ARTHUR
“Just one more story, daddy. Please? The one with the puppy again.”
Toby looked up at me from beneath his heavy blankets, his eyes wide. This dude wasn’t sleeping anytime soon. He was holding onto my thumb with his entire hand, his grip tight for a kid who was supposed to be exhausted. I looked at his small fingers wrapped around mine, realizing how much I had missed this exact feeling. I had spent weeks convincing myself I was better off alone, but one look at him proved what a f*****g liar I was.
I looked down at the colorful book in my lap. I had already read the exact same story about the lost puppy three times. My throat was dry, and the little racecar bed was definitely not built for a grown man, but looking at his face, I couldn't bring myself to say no. I shifted my weigh
