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“Babe, you have a habit of calling at the wrong time. I was on my way to a second orgasm,” she crooned. “What’s up? Is everything okay?”
“Yes, yes. I just wanted to say hi,” I forced out.
“Okayyy. Rhys is here, and we’re catching up if you know what I mean. I’ll call you after. “I heard giggling in the background before she cut the phone.
And for the first time in a long time, I let the floods loose. I felt a million emotions wash over me. There on the front porch, I crumbled internally as I returned to the car, not caring about the rain—it was the least of my worries. The beautiful thing about crying in the rain is the masking effect it has.
I wiped my tears when I got into the driver’s seat and pulled out on my way back to the one place I’d been so desperate to get away from.
Adrian Black was right. I needed to start thinking more about my son. Mine! And I was going to do anything to protect him.
- A DAY OUT
ADRIAN BLACK
When I knocked on her door the next morning, I had a million questions on my mind. She’d walked away angry because of my offer, and less than an hour later, she was back on my doorstep in tears. I was curious. If she was in some kind of trouble, I wanted to help. I needed answers, and there was only one way to find out.
I heard coughing coming from the other side of the door as I stood undecided with my hand raised for a knock. It was expected. She had spent too long in the rain.
I rasped lightly on the door, and with a gruff voice, she asked me to come in. She was in a messy state, and so was Jason, who was holding her hand, frightened.
“Hey, Jay. I made toast. Do you like toast?” I crooned to the teary-eyed boy. He nodded weakly. “Okay. So, I need you to go to Rosie and Aurora before they finish all the yummy food, okay?”
“What about my mommy?”
“She will be fine, bud. I promise. She just needs to rest, okay?”
He sniffled and wiped his tears. “Okay.”
Weakly, she called after him, “Keep some for Mom, will ya, sweetie?” But the little boy was already running out of the room.
“Hey, you. Want to talk about this?”
“What? Never seen anyone with a cold before?” she snapped.
“Okay, tiger. Chill. I’m not here to fight. Matter of fact, I just want to help. If you’ll let me.”
“Why do you want to help me?”
“Ion know. It’s just. You’ve done a good job taking care of my girls. I’m just returning the favor.”
“But you don’t have to. I was only doing my job. You pay me for that, remember?” Her sigh was wistful. She was losing the battle. I just had to apply a little more pressure.
“Why do you always do this?”
“Do what?”
“Act like I’m out to get you. You suspect my every move and always find a way to make me into the bad guy, even when I try to help. I’m just trying to do the right thing here, goddammit!” I blurted, furious. “Plus, I don’t want you getting snot on my expensive bedding,” I added, a crazy attempt at a joke, which seemed to work as she flashed a smile.
“Yeah. I give you that. You’ve got jokes, boss.” She enunciated ‘boss,’ making sure I didn’t miss the sarcasm. “You know, it’s quite funny. Jason is always the one who ends up with a bad cold and runny nose. And yet, here we are in this role reversal.” She chuckled, and it was music to my ears.
“That’s because you were in the rain. You shielded him from the rain with your body. I’m envious of the little boy. He has a superhero for a mom.”
“Who are you, and what did you do to my boss?”
“Don’t get used to it.”
Her face lit up with warmth as she recounted several memories she had from Jason’s childhood. Even indisposed, she still did something funny to me. I couldn’t look away as she regaled me with tales, and by the end of the gist, I concluded that Zoey Carter was truly amazing. However, there was a question gnawing at the back of my mind, so when she trailed off, I took my chance.
