Right With Me - Stacey Lewis Page 0,53
between us.
As much as I hate to do it, I step around Mitchell and turn to face him. “Let me handle this,” I tell him in a low voice. He doesn’t want to let me; I can tell by the way he clenches his jaw to keep from telling me hell no.
Once I’m sure he’s going to stay quiet, I turn to my ex. “You act like I set him down in the middle of a busy parking lot and left him to go sit down and drink a margarita. Nothing could be further from the truth. He’s right here,” I point down to where Connor is sitting between us “I would never let something happen to my son.”
I expect him to say something, to argue further with me, but he doesn’t. After a quick look at Mitchell that has me clenching my hands at my side, because dammit, I’m the one he should be scared of right now, not Mitchell, he turns away.
While I could argue and try to force him to listen to me, it would cause more trouble than it’s worth. Instead, I pick Connor up despite his protesting. He doesn’t want to be carried, so he struggles the whole time I’m holding him and doesn’t calm down until I set him down in the soft grass of the playground.
This is when Seth decides he’s ready to actually act like a parent, so he walks over to us and crouches in front of his son, careful not to let his stupid pants touch the grass. He starts talking to Connor who’s still mad he’s not on the asphalt. The longer Connor ignores him, the more irritated I watch him become.
It shouldn’t amuse me, but it does. I have to bite down on my lip to keep from smiling because this is what having a three-year-old is like all the time. They might say the twos are terrible, but it doesn’t just suddenly stop on the third birthday. In fact, based on some of the ornery kids in my class, it might just continue until adulthood.
Mitchell’s warmth hits my chest and he takes my hand in his, leading me over to one of the picnic tables close by. “C’mon, let’s give them a little time to get to know each other. We can sit over here so you’re close to Connor, but don’t have to listen to him being a fucking pussy.”
His words make me laugh so hard I snort. Seth’s head snaps up so he can glare at us, but he wisely doesn’t make any comments, so I relax.
“It’s been a long week,” Mitchell starts, trying to keep me distracted. “I don’t know about you, but I’m glad it’s finally the weekend.”
Maybe for him it’s been long. “For me, it felt like the week flew by because I was dreading today.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” He’s holding my hand in both of his and rubbing my palm like he’s massaging it.
It feels so good. “Mmm,” I let out a small groan. Mitchell’s fingers are magical. The thought makes me remember just how magical they were last weekend and I squeeze my thighs together to relieve some of the pressure.
“Hey now,” he smiles devilishly down at me. “None of that when I can’t do anything about it.”
“Sorry,” I say with a shrug, not really sorry at all.
Mitchell smiles down at our hands as he shakes his head. “No, you’re not.”
“You’re right.” I nudge his knee with mine, wanting him to look at me again. Having his eyes on me, the way he looks at me like I’m the only thing he sees, it makes me feel amazing, like I’m the most important thing to him. I crave the way he wants me. I want him the same way.
Being around him is like being a teenager again. The butterflies in your stomach when you first meet a guy, the nervousness that comes with being around him, and having all his attention centered on you. It’s a heady feeling, one I don’t want to get rid of anytime soon.
We haven’t been sitting here very long, maybe twenty minutes, when Seth calls my name. When I turn my attention back to him, he’s standing, brushing off his pristine pants. As much as I want to stay where I am, I walk back towards him to see what he wants since he’s just staring at me, waiting for something. I just don’t know what until I’m standing before him.
Seth looks down at