Counting Paths

Chapter 24.

"Come on, kid." I draw her into my embrace, hugging her tightly, and kiss the top of her head. "I love you."

"I love you too." She squeezes me. I lean away from her enough to open the box and see it's a real, male watch with a green band and a yellow case. "I hope you like the colors," she whispers. "I know it's-"

I quickly put it on. "Thank you, Sterling. I love both watches."

She laughs softly. "Which one do you like more."

"This watch, obviously, but I'll keep the hello kitty one close."

She smiles widely. "Kevin said it wouldn't matter what I got you because it came from me, so I got the hello kitty watch to see if it was true-I'm sorry."

"Kevin should mind his damn business. But, yes, it means a lot more to me the fact that you gave it to me, but I truly like the watch. I would've gotten it for myself. Thank you so much."

She squeals happily.

"Can you take Moose outside for me and start her bath? I'll be out there in a second."

"Okay!"

She puts down everything, then hurries out of the kitchen.

"How much?" I ask Kevin.

"She bought everything herself."

"How?"

"She had some money saved. Does it really matter?"

"Of course not. I just thought..."

"And you're right. Whatever she decided to give you, I would've paid for it," he tells me. "But she really wanted to get you something with her...own money." He chuckles to himself.

"What's so funny?"

"She got the money from selling a gold chain she stole from Shan."

I laugh. "Thank you for taking her today."

He shrugs. "It was nothing."

"Okay."

I put down my new watch, and start to walk away, but he rushes out, "that wasn't your first time saying I love you, was it?"

I stop and face him again. "No."

"I...like Sterling. I care about her. I don't want her to leave."

I nod. "As long as she wants to be here with us, I'm not letting her go."

Sterling

After Roland and I give Moose a bath on the side of the house, we dry her off in the front door. Once she's cleaned and no longer dripping wet, she's allowed inside the house, and Roland disappears upstairs to take a shower. Moose and I settle down in the living room to watch Wreck-It Ralph while Kevin stays in the kitchen and gets started on a late lunch.

Twenty minutes into the movie, Moose lifts her head from my head and looks back over the couch. I don't think much of it, I figure Roland must've taken a quick shower and he's about to enter the room. I focus a little more on the noise in the background and I hear the front door close. I look back at the entrance as a tall man in his late twenties walks in.

"Hi," I say. Roland never locks his front door, every time I ask about it, he says no one's stupid enough to break in and try anything. Random people-well, random people to me just walk in from time to time. They work for Roland, of course, they call me Princess and they're always happy to see me. Sometimes it's forced and I know it's because they're worried I might say something to Roland and get them in trouble.