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My best friend stands, coming to the closet doorway. She knows I have trust issues, but I trust her completely. She’s been there for me through it all. Every time I disappeared and came back, she never got mad.
“I need you to pretend to be me.”
“We look nothing alike. I’d love to do you the solid, but it will never work.” She shakes her head.
“I just need you to sleep here tonight. And when anyone comes to the door, play my voice. I don’t want them to know I’m gone.”
“I’m going to overlook the fact that this is something we might have done when we were sixteen and point out the obvious. You had a baby, what, a day ago? I don’t think this is a good idea. You should stay away from the big Russian dude. It doesn’t matter if his cock is like a unicorn that you can’t say no to.”
“If I don’t, he’s going to cause more problems for my family. The whole reason I married him was to protect everyone, and I can’t do that by being here.” I slip on my T-shirt and take Capree from Sophia’s arms.
Demetri
I’mnotapatientman. I have kept a continuous eye on the time. I should have ripped her out of her home while I was there, and it won’t be long before I go back there to do just that.
My phone rings, and Charlotte’s smile flashes across my screen. “Hello, Daddy,” she greets me. Her small face has droplets of water, and I can see a water slide behind her. “I wanted to show you where I’m swimming.” She moves the phone to show me the pool. “Are you meeting me here later?”
“I can’t tonight, darling.”
“You work too much. You should learn to have fun. I could teach you.”
“I don’t think I ever learned that skill. When you get home, maybe we can try to practice.” She giggles at my answer, and I can hear her being told to say goodbye. Being a single parent is harder than I could have ever imagined. “I can’t wait to hear all about your adventure.”
“Bye, Daddy.”
“Bye, Charlotte.”
I never was good at dividing my time between home and business. The door opens, and the wind from outside slams it harder than necessary as it closes again.
She’s here.
I start speed-walking toward the entrance.
Slow down.
I stop, take a breath, and then walk at a leisurely pace.
“What took you so long?” I inquire.
Tension is held tight in her body as she places Capree’s carrier down. Katrina’s lips purse while she glares at me.
“I didyouthis favor. No need to glare at me,wife,” I say in a low voice. “This arrangement can be as easy or as hard as you make it.”
I close the distance between us and give her a claiming kiss. She’s stiff in my arms, and it takes some time to coax her into responding to my touch, but once her lips and tongue move against mine, I’m rewarded with the best damn kiss. She can hate me later.
Our physical affection has me feeling raw. My pulse pounding drives me to kiss her harder. No matter how wrong she might feel this is, she will learn to accept it. Her shoulders relax, and she unwinds the tension she was holding as her arms come around my neck. My hands hold on to her waist, feeling like I’d be willing to take on the world for her if she allowed me. When she moans into my mouth, I end the kiss, knowing I have her now.
“See? It’s not that hard to smile and be happy.” I wish my heartbeat would settle down. It’s hard to concentrate when she’s standing breathless beside me.
“If you weren’t so condescending, maybe I would have brought my smile with me.”
“But then that kiss wouldn’t have tasted so good.” I bend down and unbuckle Capree from her seat. It’s obvious Katrina is trying not to take over. Her fingers pick at each other while she watches each of my movements. “Would you like me to draw you a bath?” I ask as I stand up with our daughter in my hands.
Her eyes grow wide for a moment. She’s scared of being away from her.
“I could sit in there with you as I hold her. Then you’ll know she’s safe,” I offer, not knowing where all this consideration for another person’s feelings is coming from but liking the way I see her face soften toward me just a little bit.
“Honestly, I’m too tired to even undress for a bath, and I’m pretty sure I can’t have a bath for a few weeks after giving birth. I just need sleep.” With that, she starts padding toward the bedroom.
