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He bit his lip, presumably to contain his grin. “Swimmingly?”
I mirrored his narrowed-eyed look. “Try me.”
“Yikes,” he whispered. “Okay, maybe not. How about I make you delicious turkey bacon, eggs, and toast, and we’ll forget all about this. Maybe I even rub your feet?”
“Mmm, now we’re talking.” I brushed my lips to his. “I love you.”
“I love you too. So much.” He kissed me back in sweet little pecks, and for a brief moment, the world was a wonderful place. We had our journey ahead of us, Cam and I, but I thought we were making strides. We’d find our way back to TPE soon, one command at a time.
“May I fuss over Noa first?” he murmured. “I’m worried about him.”
“Absolutely,” I was quick to say. “I would’ve insisted anyway.” I pressed a kiss to his cheek before I let him down. “I suggest you run ahead and get started on breakfast.” I nodded over to Greer, Tenley, and Penelope. “I’m just going to have a word with Mistress Penelope.”
“Yes, Sir. Healthy goodies for you, unhealthy goodies for Noa.”
“That lucky duck…is something I would’ve said if I hadn’t just encountered his loving mother.”
Cam snorted softly. “Yeah, she’s a piece of work. You know, she’s always liked me? Like, a lot. Our first Christmas together, she gave us a couple gift, but it was clearly bought with me in mind. Meanwhile, Noa had saved up for months to buy her a…I don’t remember if it was a purse or a bracelet, but he’d worked so hard for it.”
I frowned and shook my head. This was what KC felt whenever he said that his “Daddy heart took a hit.” I just knew. Goddammit. It was incredibly painful.
I sighed and gave Cam’s neck a gentle squeeze. “Looks like we’re definitely buying him a lizard after the cruise.”
“It’ll make him so happy.” He reached up and popped a kiss to my jaw. “I’ll get started on breakfast. Don’t take too long, Master. You need to eat and take your medication.”
I nodded and brushed a hand down his back. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
We parted ways for now, I made my way over to the porch. Greer, Penelope, and definitely Reese. It wasn’t easy to tell them apart when they wore similar clothes, but now I saw Reese’s ink.
Greer spotted my approach first, so I tossed him Corey’s car key.
“Please thank your boy from us,” I said. “Noa didn’t use it.”
“No problem,” he replied. “He okay? We were talkin’ to KC when Cam got the text.”
Ah. Made sense. I blew out a breath and draped an arm around Penelope’s shoulders. “He’ll recover. He’s Noa,” I said. “But Jesus Christ, his mother is…” I shook my head.
“A bitch?” Penelope pressed. “A cunt? A hag?”
Reese smirked.
I chuckled and winced. “I try not to use those words, but yes.”
She shrugged. “I call ’em like I see ’em. You’ve told me about her before, so fuck it. I hate seeing that kid upset.”
I pressed a kiss to her temple. “Speaking of…not that. Did you talk to River?”
She nodded. “That’s why I’m here. You saw Ella too?”
“Yes.” I retrieved Ella’s heartfelt love letter from my pocket and handed it to Penelope. “I asked if she had plans to return to Mclean, and she said it depended on your response to her letter.”
She unfolded the note and lifted her brows. “What the fuck? What’s there to respond to?”
Reese and Greer peered closer.
“I’m surprised she didn’t scribble it on a napkin.” Penelope rolled her eyes and pocketed the note. But she wasn’t entirely unaffected. And whatever changes she was going through were still in effect. All Stars instead of heels, ratty skinny jeans, and a hoodie under her open leather trench coat. The latter, I was used to seeing, though usually accompanied by corsets and latex pants.
“It’s up to you if she resubmits an application,” Reese said. “I can’t ban her based on relationship problems, but I can forward the email to you and let you handle it.”
