“Good morning,” I reply, smiling at her reflection in the rearview mirror before turning my attention to my phone.
Gabby: Did anything exciting happen since I talked to you last?
Bianca: I went to sleep. Does that count?
Gabby: No.
Bianca: Okay… Hmm… Well, Kingston was there this morning when I woke up. I saw him sleeping on the couch, but he didn’t see me. He made me breakfast.
Gabby: OMG. Is he really dating your mom?
Bianca: That’s what they say, but I don’t think so.
I don’t know why I think that. At first, I thought they were dating. My mom even said they were. It’s kind of strange because I’ve heard it mentioned a few times, and someone said they heard it on the news, but I don’t think it’s real. Not completely real, anyway. I think they definitely like each other … a lot. But I’m not sure it’s what it looks like. If it was, would he really be sleeping on the couch?
Gabby: What if he is? What happens if your dad finds you? Won’t he be mad that your mom has a boyfriend?
The questions still confuse me. I’ve been trying to understand what Gabby means. I mean, yes, it sounds like it could happen. My dad won’t want to be around my mom if she has a boyfriend. But that’s only if he likes her. What if he only likes me? What if my dad doesn’t like my mom?
I frown. I hadn’t thought about that before.
While Gabby’s mom pulls into the parking lot of the school, I tuck my phone into my pocket and consider all this new information. I really don’t know what to do. It doesn’t look like my dad’s going to contact my mom. If he doesn’t, does that mean my mom will marry Kingston? I mean, I like Kingston. He’s fun to be around. He always does stuff with me, but … I can’t see him as my dad.
Or can I?
Kingston
The instant I hear the front door shut, I move around the bar to stand behind Ellie. She hasn’t sat down again, but I want her to eat her breakfast before she comes up with an excuse to send me on my way. I can practically see the wheels turning in her head, trying to come up with a polite way to make me leave.
I’m not leaving.
Not yet.
“How’s your head?” I ask, putting my hands on her shoulders and guiding her back to the barstool.
Her muscles tense beneath my fingers.
“Whatever you gave me worked like a charm.”
I smile to myself. I gave her an orgasm, but I doubt she’s referring to that.
I’ve been replaying that scene over and over in my head ever since I tucked her into bed, then got comfortable on the couch. I remembered to set an alarm to ensure that I was awake before Bianca got up. The last thing I want is for the kid to think I stayed over. I doubt Bianca would think anything of it, but I know how Ellie is about that. She never allows men to sleep over. I’m not even sure I can remember a time when she introduced one to Bianca.
That makes me think about Bianca’s Facebook post. It bothers me a little that Ellie doesn’t trust me when it comes to that. She said she monitors Bianca’s Facebook, so she must know. Spencer hasn’t mentioned it, either, but I haven’t brought it up. I’m not sure there’s a good way. I can’t see myself blurting the question out, asking whether he knows that his sister is trying to locate her Vegas hookup. Probably the type of question that’ll get me punched. Especially since it’s not supposed to be my business.
Or it really isn’t my business.
Either way.
It doesn’t matter because I know Ellie’s a phenomenal mother. Everything she does reflects that. Every decision she has made since the day she found out she was pregnant proves that Bianca is the most important thing in her world. I respect that. She loves Bianca and only wants her to be happy, so if finding her dad will ensure that, I can see why she’d do it.
“You don’t have to stay,” Ellie says, pulling me from my thoughts.
I realize I’ve been standing there kneading her shoulders while she picks at her food.
“We need to talk,” I tell her before she tells me all the things she has to do today and why I should head out.