I go red hot, my neck prickling, trying to focus everything I have on Dad and not the magnetic pull I have toward the man beside me.
The corner of his mouth turns down. “I still don’t understand why you left. Did I do something wrong?”
I pinch my lips shut.
Forest gives up on waiting for an answer that will never come, and he finishes paying for his movie tickets, then sits back, his shoulder brushing mine. He crosses his ankle over his knee, bouncing his foot with agitation when he turns his head to the side. I follow his line of sight, finding Gabriel in the crowd.
Is he jealous?I think he’s jealous.
Interesting.
Chapter Ten
Forest
Josephine laughs so hard that she nearly upends the jumbo-sized bucket of popcorn. I’m not paying the least bit of attention to the movie; my daughter’s smile is better than it could ever be.
“That was awesome!” Josephine says, skipping ahead out of the darkened theater when the movie is over.
“Yeah, it was,” I say, stretching an arm around her shoulders to curl her into my side. Of course, it’s her smile I’m talking about.
While dinner had been low energy and quiet, with Josephine picking at her burger and fries, now she twirls in the lobby, then poses for a picture beside the cardboard cutout display of the princess and her royal steed, who apparently farts rainbow glitter. She’s back to my joyful little girl. I just hope it lasts. We stop for dessert at an ice cream shop on the way back to the hotel, though Josephine is already yawning after such a late movie, ready for bed, her strawberry ice cream melting and dripping from her cone.
“Can we watch it again? Please?” Josephine asks when I unlock the door to our suite.
“You betcha.” I’ll do anything to keep her smiling.
“Yay! Thank you, Daddy!” Josephine squeezes me tight around the waist. She’s in such good spirits that she says, “Hi, Autumn!” and skips off to her room to gather her pajamas.
I toss my phone and wallet onto the kitchenette counter, letting the door swing shut behind me, before I slowly approach Autumn. She’s lying on the couch, using her arm as a pillow, with Benjamin half-asleep on her chest. Sebastian is tucked in next to her, smushed between Autumn and the back of the couch, with the comforter from my bed pulled up over them. He’s snoring softly while a kids’ cartoon plays at a low volume on the T.V. mounted to the wall opposite. How wonderful it must be to lie next to an angel, possibly getting the best sleep he’s had since his world was upturned.
I wish it were me sleeping beside her.
“What are you doing here?” I whisper, crouching in front of Autumn, hoping not to startle Benjamin.
“Mrs. Schwartz’s daughter called,” Autumn answers quietly. “She had some kind of accident, so Schwartz booked the first flight out and asked me to watch the kids.”
“Why didn’t y’all call me? Or at least text?” I lightly comb back Sebastian’s sweaty hair. The boy runs hot in his sleep, as does Benjamin.
“We did,” Autumn answers. “Check your phone.”
It is completely unintentional that, when I pull my hand away, I accidentally brush the side of Autumn’s breast with my thumb. Then I do it a second time, not so accidentally.
“Sorry,” I say quickly when her breath hitches, and I rise to fetch my phone, my cock starting to swell. If the kids weren’t here, would she have let me continue touching her? Fully cup her breast and gently squeeze it? Slide onto the couch beside her or lie my head on her chest?
I have to hide my erection behind the counter, pressing my pelvis hard against the lower cabinet, in the hopes that it’ll go down while I check my phone. I’d had it on silent throughout the movie and forgot to turn the feature off when we left the theater. I have several missed calls and apologetic voicemails from Mrs. Schwartz and one text from Autumn:
ImAnAngel
I’m staying with the boys. Hope you and Josie are having fun. See you when you get back.
Josephine is much quieter when she leaves her room to head to the bathroom, though she’s still wearing a huge smile.
“You had a good time?” Autumn asks me.
I slide down to sit on the floor, leaning a shoulder against the couch. “Couldn’t have been any better. I have my little girl back.”
Autumn’s expression is soft when she says, “Oh, good. I’m so glad. If you need me to watch the boys again so you two can have time alone together, let me know.”
