“Talk to me, Chase. What’s going on?” she asks.
I exhale. “I don’t know, Kate. I’m fucked, I think.”
“If you weren’t, I’d be worried about you.”
“Why is that?”
“I saw her—that’s why. She’s freaking pretty. And from what Mom said—and I realize I have to take that with a grain of salt—she’s sweet and smart. What more could you want?”
Not much. Maybe not anything.
I roll my shoulder around to keep it loose. “For starters, I could want someone who lives near me.”
“I hear she’s unemployed. That’s helpful.”
“For two, I could choose someone who wants to live in the middle of nowhere. Megan is a city girl, Kate. She didn’t even own a pair of boots until last weekend.”
Kate chuckles. “So? Get her some. Problem solved.”
“I did get her some.”Then I gave her some.
My cock hardens as I remember her slipping into my bedroom Sunday night. I bent her over the edge of the bed and sank so deeply inside her that I was afraid I’d lose myself forever.
Unfortunately, I didn’t.
“Kate, I would never admit this to anyone else, so keep your mouth shut.”
“You got it.”
I groan. “I’m fucked up over this woman, and I don’t know what to do about it. It’s been two weeks. She’s all I think about. I’m already dreading the day she leaves. Tell me this is normal behavior. That I just haven’t had someone at my disposal like this in so long that I forgot what the convenience felt like.”
“Yeah, but I don’t think the convenience is bugging you.”
Of course, it’s not.
“Let’s break this down,” she says. “What are you worrying about? What’s your holdup? Your hiccup, so to speak?”
“Well …” I run a hand over my jaw. “She’s going to leave soon.”
“And you can’t ask her to stay?”
“No, I could, I guess.”
“Solved. What else?”
I flip my turn signal and pull onto the gravel road leading to my house.
“I’m worried this isn’t the right move for Kennedy,” I say, my voice void of levity. “She’s never had to share me with another woman. And she’s at this stage of her life where she needs to be the only thing I focus on, but here we are, and I’m thinking about Megan just as much as I’m thinking about my daughter. Hell, probably more. Am I fucking this up?”
Kate laughs. “No, you’re not fucking anything up—except maybe Megan, and I’m pretty sure she’s enjoying it.”
“No. Hard limit. We aren’t discussing my sex life.”
“Fine, fine.” She sighs. “Look, maybe you need someone in your life. Kennedy needs a woman figure, Chase. A role model. And it would be healthy for her to watch you in a solid relationship with someone. Stop looking at it from a pessimistic angle. You’re allowed to have a life, too, you know.”
Relief washes over me.
“And I know what you’re thinking,” she says.
