Makes me so fucking happy.
“Yes, mama?”
“We’re done with the sandwiches.”
He scowls, scrunching up his face. “Not done.”
She plants her hands on her hips. “Am I going to have to intervene here, little man?”
If I gave her the stink eye he’s currently giving her, I’d inevitably end up with a slap upside the head. My son’s got balls, that much is true.
“Wyatt bud?”
He turns his attention to me.
“How does goldfish and Mario sound?” I’m bartering with a tiny version of myself. This is my life now.
He shakes his head.
“Fire?” He calls the movie Elemental ‘fire.’
That should bring him around. He glances at the knife in his hand and puts it on the counter.
“Kraken?” Come on kid, work with me here. My skin’s starting to prickle with sweat. Don’t let me down in front of your mom, please? Let me earn some brownie points here.
He climbs down from the stool. “Turrrrrrrrrrrrtleeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!” He takes off at high speed.
“If he gets jelly on the couch, Mom is going to sever your dick with a cleaver.” Victoria’s got her camera out on the table, there are prints from the past few weeks scattered on the table.
“You’re so good, Firecracker.”
She blushes. “It’s not what I thought I’d do, but I’m good at it.”
There’s no bragging in her voice, just facts. Good is an understatement, but when I correct her she gets all squirmy.
“What did you think you were going to do?”
She shakes her head before collecting all the prints into a stack. I spy at least three I want to buy, frame, and gift to my friends. “Don’t put those away, I want some of those for the guys. They’re so good.”
She smiles, rolls her eyes, and puts the prints in a box. “I might even let you.” She winks at me.
“What did you think you were going to do?”
She levels me with That Look. “Taking your life into your hands by not dropping it, Shaw.”
“Maybe.” I slide my hands around her waist, pulling her close to me. If we’re chest to chest and she takes a swing she’ll struggle to land a hit.
“What’s that smirk for?”
“If you’re standing a couple feet away and decide to clobber me you’ll have better range to make it hurt.”
She giggles before dotting kisses along my jaw. “If I wanted to hurt you, I could. Even from here.” She lifts her knee like she’s sending a warning shot. “But I don’t. We’ve both been hurt enough.” She kisses me. It’s soft, tender, and so full of emotion a lump forms in my throat. “It’s us against the world.”
“Damn straight.” I brush my nose against her. “Tell me what you wanted to do.”
She’s suddenly very interested in my chin. “When we met I wanted to be a paralegal. When I got pregnant… It’s a lot. Raising a kid alone, even with Mom, I just couldn’t. So I changed to something more hands-on, more instant in terms of income, something flexible I could do while raising Wyatt.”
Regret coats her every word.
