Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery Read Free Book Online

hand.”
    He looked confused, as if the concept was impossible to imagine. Liz agreed with him, but wasn’t willing to buy one for the few weeks they would be in town. At least there was a microwave. A true necessity, she thought. Popcorn was required for movie night.
    â€œWhat are we going to do today?” he asked, returning to the table.
    â€œI thought we’d take a walk through town,” she offered, studying his familiar features and wondering if anyone who saw him would guess the truth. To her he looked exactly like Ethan, but that could just be because she was looking for certain features. “Then you can play Xbox while I work.”
    His dark eyes crinkled. “I love summer vacation.”
    â€œI’m sure you do. But you aren’t going to spend three months getting great at your favorite game.” Once they were back in San Francisco, there would be classes and a couple of weeks at camp. Maybe there was a day program here she could get him in. And the girls, too, she thought. Although Melissa might be too old.
    â€œHow about two months?” Tyler suggested, wiggling his eyebrows. “And twenty-nine days.”
    â€œUnlikely.” She drew in a breath and wished he was next to her so she could hold him tight. Because as soon as she said the words, everything was going to change. She knew that. The truth would change everything and they would never go back.
    â€œI have to talk to you about something,” she said, then added, “It’s not bad.”
    â€œOkay.”
    He waited patiently, trusting her. Because she’d never lied to him, had never let him down. She annoyed him because she was the mom and there were rules, but that was different. Expected.
    â€œYou’ve asked me about your dad a lot,” she began. “And I would never talk about him.”
    He wrinkled his nose. “I know.”
    â€œI’m ready to talk about him now.”
    Tyler had been leaning back in the kitchen chair. But then he sat up and stretched his arms toward her, his expression expectant. “My dad?”
    She nodded. “He’s, um, he’s a good guy. A contractor. That’s someone who builds things, like houses and—”
    Tyler sighed heavily. “I know what a contractor is, Mom.”
    â€œOh. Of course you do. Well, he’s a contractor and he also builds windmills. The kind that generate electricity.”
    â€œWind turbines.”
    â€œWhat?”
    Tyler looked a little smug. “They’re called wind turbines.”
    â€œThank you.” She shifted in her seat, wishing she didn’t have to tell him and that everything could stay the same. Only that was selfish. Tyler deserved to know his dad and Ethan…well, he deserved to know his son, too.
    â€œHe lives here. In Fool’s Gold. You’re going to be meeting him tonight.”
    Tyler was out of the chair faster than light. He raced toward her, then threw himself at her and held on tight. “I’m meeting my dad? For real?”
    â€œYes. I saw him last night and he wants to meet you.”
    Tyler stared into her eyes. “Tonight?”
    â€œAt six.”
    An awkward time, she thought. They either had to eat really early or really late. Not that she would be in the mood for food and Tyler would probably be too excited, but the girls needed dinner.
    She would make them something at five, she thought absently, pulling the shopping list toward her.
    â€œMy dad’s coming here?”
    â€œUh-huh.”
    â€œYou really saw him and everything?”
    She hugged him, wishing she could hold on tight forever. “I did.” She smoothed back his hair, then stared into his dark eyes. “Stuff with grown-ups gets complicated sometimes. I came back to talk to him about you when you were six. He wasn’t here. He was away on business. So I told someone else about you and she promised to tell him, only she didn’t.”
    That much was