Chapter 3

He forced a smile. “Hey, Ma.”

She smiled back. “Hi, honey. Did you have a nice visit with Danny?”

“Yeah. Actually, Ma, I invited him over to have dinner with us tonight. Is that okay? I can tell him not to come if it’s too much.”

His mother shook her head. “Don’t be silly. I like Danny. It’s nice that you’re trying to get reacquainted.”

Jason nodded. “You want to sit out on the back porch for a little bit? I can bring you a cup of tea and we can just sit there and enjoy the breeze.”

“Oh, yes, that would be wonderful, Jason.”

He scooped her up in his arms, making sure to take the blanket with her. Her arms wrapped around his neck. She didn’t weigh much more than a puppy. His heart twisted.

It should have been a breeze to carry her outside, but with his messed up leg, carrying her to the sliding glass door and out to the covered porch made him break out in a sweat. He winced and set her down on a cushy lounger they’d set up for her earlier.