his dinner.
I walked to her next and bent down to help her pick up the bag she’d dropped. “I hope your laptop is okay.”
She shrugged. “I have everything backed up, so I don’t care.”
I lifted the bag and set it on the couch before I turned to her.
Her cheeks were wet and her eyes were puffy, just like they were when we talked last week. I’d never seen anyone cry so much, which was unexpected since Cleo was so logical most of the time. My hands went to her cheeks, and I wiped the tears away with the pads of my thumbs, feeling the moisture stick to the callused skin.
She smiled as she looked up at me, her makeup ruined, her poise destroyed. “Caught me off guard… I wasn’t expecting to see him.”
“Would your reaction have been any different if you knew he was here?”
After she considered the question, she shook her head. “No…probably not.”
There were many reasons why I fell in love with her, but seeing the way she genuinely loved Derek was one of the bigger ones. It wasn’t a ploy to get my affection. It was real. I could see it in her face right now, the way she broke down once she finally had him back. It was the exact reaction I had when she’d brought him to New York for my birthday. “He asked about you all the time.”
“I know.”
“You know?”
“Well…he called me.”
I cocked an eyebrow.
“When you were in the shower, he called me from your phone.”
I felt like a fool for being outsmarted by a child, but I smiled anyway. “Of course he did…”
“We talked for a while. He asked me not to give up on you.”
My smile faded. “When did this happen?”
“A few days before you wanted to talk to me. He said you were sad…you weren’t the same.”
Looked like everyone noticed, from my five-year-old son to my colleagues. “He’s a smart kid.”
“Yeah, he is.”
My arms circled her waist, and I pulled her in for a hug, letting her rest against my chest, letting her decompress after a long day of taking care of everyone else but herself. Her face leaned against my chin, and I squeezed her lower back. The embrace lasted a long time because it was so comfortable, so right. The touch was satisfying, fulfilling all the emotional desires I’d had for a long time, like affection, intimacy, love.
It was difficult to let her go.
Her eyes had had time to dry, and now a soft smile was on her lips. Her makeup was still destroyed, but she somehow never looked more beautiful.
My hand wanted to slide to the back of her neck, my fingers push through her soft hair, and then kiss her. But if I kissed her, I wouldn’t stop kissing her, and it just wasn’t the right moment with Derek at the dinner table.
So, I didn’t. “Hungry?”
She was slightly disappointed, like she could read my thoughts, knew I wanted to kiss her but didn’t. “Yes, what’s on the menu?”
Derek yelled from the dining table. “Garbage.”
Cleo immediately chuckled. “That doesn’t sound good.”
I rolled my eyes. “Derek.”
“What?” he asked. “That’s what it looks like.” I headed to the table and pulled out the chair for her. I went into the kitchen and made her plate before placing it in front of her.
“See?” Derek asked. “It looks like the stuff that sits on top of the garbage can when you open it.”
Cleo tried to be serious, but it was hard to hide her smile. “I don’t think it looks that bad.”
“Yeah…okay.” Derek rolled his eyes. “You’re just saying that because you’re a bitch.”
Cleo burst out laughing, like she knew Derek couldn’t possibly mean that literally, and it was a word he didn’t know how to use.
My eyes burned into Derek’s face.
He chuckled as he watched Cleo laugh.
“Derek.” I warned him with my tone, not afraid to discipline him even though I absolutely hated it. “What did I just tell you?”
“What?” Derek asked. “Cleo thought it was funny.”
Cleo immediately stopped laughing, as if she knew she was making this more difficult for me.
“Because you don’t understand how to use that word,” I snapped.
“Maybe I would if you would tell me what it means,” he snapped back.
I got to my feet instantly. “Go to your room.”
He sighed as he bowed his head. “Dad—”
“Go to your room, or I will carry you myself.” I pointed to the hallway as I stared him down.
“Fine…” He got off the chair and started to walk.
“And if you