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“This is perfect,” he said.
“I was just thinking the same thing.”
His fingers worked their way between our bodies and he found my clit. The slightest touch against my slippery nub sent those glorious shockwaves all through me again. I dug my fingers into his hips as he rode me hard and fast, pulsing around his cock as he came inside me.
I instantly became as limp as a jellyfish washed up on the shore, and he laughed as he lowered himself to lie beside me. I flopped my arm across his chest, and he took my hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss to my knuckles.
“Go to sleep if you’re tired,” he said, stroking my back. “I’ll be here.”
I was asleep in seconds, safe and secure and oh, so content.
Chapter 23 - Will
I barely slept a wink, happy and content to hold Bailey in my arms and watch the gentle rise and fall of her chest, as she snoozed beside me. There wasn’t a hint of panic, and better than that, no guilt. I actually tried to dredge it up, berating myself for sleeping with my kids’ nanny again. But it never came, and I finally dozed off for a little while, waking up before dawn and still feeling great.
I crept out of bed and into the kitchen, so I wouldn’t wake her, then called Eli until he finally picked up.
“I want the dog back,” I said when he answered.
“Do you realize what time it is?” he asked groggily. I could picture him rubbing his eyes and scowling at his phone.
I pulled mine away long enough to see it was just shy of five in the morning. “I don’t care. I don’t want Bailey to wake up and miss the little beast.” I paused and snickered. “Speaking of, how did it go with the kids last night?”
I could hear Violet waking up and complaining in the background and still didn’t feel a shred of guilt. All I could think about was making sure Bailey stayed happy.
“They were fine,” Eli said. “We made a cake from the box and they ate most of it, then ran in circles until they passed out.”
I waited for him to say he was kidding, but he never did. I made a mental note to wring his neck when he brought the dog over.
“Can’t I send him over with a messenger?” he asked, whining like he was Ava’s age.
Violet piped up in the background. “I’ll take him. I want to get in a run, anyway.”
“Thank you, Vi,” I said, loud enough for her to hear me. “Tell her to hurry it up, okay?”
Eli must have heard from my voice how important this was, so he sighed and said to expect Violet in about fifteen minutes. I put some coffee on to boil and figured I’d get a bit of work done while I waited, but found myself ambling through the hallways.
I looked at all the family pictures hanging on the walls, following them in chronological order from when Harrison was born, all the way up to the last family picture of the four of us together. It was at some kid’s birthday party and we were posed in front of one of those elaborate photo stations. This one depicted an African savannah and Tallie and Ava wore lion cub ear headbands while Harrison had some kind of monkey mask on. I was holding a stuffed lion cub and looking a cross between irritated and like I was going to crack up laughing. It certainly wasn’t the last time we were all together, just the last time I had picture proof of it. Then it was just the kids’ school pictures and some of their artwork from the last two years. It was Tallie who made the portrait wall, and I just couldn’t keep up with her level of dedication to taking and printing out pictures.
I went into the living room and made a beeline for our wedding picture, taking pride in place in the middle of the mantel. We looked like children because we practically were, getting married while we were still in college. She was my first and only love, demanding I help her with her school dance committee in eighth grade and then stealing my heart at that very dance.
My phone buzzed, and I jerked out of my memories, blinking away the tears that had gathered in my eyes. Violet was on her way up. I hurried to unlock the door and let her in so she wouldn’t ring and wake up Bailey. Violet saw the tears in my eyes and set the dog’s crate on the floor, throwing her arms around me.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
I shrugged out of her hug and brought the crate into the living room to let him out before he started barking. Violet followed me and shut the door behind her as I freed the little bag of fur. He shuffled all over the room, acting like he’d been displaced by the way he sniffed and rubbed all over the furniture.
I caught sight of the wedding picture again and let out a long groan, pressing my hands to my face. Violet was a very smart woman and put two and two together. She picked up the picture and smiled down at it.
“You two looked so cute back then,” she said, eyeing me for a response.
I leaned against the mantel. “Is it really okay to want more?”
“Good lord, of course it is, Will,” she said, replacing the picture. After a long silence, she asked, “Do you want more with Bailey?” She held up her hand. “You don’t have to answer that. But, say you’d been on the plane and this was Tallie thinking about maybe putting your wedding picture away, wouldn’t you be okay with it?”
I scowled. “I’m not sure I would be,” I said, then sighed. Tallie was my whole world for a long time. I’d never want her to be as miserable as I’d been the last two years. “I mean, yes. I would. I’d want her to be happy even if it meant letting me go.”
“I don’t think you have to completely let her go,” Violet said softly, squeezing my arm. “You’ve got a big heart. There’s room for more than one love.”
