AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He grumbles, and my God, the way my lady bits tingle at that low, rough sound should be illegal. He slides his hand through my hair until his large, callused hand is gripping the back of my head and holding me close to him. “I’m your boyfriend, Laney. Only yours, for as long as you want me.”
Then he dips his head to meet mine, and his next words break through every last shred of defense I’ve held against him. “I’d like to be yours forever.”
“I’d like that too,” I confess because it’s the truth. It’s always been the truth. And I’m beginning to realize that I had no chance of successfully cutting him out of my life when our six months was up. It would’ve been like cutting out half of my soul.
He closes the small gap between us and kisses me fiercely, pouring all the emotions I’ve always wanted him to feel into our kiss.
A throat clears and we break apart, both turning to look at Jared who’s got a huge grin on his face. “While I’m not a prude, this is a family event, so you two should probably tone it down.” He can barely keep the laugh out of his voice.
Dom steps back slightly but wraps his arm around me, so we’re still close. “How long have you been selling your work?” he asks me.
“Not long. It’s kind of a complex turn of events. I went out to eat by myself when we weren’t talking and met a waitress who chatted me up, and she’s the one that said I absolutely had to meet her uncle who runs an art gallery.” I point at Jared, so it’s clear to Dom that Jared is said uncle.
“I met with him and he loved my stuff, so now here we are. This is the second batch I’ve painted for him.”
“You sold out already?”
My cheeks grow pink but there’s a flutter of pride in my heart. “Yeah. Can you believe it? Some random strangers actually bought something I painted.”
His gaze gets soft as his thumb rubs circles where it rests on my hip. “I can absolutely believe it. I always said you were talented. So does this mean you’re done in corporate America?”
“Nope. In fact, I just got a huge bonus for my role in our recent audit.”
Dom’s smile grows even wider, and the pride glowing in his gaze makes me feel like a million dollars. “Damn, Sunshine, just knocking it out of the park in all areas of your life, aren’t you?”
This time it’s my smile that grows wider. “I guess you’re right.”
He is. For the first time in a long time, I’m not just going through the motions. I’m trying new things. I’m kissing the man I’ve been in love with for years.
I’m thriving at life, instead of just showing up for the day-to-day that I got used to.
And it feels really fucking good.
I should’ve known something would come and knock the wind from my sails because nothing this good lasts forever.
The panel next to my door buzzes, and I glance down at my phone to check the time, but it’s too early to be Dom. He should be here soon, but not this soon.
I walk to the intercom attached to the buzzer and speak into it.
“Yeah?”
“Hey, sweetie. It’s Mom.”
I drop my head to the wall and close my eyes. It’s never a good thing when my mom shows up unannounced. I thought I’d left all her endless drama behind when I left Idaho, but Mom’s always been the clingy type—to men, to money, to me. If she loses one, she clings even harder to the others. If she’s here in LA, that can only mean she needs money, or her latest boyfriend dumped her.
Knowing my luck, it’ll be both and she’s here to beg me for a place to stay.
The last thing I need or want right now is my mom hanging around. I don’t need her planting her poison in my head and messing with the fragile happiness I’ve found. But she’s my mom.
Without saying a word, I buzz her in, already regretting it.
I wait for the knock on the door and then open it for her. She breezes in wearing a skin-tight black dress, looking like she’s Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. She lets out a heavy sigh as she looks around my apartment. I’m sure it’s much more colorful than she’d prefer, but growing up around neutrals became the bane of my existence.
Some days I really miss the mother I had when my dad was alive—the one that was softer and more down-to-earth. There was a realness to her that’s been missing since that sheriff’s deputy showed up at our front door, his hat in hand and an apology written all over his face. Sometimes it feels like both of my parents died that day. The woman who rose from the ashes of my father’s death was not a woman I recognized. She was cold, needy, fake. She latched on to men who would provide for her everything she could ever want, except the one thing I knew she needed. The one thing we both needed.
Love.
But love is a real emotion I don’t think she’s felt since my dad died.
