As expected, Selene shoves her phone in my face while she laughs uncontrollably. Eden rolls her eyes.
“Let me see.” Preacher gestures for her phone. “I love a pretty pussy.”
“Preacher boy!” Selene snorts and bursts into laughter.
The house is quiet, even though people are working here.
I check the refrigerator, and everything I had on the list is there. I leave the kitchen and go upstairs to our bedroom. The bed, which was a mess of sheets and pillows this morning, isback to order. I stumbled out of bed after a night and morning of being ravaged by my husband. He didn’t want to let me go, but he had a meeting he couldn’t miss.
After changing into comfortable clothes, I go into my sewing room and work on my sketches. A few hours later, I return to the kitchen. The only thing Dax does for himself is cook, so since I also enjoy cooking, I figure I'll do it tonight as part of my plan.
Men love shit like that. Daddy always praises Mom’s cooking, and one of the few times I see Ripley smile is when Eden cooks for him.
Dax comes in while I’m tossing a salad. He wraps his strong arms around me, and I instinctively lean into his muscled chest. He plants loud kisses on my neck, and I close my eyes and enjoy it. I’ve convinced myself it’s okay to enjoy his embrace. It will make this connection feel deeper on his part. At least I enjoy his hard body against mine until the dog barks, and I gasp in shock.
Finch walks toward us, and my instinct is to run, but Dax holds me in place. The dog rubs her head on my legs.
“Sit, girl.” The beast obeys. “How was your day?”
“Great. I talked to Mom, and she’s doing well. She might be home as early as next week.” One downside of coming home yesterday was flying back with Devin. He sat Ruby next to Dax and slept through the two-hour flight home. It took all my willpower not to kick him in the face. “Mom said she stood up for a couple of minutes today.”
He squeezes me and kisses my neck. He lets me go and sets the table, then he takes Finch outside.
I make the table romantic. I light candles, pour wine, and dim the lights. I play soft music, and when he returns, he pulls me into his arms, and we dance slowly in the kitchen. He spins me around and plants a kiss on me before he pulls my chair out.
“Delicious,” he says of my meal. It’s nothing fancy, just a quick pasta with chicken sausage.
“I think in a few months, I’m going to look for a seamstress or two. Someone who can sew my designs. Can I train her here until I get the shop?” It almost kills me to ask his permission. I take a big swig of wine to avoid choking, but this fool loves to feel in control, so I’ll let him think he is. It will be that much sweeter when I pull the rug out from under him.
“Whatever you want, sweetheart. You must ensure that you vet them. It’s important to find the right person to work with. That can make or break your business. I want to help you. Give you some pointers on what to look for.”
I nod at him. We probably won’t be together by the time I open the business, but by then, I should have taken enough money from him to do whatever I want. And there’s always the divorce settlement. I’ll have to find a lawyer who can get me half of everything he owns.
I give this whole thing a year, and since I’ll have to leave Shadow Cove, I’ll need to find a place in the city that still has a small-town feel.
“What are you thinking about?” His voice has an air of mistrust, but I smile at him, and the fool relaxes. This is going to be like stealing candy from a big, stupid baby.
Chapter 40
Dax
“What the fuck do I look like?”
I check my anger when Ruby extends her arms to me. I take her from her loser father and kiss her fat cheeks. She shrieks and grabs one of my ears.
“My mom’s not here. I can’t afford daycare, and you won’t let me quit. Not only that, but you’re taking most of my money.”
“That’s the money you stole from me, you idiot,” I sneer.
“Well, you stole Cori, so get off your high horse. This is for Ruby, not me. There’s a spot in the daycare, but I can’t afford it. It’s over two grand a month.”
Ruby grabs my nose, and her fingernails dig into my skin. I take her hand and note that no one has trimmed her fingernails in a while.
“We’ll add it to your tab,” I growl, but Ruby gurgles and I bounce her.
“I have to go to the body shop.” The idiot looks at his wrist. “Gotta be there inhalf an hour.”
“Then get the fuck on.” I hand him Ruby, but she starts to whine and moves away from him. She wraps her chubby arms around my neck.
