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“Don’t call me baby. He called me that all the time, and I hate it.” She scowled.
His heart sank. “Oh. I’m sorry, Wiz. It was an... automatic endearment. I’ll try not to use it again, but it wasn’t something I thought about.” He definitely didn’t want to remind her of the idiot ex.
“You haven’t before.”
“Hmmm.” It was tough to think with her perched on his lap. He lifted her, placing her on the couch next to him. She glared. “Sorry.” He shrugged. “You’re too distracting. I’m a simple guy, remember?” She huffed, but a smile grew. Good, because his explanation was likely to annoy her; it didn’t say anything good about him, either. “I think I fell back on an old automatic response. In my former life, I was popular, and women have sat in my lap to get my attention quite a bit. I’ve never seen you act... sexy, before. Whether you intended to or not, that’s how I took it. So, I replied automatically.” She glowered at her lap. “Sorry. That reflects badly on me, not you. And trust me, I think you’re always sexy, and I love seeing you confident. I want to see more.” He absolutely did. While he was perfectly happy to simply hang out with her, kissing and cuddling had become the highlight of his day. The glimmer of something more was encouraging.
“I shouldn’t be upset about your old relationships, but I kind of am.” She licked her lips, and her shoulders hunched.
He offered his hand, palm up, and she accepted without hesitation. “Maybe you should be. I shouldn’t be bringing old habits into our relationship. But I am kind of old and set in my ways. I’ll do my best to remember, if you’ll go easy on me when I forget. But please tell me, don’t let it fester, okay? It’s my problem, not yours, and I need to fix it.”
She squeezed his hand, finally looking at him again. “You’re not old.”
He snorted. “Sure I am. I need reading glasses.”
She scoffed. “That doesn’t mean old. Besides, how old do you think I am?”
Tom chuckled. “You expect me to answer that? No way. I may be old, but I’m not stupid.”
She laughed. He loved her laugh, and making her laugh was the highlight of his day. She shook her head. “Tom, I’m thirty-four, not some kid. You’re only eight years older than me. That’s not that much.”
The relief surprised him. Guess he’d worried about the age gap after all. “Well, it’s less than I thought.” He squeezed her hand gently. “I’m grateful when you’re willing to share with me.”
She pressed her lips together for a moment. “I didn’t want to feel anything for so long that I’d forgotten how to be happy. Sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for, Wiz. Nothing. We both know there are going to be things that make one or both of us unhappy. Finding those things and talking about them is a process. A slow process, but as long as we keep talking, we’ll be okay.” He squeezed her hand again. “Besides, I’m the one who is and should be sorry, not you. But now I know, and I’ll try not to do that again. If I do, smack me on the shoulder, and I’ll eventually get the message through negative behavior modification.” He smiled, hoping he could hold her again soon.
“Okay. I can do that.” She turned toward him. “But you might end up with some bruises.”
“Oh, hurt me, honey.” He froze and swallowed. “Is honey okay?”
“Yes. It’s just ‘baby’ that bothers me. My ex used it as more of a put-down, partly because I’m short.” Her nose wrinkled adorably.
“You’re not short, you’re tiny. And perfect. A perfect little angel.” His Christmas angel.
She shook her head and let go of his hand, then lifted his arm and nestled close to his side. “I’m a long way from perfect. And even further from angelic.” She rested her head on his chest. “But being small does have some advantages.” She twisted, leaning across him, pulled his neck down, and kissed him.
He returned her kiss with interest. She should stay right there, next to his heart, forever.
#
Sam retrieved the sheaf of papers, her assistant stamping her notary seal on them and finishing the rest of the paperwork. “Okay, so we’ve got the petition for the permanent protective order and petition to seal records ready. I think, with the documentation you’ve given me, that this will be a no-brainer. I wish we knew the names of these other people your ex referred to because we can only file against him.” Sam glared. “I still can’t believe any of this happened to you. It’s just so very wrong. I’m sorry you had to tell me, and I’m even sorrier that you’re going to have to tell a judge. And serve the papers on your ex. Hopefully the ass won’t show up to contest it. But that’s the way the legal system works, for better or worse. At least you’re well-protected, unlike a lot of the women I do this for.”
Tom hugged her closer. As she’d told her story to Sam, she’d hunched her shoulders and pulled her legs up. He’d expected her to run for her bedroom at any moment. But at Sam’s last words, she straightened. “Yes. I can protect myself.”
“And you have help. Trustworthy help.” Sam nodded at him.
Wiz smiled and sat upright again. “You’re right. I'm not going to let those jerks back me into a corner again. I’m living my life, and if they confront me, well, they’re going to lose.”
Fierce was sexy on Wiz. He huffed. She was sexy, period.
“Tom, I’m assuming you’ll be attending the hearing?” Sam cocked her head.
“Of course.” He’d always be there for Wiz.
“You may be in for some trouble.” She grimaced. “While I can understand why you acted the way you did, and I think the judge will too, he could decide to charge you, if the ex pushes it. We’ll press charges too, but...”
Tom snorted. “I don’t care. I wish I’d just shot the braying jackass.”
