marriage, correct?”
“Of course, I do.” He flops back and runs his hands through his hair.
“Then why the push?” I half-laugh at his behavior.
He pushes himself up off the sofa and looks back at me. “I’m going to take a bath.”
“Hold up.” I stand, walk around him, and feel his forehead. “Are you feeling all right?”
“Of course I am,” he sighs as he walks toward the stairs. “Maybe I’m just growing up.”
The tone, the sarcasm, Jesus Christ, I need to read those damn parenting books. And here I thought I had until he was a teenager.
When my phone vibrates in my pocket, I pull it out and see RED pop up on the screen, fitting since she makes my damn blood boil at the mere thought of her, above the selfie I insisted she take with me alone after she took the one of Shep, her, and I in the woods.
I hit accept call and hold it to my ear. “Miss me already.”
“That was more of a statement than a question,” she says with a smile in her voice.
“Apparently, it was,” I say as I walk to the sink to get a drink of water.
“I just have a quick question, and then I’ll let you get back to doing whatever you were doing.”
“Nathaniel is taking a bath because apparently, I’m frustrating to him as well.”
She laughs softly. “Is that so?”
I tell her about our conversation, leaving out very little, for the sake of balls out and all.
She laughs as she says, “I really can’t wait to get to know him better.”
“Yeah, well, be careful what you wish for.” I laugh to myself.
The line is silent for a few seconds, and then I hear her yawn.
“Tired, Red?”
“Yeah.” I hear rustling.
“You in bed?” I ask quietly.
“Mm-hmm.”
“Christ,” I groan.
“I called for a reason, and I feel like it’s going in a different direction.”
“Is that so?” I ask.
“Yeah, so let’s redirect. I called to ask if you called earlier.”
“Was I supposed to?” I ask, hoping the answer is no.
“No, I just.” She pauses.
My heartbeat accelerates for a totally different reason now. “Just what? Are you okay? Is everything okay? Do I need—”
“Raff, everything is fine. It’s silly. I left my phone on the counter when I was using the bathroom, and I thought I heard my phone ring. When I came out, I could have sworn Nellie had,” she groans. “It’s stupid. I thought she’d answered or declined your call. I checked the call log and didn’t see any missed calls, so I just thought maybe she was up to something. And now I feel bad.”
“It’s okay to be cautious, but it’s unsettling to me. You need to be here.”
“I—”
“Even Nathaniel thinks so.”
“Don’t you dare play the cute kid card.” She laughs.
“Red, I’m not hiding shit up my sleeve. I don’t need to play the cute kid card. I played the multiple O card all damn night, if that doesn’t —”
She laughs out loud, a fucking belly laugh.
“You weren’t laughing this morning; in fact, you were kind of hobbling.”
“Well,” she laughs harder, “no one could ever accuse you of having a silver tongue.”
“No?”
“Nope,” she says, and I can picture the grin on her gorgeous face.
“I don’t care what anyone says about my tongue but you.”
“Well, then. I’d venture to say not silver at all, but it is kind of magical.”
“Fuck,” I groan as I reach down and squeeze my now hardening dick. “I want you so fucking bad right now that—”
“Dad!” Nathaniel yells from upstairs.
“Was that Nate?”
“Only kid I know that calls me dad.”
“Go, we’ll talk soon.”
“Oh, we’ll be doing more than talking.”
She whispers, “I know we will.”
“Sleep well, Red.”
She sighs, “You, too, Raff.” And then she hangs up.
This morning after dropping Nathaniel off at school, I didn’t have time to go to the Sweet Spot. Sally and Bo, my faithful full-timers, met me at Blizzards to hand over the keys and say goodbye. I hate that they are moving south, but for purely selfish reasons. The two of them literally ran my business.
Sally was the talker, Bo, not ever big on words. When she told me to hire three full-timers to replace them and me, I scoffed.
With a wink, she reminded me that life was changing, and then she handed me a file.
Before they left, I handed them an envelope full of cash, the Christmas bonus they would have received had they stayed on, regardless of the fact they’re leaving, it’s well deserved.
I won’t say I didn’t get a little emotional when they walked