AllFreeNovel
Share Us
ISLA
“Will you be at the Iceplex on Monday?”
“Yes. I won’t be there every day, but some.” Cillian has been peppering me with these questions all morning. The man is relentless in his attempt to keep me talking when that’s about the last thing I want to be doing. I’m so mad at him, and for the first time in as long as I can remember, it has nothing to do with his cheating.
Instead, it’s about his presumptuous ass staying the night and snuggling up with me. Plus, that stunt in the bathroom this morning.
Fuck, he looks good. It’s unfair, absolutely and incredibly unfair. Tyson has an amazing body and even it doesn’t quite compare to the cut muscles Cillian sports. Or that stupid vee thing at his hips. I don’t know what it’s called. Something like panty-dropper or panty-wetter, I’m sure. Because that’s exactly what it does. Then there was his still hard dick just flapping all over the place.
Fucking unfair.
He’s very good with Sadie. Not only is he attentive and loving to her, but he also seems to have a natural intuition to gentle parenting. There was a moment in the pet store when she saw gerbils and wanted one in the almost obsessive way she can sometimes fall into. I recognized that she was on that toddler edge where it’s too easy for them to go from casual interest to full-on tantrum. Or, to complete shutdown, which is more common for Sadie. She’s a quiet pouter more than the throw-a-fit type.
My instinct was to step in, but Cillian handled it with ease. Waving me off, he had a conversation with her about how much responsibility gerbils are, explaining all the tasks it takes to care for them. Then he compared them to Saint, who’s rather self-sufficient and only requires a bit of food and a ton of cuddles.
Sadie agreed cats were way more fun and moved on. Cillian didn’t grow up around children, making his ease with her unexpected. I hate that it pulls at my heartstrings, but it does, nonetheless. Of course, I want him to be a great father. I want everything good in the world for my daughter. Except his goodness to her makes me want to forgive him and my pride isn’t ready for that.
We’re on our way to his new house to drop off Saint and meet with the furniture company who is delivering a load of items he’s purchased, including Sadie’s tent bed. Then he wants to go to Target for ‘kitchen shit’ as he put it.
“Sadie Baby?”
“Yeah,” she answers him with a goofy grin from the backseat.
“Do you know how to swim?”
“Yes! Pops says I’m so strong.”
“That’s good,” Cillian says with a nod.
“Does the house have a pool?” It’s not a common thing here in Seattle except with more upscale homes. It’s weird to think of Cillian living in a McMansion though. He has money now, sure. It just doesn’t fit the guy I used to know, and I haven’t wrapped my head around who he is now.
He’s still the boy I fell in love with and the young man that broke my fucking heart.
“Not exactly.”
“What does that mean?” He doesn’t answer, and after a couple more turns, I understand. “You bought a floating house?”
“Yeah,” he says, chagrined. “In my defense, I did it before I knew I had… her. Anyway, the previous owners had children, so I think it’s childproofed or whatever.”
The Eastlake neighborhood is well known for its quaint floating homes. Lake Union is lined with them, but this side of the lake has a higher concentration of them.
“I’m sure it’s fine.”
“If it’s not, I’ll make it better.”
He parks in the communal lot, and we unload as much as we can carry. Sadie carries Saint as if her life depends on it. Luckily, the cat doesn’t seem to mind the stranglehold. The path down the dock is even more charming than you’d expect and every home we pass is colorful and playful. Sadie points out all the bright flowers to Saint who I don’t think can see anything but Sadie’s armpit.
Cillian’s house is on the end and one of the bigger homes on the row. Two stories, modern, and with a roof deck. It may not be the most practical thing, but it’s lovely and has a great view of the rest of the lake.
“This is it,” he says, typing a code in. The door opens with a chime.
“Do I have a bedroom?”
“Yeah, you wanna see it?”
“Yes, please,” Sadie answers him excitedly.
“Drop that stuff wherever,” he says to me before hauling Sadie up a set of stairs.
