She glided her fingers along my spine, brushing her thumb across the scar I got falling off my skateboard in tenth grade. Her touch was like balm over an open wound, simultaneously healing and arousing.
I wanted more of this.
I wanted . . .
“Asa!” Bliss pushed the door open, holding Ezra in one arm and her phone against her ear. “The baby was—” Her eyes widened when she saw us on the bed. “Oop.”
“What happened?” Dallas called over the receiver. “Did you fall?” She gasped. “You caught Asa with some nasty trick, didn’t you?”
“Sissy, I gotta go.” Bliss backed out of the room.
“Oh shit,” Rissa whispered.
I rested my head against her shoulder. “Damn.”
Seconds later, Bliss cracked the door open and tossed Rissa’s blouse inside. “You have company.”
When we emerged from the bedroom fully dressed, I was surprised to see Ana standing in the living room.
“Hello.” I gave my godmother a kiss on the cheek. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
Ana eyed me tentatively. “Hey, sweetie. I didn’t mean to intrude,” she said in her thick, Liberian accent. Her gaze shifted to Rissa. “I didn’t know you were here, babe.”
“Hey, Ma,” Rissa said, hugging the older woman.
Growing up, we all called the other mothers “Ma.” Our families were so close-knit it felt natural. They all took turns loving on us, teaching us invaluable lessons, and correcting us when we were wrong.
“I didn’t know you were coming to town,” Rissa added.
“Jax has business in town, and I wanted to see the baby. I hope you don’t mind.”
Gemma’s sudden death had sent shockwaves through our families, but the loss cut deeper for Ana. Watching her grieve was like watching a mother mourn her daughter. We talked every day in some way. Sometimes she texted to ask if I needed anything, sometimes she called because she wanted to talk about Gemma, and sometimes she just wanted to see Ezra. And I shared updates with her as the custody case progressed.
I squeezed Ana’s hand. “You can come any time. Ezra loves his G-Ma.”
Ana’s chin trembled. “He’s getting so big. He looks like her, has her button nose, her eyes . . .” She held her arms out toward the baby. “Come to G-Ma.”
Only he didn’t reach for her. Instead, he wiggled in Bliss’s arms and let out a tense cry. For Rissa.
I watched as my . . .Rissapicked my baby up and . . .
I blinked. Because that was the first time I’d thought of him asmybaby. My chest tightened at the realization.
Rissa glanced at me, concern in her eyes as she bounced the baby in her arms. “Are you okay?”
Clearing my throat, I nodded. “I’m good.”
“Is he sick?” Ana asked.
“He’s been cranky all day,” I explained unnecessarily. “I thought he had an ear infection or something. Rissa came over to help out since Tyn is out of the country.”
Rissa walked away from us, singing the cute lullaby that always got him to calm down. I couldn’t stop staring, lingering on the sight of them together—the way he looked at her and the way she smiled at him. Her soft voice seemed to settle him almost instantly, and his head fell to her shoulder like a heavy weight, like he’d given up the fight.
It almost felt like I was watching a movie. One of those romantic comedies where the tortured hero falls in love with the woman he never thought he’d get while the raunchy cast of characters rooted them on.
Because that was my life.
And there was no escaping the truth.
