Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 99017 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99017 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
“It’s not crap. It’s the right thing to do. It’s not fair to ask you to do something for free that you were being paid a salary to do before you and I were a thing.”
“I’m still getting paid, Dean,” she says with a huff that makes it clear she thinks I’m being crazy. “You paid me two months’ severance in advance, remember? And I’m living in your apartment rent-free.”
“But that doesn’t—”
“Also, pretty sure you’ve paid for most of my groceries since I moved in. And that wasn’t even in our contract.”
I roll my eyes. “So what? It’s not like you eat that much. And you’ve helped cook dinner dozens of times, which wasn’t in your contract, either. None of that means you have to step in now, when the contract is no longer in place. Especially not for free.”
“I know, I don’t have to,” she says as she dumps the flour mess in the trash. “I want to. I care about the girls, and I don’t want them to be rushed into an overnight with someone they don’t know or trust.” Her gaze softens. “And I care about you. I want to help make your life easier when I can. It’s what people in a relationship do, you know?”
I dump the smashed mushrooms and olive pits in the trash, too, and linger beside her. “You’re sure?”
“Pretty sure,” she says, arching a teasing brow. “I’ve never had a relationship like this before, so I can’t say from firsthand experience, but…” She shrugs a shoulder. “I mean, it feels pretty grown-up and healthy.”
“It does.” I wrap an arm around her waist. “I like being grown up and healthy with you.” I dip my head closer to hers as I murmur in a softer voice, “Especially the grown-up part.”
“Me, too.” She leans into me, her chin tilting up until I have no choice but to kiss her.
It’s a relatively sweet kiss, at least as far as our kisses go, lately. We’re in a honeymoon phase, where the heat between us goes from zero to “so hot we have to rush into the closest room with a lock for a quickie” with a frequency that’s probably bad for my heart, but we both know there’s no time for that right now. The girls will be back soon. It’s almost time for dinner.
Still, I can’t help stroking my tongue against hers, relishing the taste of her, and how perfect she feels pressed against me. In a cozy sweatshirt and silky pajama pants, she’s especially huggable tonight, so soft and warm it seems a shame not to squeeze in time for a movie before the kids go to bed.
I’m about to suggest I pack fast now, while she gets the girls set up with dinner, so we can have couch cuddle time, when a gagging sound echoes through the kitchen.
Clover and I jump apart, but it’s too late.
We’ve been caught.
Twenty-Two
DEAN
Ava and Bella stand in the doorway, watching us with wide eyes.
They’re both clearly surprised, but Bella is having the more…powerful reaction.
A fact she proves as she sticks out her tongue and makes another gagging sound so loud and visceral, I point a finger at her face and warn, “Bella, don’t. You’re going to make yourself sick. And if you make yourself sick, you can’t have pizza. And I know you want pizza.”
She presses her lips together, wrinkling her nose before announcing, “Okay, but no licking, Daddy. Licking is gross.” She sighs, clearly disturbed as she continues her lecture, “We don’t lick our friends. We keep our tongues to ourselves. If you keep licking her, you’re going to make Clover feel sick, too!”
Clover snorts in amusement. “It’s okay, Bella. Daddy doesn’t make me feel sick. I really like your daddy. And I like the way he kisses me. Sometimes, when grown-ups really like each other, they kiss like that. It’s not a big deal.”
Ava’s eyes get even bigger. “Really?”
I nod. “Yeah.” I glance Clover’s way before I add, “I mean, it is kind of a big deal, because I really like Clover, too.” I take her hand, loving the way her fingers thread through mine. A united front, we turn back to the girls. “But it’s nothing you guys need to be upset about, I promise. Now, who wants salad while we wait for the pizza to finish cooking?”
“I do,” Bella cheers, her disgust a thing of the past as she hurries over to the table. “I love salad! Clover, did you put broccoli in it this time?”
“I did,” Clover says. “And edamame, the little hard green beans you like.”
Bella cheers again, but Ava continues to hesitate at the door, prompting me to ask, “Is everything okay, Ava? If you have more questions about Clover and me, you can ask them. That’s fine.” We didn’t plan on having the “we’re more than friends” talk with the girls tonight, but now that we’ve been caught, I don’t see any other choice but to face it head-on.