxes and bubble wrap littering the entire apartment. This time, as I wind my way through the endless sea of packaging, I don’t fall into the mess.

That wasn’t my finest moment.

“We are going to smash all these boxes with our big muscles and throw them away so your mommy doesn’t get hurt again.”

“Okay,” Crew says with a nod. I can tell how hard he’s trying to stay brave for his mom, and it’s admirable.

“Alright, show me those muscles,” I say, showing him how to flex.

He raises his arms, and they are the cutest guns I’ve ever seen.

“Let’s smash!”