Page 73 of Mommy

As if he had any idea who she was.

I swing one more time, feeling his teeth give, even through the glove.

I wait for him to make a staggering step back. Of course his foot catches on one of the roots and he spins, falling flat on his face.

The manic laugh that wants to rise in my throat is enough to have me questioning if I’m taking this too far.

Maybe a little spook would’ve been enough?

He. Called. Ivory. A . WHORE.

I’m kicking him, before my brain has finished repeating his words back to me. The tip of my boot lands in his stomach and he curls around my leg, another wail drifting towards me.

Shaking my leg to get rid of him, I step back.

“You better keep this to yourself. Or else, I might not keep your little brunette a secret either. Don’t think, I wouldn’t find out if you snitched”

Flipping the visor back down, I make my way back to my bike. He’s almost home, I’m sure he’ll make it over to the door step by himself.

And if he’s smart, he’ll pretend he got into a bar fight and lost miserably.

I’m relieved when I get home to an empty driveway. Ivory is still at the shelter, and that gives me enough time to take a shower before she’s home.

My knuckles feel sore, and when I scrub myself clean under the warm spray, I realize that they are bruised. Today went off the rails.

Again.

Fuck it.

I’ll add this incident to the one in the park, and keep it to myself. I should be allowed at least three mess ups, I suppose.

Chapter thirty eight

Ivory

Derek is still in the shower when I get home from work, so I go ahead and set the table for us.

I can’t really cook so I don’t attempt to prepare anything to eat, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help in other areas.

My mind is still at work, when he joins me downstairs.

He smells of soap and his dirty blonde hair is still damp, water dripping onto his shirt and making it stick to his broad shoulders.

“Hello, beautiful,” he murmurs, leaning down to kiss me.

Warmth sparks inside my chest, as his lips press to mine gently.

“Hey.” I reply, softly speaking against his skin.

“How was work?”

“Good.” My lips move against his, hungry for just another hint of a kiss. “Chino got adopted.”

It was a nice moment. Well deserved.

Chino had been in the shelter only a few weeks, but he still deserved to get out. His previous owners left him tied to a post, similar to what would’ve happened to Posie.

“That’s great.”