Katie doesn’t return home until this coming Friday. I opted for a Friday-to-Friday schedule after years of seeing what Monday-to-Monday did to Lucas. It’s easier for Katie to decompress for a couple of days before facing school. I dropped her off at school yesterday.
I tip my head back against the seat and close my eyes for a moment. This is all hitting me hard and fast. Almost too fast.
Then I feel his right hand close around my left hand and squeeze. “We’vegotthis,” he gently says. “We’ve gotyou. Don’t even worry about paying us anything until your lease is up. Seriously. And we can go to the bank on Monday and open the joint account for the three of us. Remember how damned good it was those four weeks you lived with us when you first left her? Remember how you hated moving out again, and webeggedyou not to?”
Crap, my woody softens because I’m close to hyperventilating.
But he’s absolutely right. I cried myself to sleep damn near every night that first week I lived in my apartment because I was so fucking lonely and miserable without Arlo and Zoey there in bed with me.
I’m tired of being alone.
I’m tired of not being with them.
I’m…tired.
“Okay,” I whisper without opening my eyes. “Yeah. Okay.”
He squeezes my hand again. When I open my eyes, he’s wearing a damned triumphant grin. “You’ll see this is what we all need,” Arlo insists. “We’re afamily. We’vebeena family for fourfreakingyears. It’s about time we all finally live under the same roof.”
* * * *
All due credit to Caine, the kid’s a worker. He didn’t waste a second of time moving Lucas out of Bill’s, and Arlo’s no sooner backed the truck into the driveway at home when Caine’s opening the back and getting the ramp out. He’s about an inch shorter than Lucas, with green eyes and dark blond hair that’s close to brown. He’s a little beefier than Lucas, though, but polite, sweet, calm.
I follow Zoey inside to the kitchen and lean in for a kiss from her. Little moments like this don’t have to be stolen now. Not around Lucas, anyway.
“Arlo wants to start moving me in this weekend,” I say.
She starts to laugh, then stops and really looks at me. Her eyes widen. “Really?”
“Yeah. Wants the two of us to go over and start moving things. Wants me to start living here this week and get Katie’s room moved and set up.” I draw myself a glass of water. “Although he did mention he wants to bend me over and fuck me, too.”
She grins. “Well, of course he does. You two are really going to need to take a day off from work together once you’re all moved in so he can properly welcome you home.”
“What about you?” I set my glass aside and pull her in for another kiss.
“Well,duh. Of course I’ll take a day off. Easier for me to do that than you two, though. I’ve got like four weeks of vacation time built up.”
I sigh. “It’d make more sense if all of us, and Caine, pitch in this weekend to do it, wouldn’t it?”
“Uh, again,duh.” She drapes her arms around my neck. “It only makes sense. Katie loves coming here with you. This is like a second home to her already. Let’s make it her permanent home. And it gives us longer to get the bitch used to the new world order.”
I know she means Jerilyn and not Katie. There is no love lost between Zoey and my ex, although my ex has no idea how much Zoey loathes her. She thinks Zoey likes her.
Which is ironic, because Jerilyn hates Zoey. Hate’s too strong a word, I suppose.
She resents Zoey and holds her in contempt. Even more so because she thinks she’s pulling one over on Zoey while hating her. It’s a game to Jerilyn. The more she thinks she’s got someone fooled that she likes them when she really hates them, the more she enjoys it.
That should’ve been a glaring fucking clue to me.
I never should’ve married her, except I wanted to make it work for Katie’s sake. I wanted to be a good dad.
It was one of the stupid reasons I fought so long and hard against Arlo’s attempts to get me to commit to him for the long-haul—because I wanted to be a dad.
I just…honestly hadn’t meant to do that with Jerilyn.
Bitch.
Then I compounded my errors in judgment by marrying her. Which, considering I didn’t feel a fraction of the love for her that I felt for Arlo, and Zoey, that made it an even more boneheaded move on my part.
