“Oh… kay,” I agreed slowly, not getting this either. Then again, my stepmonster mostly ignored me and I returned the favor. We existed in the same house. She gave an effort that was all show when she thought she’d get something from my father in return. Usually, even when I was really young, she went her way and I went mine.
My Mom called her a scheming, greedy gold digger which was what she was seeing as she was Daddy’s secretary before he divorced my mother to make her his wife. And I liked my Mom as best I could, seeing as my Dad devoted his life to all things f**ked up including doing everything within his formidable power to make my mother’s life miserable and that included keeping me away from her. He did this until she gave up the fight and took off to California. Before that, no way I’d use the stepmonster to screw with precious time with my Mom. No way in hell.
But, whatever. Kara Creed was not me. I was just going to have to deal.
“Brand’s Brand,” he went on, taking me from my thoughts. “He likes everyone. His response to me tellin’ them about you was, ’Awesome cool, Dad’.” Creed said the last with a smile and kept talking. “He likes people. He’s social. Talkative. Even when he was a baby, he met people’s eyes and smiled at them. Just like my Dad. Dad could and did talk to anybody. He never went anywhere where he didn’t have a friend, mostly because he made friends if there wasn’t one there already. Brand’s just like that.”
That sounded better so I gave him a smile and a squeeze.
His expression grew thoughtful and his gaze drifted over my head as he murmured, “Chelle’s happy for me.”
I blinked up at him. “Say again?”
He looked down at me. “She didn’t do cartwheels but yeah, you heard me. She was happy.”
“You’re kidding,” I whispered, not having a good feeling about this.
“Baby, your name is inked on my back and she loves me no matter I dicked her over. You don’t know her, we haven’t gotten deep about her but I told you she’s a good woman. When I say that I mean, she’s a really f**kin’ good woman. Funny, loving, smart, sweet. In a f**ked up drunken speech, I gave it all to her. She knows about the lake, the pier, the necklaces, the promises, all our history. You’re inked on my skin. I named her kids your names. That shit, our shit, our history, our connection was and is extreme. She gets that better than anyone but you and me and she loves me. She can’t have me but she can be happy that I have what I need.”
Okay, he was a man so he didn’t get this shit but women so did not work that way.
Ever.
“Okay,” I said but even I could hear I was full of shit.
His arms gave me a squeeze and his face dropped closer to mine. “You’ll meet her and you’ll see. She is not like other women. She’s just Chelle.”
“Mm-hmm,” I mumbled and still sounded unconvincing.
He studied me then his mouth curled before he muttered, “Nothin’ to do but wait and let you experience it yourself.”
Something not to look forward to. Chelle Whatever-her-name-was-now was so not happy Creed had found me.
Shit.
I decided not to make any noise at all since even my mumbles were lame.
Creed gave me a squeeze as he said quietly, “Kids sleep late but told them we were going to Wet ‘n’ Wild tomorrow so they got wound up. That means tomorrow is a Disneyland day where they’ll be up early, rarin’ to go. We gotta hit the sack so we can get up earlier than them, get you back to the hotel then you can come back”
“Right,” I whispered and started to move away but his arms got tight again and stayed that way so I looked back up at him.
“This shit, hotel, us separated, you comin’ in under the radar, out early, thanks for doin’ that for my kids, baby,” he said quietly and I tipped my head, pressed deep and held on tight right back.
“Anything, Creed.”
I meant it.
Creed knew it.
I knew this because his face changed. His head moved. His mouth took mine and he kissed me deep and sweet.
After he lifted his head, he let me go but took my hand and moved us to the bed where we both moved in then he tucked me close.
“Love you, Sylvie,” he muttered into the top of my hair.
“Love you back, Creed,” I muttered to the skin over his collarbone.
His arms gave me another squeeze and, luckily, shortly after, tucked close to Creed, I fell into a dreamless sleep.