I can see the next question on his lips is to ask me what happened to me after she died, but I don’t think either of us is ready for that conversation, so I shake my head.
“Let’s just settle in and watch the movie.”
He takes in the strained look on my face before he nods. “Alright.” He leans back once more and tugs me until my head rests on his chest and his arm is around my shoulder. I tense, knowing this is a slippery slope, but when he does nothing else, I eventually feel myself relax before I drift off to sleep, missing the rest of the movie completely.
Chapter Thirty
Midas
The next morning,I take Legs shopping despite her protests, leaving Powers in charge of Au once more.
She pouts whenever I drag her into another clothing store, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult not to bite that lip and bend her over.
“Last one, then I’ll get you both fed,” I tell her. She looks up at me with a relieved smile as I hold open the door to a maternity boutique Sunshine recommended.
Legs looks around. “I’m not sure what to get. I guess things that will grow with me?” She ends it as a question, biting her lip.
“You’re not dressing to impress or entice anyone. You gotta dress for you.”
“You don’t want me to entice you?”
“Legs, if you’re breathing, I’m enticed. Don’t matter to me if you’re in lingerie or a burlap sack.”
Her mouth drops open in surprise. A woman in her late thirties approaches with a welcoming smile. “Can I help you folks with anything?”
“Um…” Legs glances around again before I wrap my arm around her.
“She’s looking for a few things that will grow with her. She’s pretty small right now, but I have a feeling she’s gonna pop a little more later.” I place my hand on her stomach, looking forward to seeing her bigger.
“I can certainly help with that. Style-wise, do you know what you want?”
Legs blows out a little breath before pointing to a red calf-length dress with white polka dots all over it. It has straps and a little tie at the top of the elastic bodice. It kind of gives off a pin-up vibe, but without the thousand puffy layers underneath the skirt. “That’s pretty.”
“Do you want to try it on and see if you like it? We can build your style around a few key pieces and see what we come up with.”
“That would be great, thank you.”
“No problem. Dad, do you want to join us?”
The wordDadjolts me. My eyes fly to Legs, who winces like she’s waiting for me to lash out. She has no idea how bittersweet it is to be called that. A wave of possession washes over me. I don’t care whose DNA helped make the kid, that baby is mine.
“Absolutely,” I reply. “Lead the way.”
I see the sheen of tears in Legs’s eyes as I take her hand and kiss her knuckles, leading her to the changing rooms. I take a seat and watch her disappear behind one of the wooden doors with the assistant. I pull out my cell and check my messages when I hear a chime before realizing it’s not my cell phone—it’s Legs’s.
“You’ve got a message, Legs. Want me to bring your phone to you?” I call out.
“Can you just see who it is for me?”
I reach into her bag and rummage around until I find it and look at the screen. “It’s from Amity. She wants to know if it’s okay for her, Tink, and Lil to visit later.”
She’s quiet for a minute before she calls out. “Text back and say yes. I’ll let her know when we’re back.”
I do as she asks. The assistant leaves the room and heads off to grab a few things. When her phone chimes again, I flip it over to see Amity’s response, only to see a message from her boss.
He dead yet? I need to know in advance, as I don’t have any suitable funeral attire.
I grit my teeth and resist the urge to text backfuck off. I don’t know what it is about this woman that rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it’s because she wants Legs back as much as I want her to stay, and I’m not sure right now which one of us is more important to her.
