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“Sure are,” I said.
“Hi M-Momma...” Noah said, suddenly becoming shy.
“Hey, baby!” Marley cooed. “You’re missing me?”
“Yeah. I miss you reading books to me,” he said. “And you’re better at tucking in.”
“Oh, well, this is news to me,” I said, pretending to be offended. “I guess you’ll have to teach me your ways when we’re back home.”
“I think something can be arranged,” Marley said. “I’ll put together a bid.”
“What’s that mean?” Noah asked.
“A bid is like a paper where I write down how much someone will pay me for work I do,” I explained. “So, Marley is saying she’s going to write down how much she’s gonna charge me.”
“Momma! You’re gonna make Daddy pay you to teach him how to tuck me in?” Noah asked, grinning.
“I dunno. Do you think I should?” Marley asked.
“Mmm...” Noah looked up at me before getting a bit of a devious look in his eye. “Yeah. You should make him pay you.”
“Okay! How much do you think?” Marley asked.
“Like...a jillion dollars!”
“Wow! How much money do you think I have, little man?” I asked him, tickling his tummy.
“You heard the boy,” Marley said. “You can send me a wire transfer or write me a check.”
I laughed, low and warm. A genuine laugh, which felt rare these days. “How is the party going?” I asked. “Everyone behaving?”
“It’s been going well,” Marley said. “Everyone seems really receptive to things. Ashton even apologized in front of the whole room about what he did last week.”
“Wow,” I said, smiling. “That’s all great news.”
“It really is.” She was quiet for a moment, and her voice got really low. “I miss you so much. Come home soon, okay?”
“I will,” I said, my heart aching. I wanted to ask her again if anything was wrong, but I knew I was about to border on being overbearing. “I’m gonna call you again before I hit the hay, alright?”
“Okay, but if I don’t answer, don’t panic. The girls are staying overnight,” she said. “Rosie is coming out of her shell again.”
“Ah,” I said, happy to hear it. “In that case, we’ll talk tomorrow. You all have fun, alright?”
“Okay,” she said warmly. “Goodnight. I love you.”
“Love you, Momma!!” Noah shouted eagerly.
“Love you, baby!!!” Marley shouted back.
We hung up, though just before we did, I swore I heard an unpleasantly familiar voice saying something snarky.
I told myself I was being paranoid, though, and focused on getting my son back into bed.
Chapter 8
Marley
“Touching,” Curt said after I hung up the phone. “Truly, you’re such an adorable surrogate mother to a child you didn’t birth. What else do you do for Cole? Wash and iron his clothes? Keep the house clean?”
