Is this man insane? Everyone knows you don't piss off the people responsible for collecting your refuse. They can literally leave you standing in a pile of your own shit.
"You better call them back and kiss ass like you've neverkissed ass before." I can only imagine how quickly the dumpsters get out of hand at a place like this. Between Tucker and Tobias's divisions alone, the amount of mess would be out of control quickly.
"I’ve never kissed ass before." Trevor slowly smiles, batting his lashes at me. "Maybe you could do it for me."
"She's not going to do it for?—"
“Actually”—I rest one hand on Tucker's arm as I cut him off—"that's probably a good idea."
I know how to smooth this over. I've done it a million times in a million different scenarios. "I just need someone to entertain Birdie while I'm on the phone."
"Deal." Trevor scoops Birdie up, giving her a bounce and a grin. "You wanna hang out with Uncle Trevor while your momma does him a huge favor?" He takes the bag off Tucker's shoulder and walks away, my daughter babbling back as they carry on a conversation about silly overflowing dumpsters and ridiculous messes being left behind.
I turn to find Tucker frowning at his brother’s back.
"This won't take long. Then I'll head your way." I work to keep the excitement out of my voice. It might just be cleaning up Trevor’s mess—literally and figuratively—but I’m getting to do something besides be a mom for the first time in over a year.
Tucker's eyes peel from Trevor to rest on mine. "You know you don't have to help him, right?"
I can’t help but laugh at that, because I’m a grown woman who finally no longer feels obligated to anyone for anything. I learned the hard way people will try to make you feel indebted to them as a means of control, and I’m done being controlled. “I know.” My response sounds sharper than I mean it to, so I give Tucker a smile, speaking more softly when I say, “I know, but I might as well be useful while I’m here.”
And, while I don’t feel specifically obligated, Iwould like to help out the family who doesn’t know how much they’re helping me.
Tucker studies me for a minute. After a few seconds, he nods. “But the minute you decide you’re done, you can walk away.”
He’s acting like Trevor is the bogeyman and I’m going to run screaming the minute he says boo. “I will.”
I don’t see that happening, though. I know Trevor isn’t the easiest going of the Bradshaw brothers, but he doesn’t scare me. Not after the men I’ve dealt with in the past.
The one I’m still dealing with.
Planting a quick kiss goodbye on Tucker’s lips—even though no one is really paying attention to us—I hustle toward Trevor’s office. I stop right before I turn the corner, peeking over one shoulder to find Tucker still standing exactly where I left him, a strangely intense expression on his face. I give him a little wave, then for some reason blow him a kiss. I don’t think I’ve ever blown anyone besides my mother a kiss in my whole life, and even then it was as a kid.
“Stop being weird,” I mumble to myself as I turn away, hoping Tucker hasn’t picked up on the lingering awkwardness I feel after what happened between us last night.
And what happened between us is the other main reason I’m more than happy to help Trevor today. If anyone can be a distraction, it’s him. I’m kind of hoping he is as big of a pain in the ass as Tucker claims, because then I won’t spend the day replaying every second I spent beneath him on the couch in my mind.
Just every other second.
I find Trevor in his office with Birdie on his lap, the phone from his desk pinched between his shoulder and ear as he speaks to someone on the other end.
Politely.
Stepping inside the room, I wait as he promises to see the person shortly, then hangs up. His attention comes to me as hegives me a smile. “My mom’s coming to hang out with Birdie. I hope that’s okay.”
I’ve never had anyone around I trusted to watch my daughter. I interviewed babysitters while I was pregnant, but never quite found the right fit. It turned out not to matter when I got fired two days after I delivered her.
It was a punishment. A threat. A display of what could be done to me if I didn’t play by someone else’s rules.
Which was wild, because I didn’t have any intention of playing at all.
Going from being completely on my own to having no shortage of people willing to entertain my daughter so I can have time to myself? It’s definitely a welcome shift. One I’m selfishly going to take advantage of since it will be gone very soon.
“That is more than okay.” I pinch my lip between my teeth. “As long as you’re sure she doesn’t mind.” I can’t imagine Deidre Bradshaw doesn’t have better things to do than watch her son’s fake girlfriend’s daughter while said imposter calls a trash company.
Trevor laughs, the sound loud enough Birdie jumps a little. “It’s more than okay.” He turns to my daughter, speaking to her instead of me. “She is going to get a ticket on the way here because she’s so excited to play with you, and then she’s gonna make Uncle Trevor pay for it.”
Emotion tightens my chest, because that is exactly how my mother would have been. Minus the making me pay for her ticket part of things. She would have been the best Gram Gram ever. Birdie would have felt her love just as much as I did, and knowing that’s never going to happen has been almost as heartbreaking as losing her was.
