It wasn’t supposed to happen. Billy wasn’t supposed to come home and turn my life upside down.

I sure as hell wasn’t supposed to fall in love with the giant jerk. Thank God he did come home, though.

He saved me, in more ways than one, him and his little boy. I had planned my life.

From the time I found out I couldn’t have kids, I knew what I was going to do. I was going to be a teacher and I was going to live my life having meaningless situationships until I was too old and then I was going to die alone.

I had come to terms with that. At just about thirty, I was even okay with it.

And then Billy had to come home and ruin my plans. I had noticed Maliha.

How could I not. She was a tiny sprite of a woman, but she was all woman.

I came home with a son that I didn’t know I had. A son that was hidden from me until he served a purpose .

. .

or at least until his mother couldn’t handle him anymore. Then he was dumped on my doorstep and I was left to fend for both of us with absolutely no knowledge of how to be a parent.

Time to move home. Time to ask my mom for help.

Time to convince Maliha she needed me just as much as I needed her. .