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“I told Michelle I’d be late…” Anne stretched her arms over her head and opened her eyes. “You don’t have to worry about them.”
“I don’t have to, but…” William shrugged. “I like your family.”
Anne frowned, and William started rubbing her shoulders.
“Do you need to get back?”
“I need to check in with Jeffers and Lopez first.” Anne rubbed her eyes and sat up, causing the blanket to fall away.
“Well, we could do that, or…” William waggled his brows and reached over to caress her breast.
Anne closed her eyes for a second, then shook her head and brushed William’s had away. “No, William. I have to-I need...”
She slipped out of bed and went about fetching her clothing.
“You need to go be a cop. I get it.” William leaned back on his elbows. “I can check in with you later, then?”
Anne pulled on her panties and started to fasten her bra. “No, I mean, we can’t do this again.” She looked at him. “Not ever. I shouldn’t have let you do it to begin with.”
“Let me? I seem to remember you being the one kissing me and crawling into my lap.” William sat up. “I didn’t exactly twist your arm, Anne.”
“Fine. I let it happen, and I shouldn’t have. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it, or that I don’t like you, but nothing has changed.” Anne pulled up her dress. She looked like a well-fucked princess. “This can’t go anywhere. I’m sorry, but we both know that it can’t.”
“The hell it can’t. This is a choice you’re making, for the both of us, again.” William threw off the covers and stood. “Is this because I mentioned Evie? It’s not an issue for me. She’s a great kid, and I’d help you—”
“You can’t help me with Evie! You are a criminal.”
“I did fine with her the other day! We played with blocks and made animal noises. We didn’t cook meth or build a bomb.”
“One afternoon with a child isn’t the same as being a parent. You get that, don’t you?” Anne zipped up her dress and pushed back a falling lock of hair. “Because dating a single mom means you’re on deck to be a dad, and that takes more than just keeping her amused and alive for a few hours. It means participating in the guidance of her education, her health, and her moral character.”
“Well, then she’ll be fine being guided by your perfect self.” William swept past her to grab his own clothes.
“I never said I was perfect,” Anne said, the conflict clear in her voice, “but I can’t just keep fooling around with you, Will.”
“Well, that’s on you, love. Because you’re the only one who’s fooling around here.” William buttoned his pants and stood, facing the window. “And as for her dad… You got someone else banging down your door for the job?”
“It isn’t like that.”
“Yeah.” William jerked on his shirt. “Your little sis said her father wasn’t in your lives. So, you’d basically let her go without, then have me, is that it? Because I’d be so bloody terrible at it that she’d be better off growing up with abandonment issues, like you?”
“I’m not exactly alone here when it comes to daddy issues,” Anne pointed out.
William turned to glare at her. She brushed out her hair and pulled it back into a small ponytail.
“Fine.” William gestured toward the door. “Go then.”
“Don’t be like this. I’m just trying to set boundaries—”
“Get out of here!” William shouted. “Go!”
“I will!” Anne shot back. She grabbed her shoes, reached into her dress, and said on the way out, “I’m incoming, guys. We have a lot of work to do.”
William watched her go, then dropped back down on the bed and put his head in his hands. It hurt more than he could say; Anne walking out of his life again and for exactly the same reason. And though he hadn’t spent much time with Evie, the thought that he could never be good enough for her stung as well. Partially, because he suspected it was true.
Chapter Twelve
Anne hadn’t slept at all by the time she got to the precinct. Between Michelle’s needling questions, and Evie’s tantrum, and Jeffers’ tantrum (via email and text), she’d barely had time to have a shower and change. Thankfully, she could leave Evie with Michelle today, with strict instructions not to let William in.
If he even wanted to come in. Anne was torn because the two of them clearly still had the same chemistry as they’d always had. She couldn’t toy with Evie’s life like that though. If they didn’t work out for some reason, and him getting sent back to prison was strongly possible, Evie would be worse off. Getting to know William and then losing him, whether he left her or was taken from her, would still be traumatizing. Anne understood that. Michelle seemed to as well. Anne hadn’t really told her what had happened at the gala, but she seemed to know, and for once, she hadn’t offered her opinion.
