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“Like you don’t ever swear.” Harper rolls her eyes and continues curling Palmer’s hair.
I can tell Palmer is reading our lips in the reflection of the mirror because her cochlear implants aren’t in. Through the mirror, she signs to both of us. Cut it out.
Harper stares at her in the mirror. “Why? It’s fun getting him all riled up. What was he like in bed?” she whispers the last part so Adley won’t hear, but she isn’t paying us any attention anyway.
Palmer rolls her eyes. Missionary only and doesn’t go down.
Harper balks and turns around to stare at me.
Fuck off. I sign at them both.
Palmer laughs, knowing it’s not true. Hell, lately I’ve been beating off to the few moments of that night that I remember, plus I’ve filled in the blanks with some of my own imagination.
Harper puts down the curling iron and sprays Palmer’s hair with an obnoxious amount of hairspray. Palmer stands and takes the towel off her shoulders, and it’s then I see that she’s wearing a dress.
A dress?
Palmer doesn’t wear dresses. At least not unless it’s a wedding or something. She’s a jeans-and-T-shirt girl, shorts in the summer. Most of the time when she does have to dress up, she wears pants. A dress makes things especially accessible. Only one slide of the hand up her leg, and you’re inches from her core.
Panic rises inside me, making my chest tight. Matt will take advantage of this dress.
“You’re wearing a dress?” I ask since she’s facing me.
She looks puzzled then walks to her closet, her bare leg sliding out from the fabric.
Fucking hell, there’s a slit. In the dress.
“Yes, she’s wearing a dress. I picked it out. It looks great on her, doesn’t it?” Harper gives me a shit-eating grin.
I squint at her. Of course she’d choose a dress for Palmer. All you have to do is straddle a guy and slide the underwear to the side and bingo. Harper’s right that Palmer looks hot as hell though. I haven’t seen Palmer this done up in a while. She’s had back-to-back deadlines for the past year, and the book she’s working on now has taken a lot out of her. Not that she isn’t gorgeous in her sweats and sweatshirts with her hair thrown up in a messy bun, but this is a showstopper, and Matt’s going to love it.
What are you doing tonight? Palmer signs then grabs her boots. At least they will cover up part of her legs.
She sits next to me on the bed, and her perfume smells delicious. I want it all over me after a night with her. I want to smell it the next day on my sheets.
Wait. What the hell was that?
“Theresa is coming over. I can take Adley,” I say, my voice a bit strained.
Adley sits up straight. “No, Daddy. Harper. We’re making cupcakes.”
“I can make cupcakes too.”
Palmer shakes her head and raises her hands. You and Theresa need time together. I saw her at the hospital, and you’re going to lose her if you don’t put the effort in.
I’m not surprised that she saw Theresa’s pissed-off expression. She notices everything Theresa does.
Palmer grabs her cochlear implants from the vanity she was sitting in front of and puts them on.
“Plus, Adley wants me to babysit her.” Harper holds out her hands and Adley scoots across the mattress over to her. “Right?”
“Right!” Adley screams.
Palmer laughs. “Don’t burn down the kitchen,” she says while signing.
The doorbell rings, and Harper turns so Adley can climb onto her back.
“We’ll get it because you’re going to make a grand entrance,” she says to Palmer.
Harper and my daughter leave the room, leaving me alone with Palmer. She bends down in front of the mirror, fixing her makeup.
“Don’t go,” I blurt before I can think better of it, and Palmer stills.
