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I chuckle. “Naturally. How long until your mom found out?”
“Seventeen hours.” She pushes her hands against the armrest and slides down the length of the couch. “Fuck, I thought she was gonna kill me. She was so angry with me.” She shakes her head. “No, she was ‘disappointed.’” Her air quotes make me smile, and she gives me a stern mom face I know all too well. “I’m not mad, Claire, I’m just disappointed. Why would you ruin your body like that?”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, you definitely did not ruin your body,” I say with a sly wink.
“Still not fucking you.” The pointed yet amused glare she sends my way tells me she’s at least considering it.
I look at her belly ring that’s peeking out of her shirt again, and the two holes decorating each earlobe. “So you’ve got a couple piercings. What about tattoos? Got any of those?”
“Just one.”
I check out her arms, her bare feet, but come up empty. “Can I see it?”
The smile on her face falters as she considers my request. There’s still a hint of it, just there in the corner, but it makes me wonder how personal it is.
Claire pulls herself off the couch, her hesitant hands fumbling at her chest while she stares at me, like she’s waiting for me. When I join her, those timid fingers find the hem of her top. My breath catches in my throat as she starts tugging it up, dragging it slowly over her creamy skin. Each inch reveals more of her stomach, the soft curve of her killer hips, the dip in her waist. I’m so distracted I almost forget what I’m supposed to be looking for.
She stops right below the swell of her breasts, showing off the edge of a lacy black bra where I spy the tiniest bit of black ink peeking out from underneath it on the side of her ribcage. I reach for it and then stop, lifting my gaze to hers.
“Can I?” I ask softly.
She sucks in her bottom lip and nods. Then she squints and bites out, “Don’t touch my boobs!”
With a chuckle, I assure her, “I won’t touch your perfect tits, Claire, don’t worry.”
My thumb skims the edge of her bra and I watch her abdomen clench. Her reaction to my touch makes me smile. Slowly, I lift the lace, pushing it up until it reveals the handwritten words etched into her skin. The tip of my finger traces over every letter as a single tear drips down Claire’s beautiful face.
I’m with you always.
XOX
Mom
***
CHAPTER TEN
Avery
My gaze lifts, meeting Claire’s. Those beautiful jade orbs are guarded, a little red-rimmed, her smile small and sad. I swipe a tender thumb across her cheek, catching a lone tear.
“My mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer about six years ago, right before my twentieth birthday. It came out of nowhere. She actually thought she was pregnant.” Claire looks away, pressing her teeth into her trembling lip. “She died eight months later.”
I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry never seems like enough, and it doesn’t fix anything.
So I sweep my thumb across the ink, lean forward, and press the softest kiss to it. Then I pull her shirt down. Before she can say anything, I wrap her in my arms. She’s stiff as a board for a moment before her hands move slowly up my back and she melts against me with a quiet sigh.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
Claire tilts her head back and peers up at me, and when our eyes meet, something happens inside me. I don’t know what it is, but my stomach tightens. I think she feels it too because her eyes grow wide and she suddenly pushes away from me, putting a shitload of distance between us.
She steps up to the window, watching the sun dip low into the Toronto skyline. The CN Tower is lit up blue and white tonight because the Blue Jays are playing.
“Wow,” she murmurs in amazement, fingers pressing against the glass. “You have an incredible view.”
I step up beside her, admiring the way the blue sky turns pink and orange. “If you think this is nice, you should see the view from my condo.” She gives me side-eye and I laugh. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Mhmm. Sure, Mr. Beck.”
