My heart rate thumps faster, and my blood boils as I release an exasperated grunt.
Amy’s brows dart to the ceiling.
Remy claps. “Monsters, Inc.growl.”
“Yep.” Tessa nods, suppressing a grin. “Just like Sulley.”
Playing along, I bite into the beignet with an exaggerated chomp, which wins me favor with my little man.
After gulping that bite down, I flash Tessa a syrupy, no-teeth grin. “I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss feelings. There is something special about a person knowing all your moods. If you find the right guy, you could share rage. Hateintimacycould be enjoyable. Or infuriating.”
She smirks. “Worth a shot. I don’t mindinflictingfeelings.”
Me: Satisfied?
Ryker: I plan to be tonight. Go pick out a dress that will look stunning on the floor.
“All right, let’s get started and eat afterward when you work up an appetite.” Amy rises, rounds the table, and corrals me into the bedroom. “I gave you a bunch to try, and then we can narrow it down by style and go from there.”
Since I’m assuming there are no cameras in there because watching me undress without my permission is a step too far, even for Ryker, I oblige her, if only to get a break.
Before I get started, I drop one of the dresses on the floor, snap a picture, and send it to Ryker.
Me: How’s that working for ya?
His response is immediate.
Ryker: It’s not shredded enough for my liking.
It’s both maddening and invigorating that he can always match everything I sling at him. Frustration needles beneath my skin, so I abandon our conversation and indulge in some extravagant shopping.
The third gown I try on is striking and elegant in a mermaid style. As I’m toying with the zipper, Remy bursts into the room.
“I find you, Mama.” His announcement rings out like a hide-and-seek triumph.
Carefully stooping down before him, I tickle his little belly. “How did you find me? I’m the best hider there ever was.”
He puffs up his chest. “I’m the best seeker ever was.”
I scan his innocent face, his wide hazel eyes and plump cheeks, the joy that pervades my hollow aches. “That you are, sweet pea.”
He studies me right back, his chubby hands cupping my jaw. “Ryker-friend makes you smile.”
I’m not sure why that mows me over, whether it be the use ofRyker-friend—a name earned because Ryker promised him they’d be friends forever—or the fact that Ryker has made me smile enough that Remy noticed. Beautiful and tragic, all at once. How often had he wished I was smiling before?
Smothering the inferno of emotion burning through me, I lift his shirt and kiss his belly, drawing more giggles out of him. “You make me smile.”
“I know.” He beams proudly.
His proclamation pacifies the nagging, intrusive thought that plagues me—I’m failing him.
Banishing that defeatist mindset, I change it.I’m fighting every day for him. He feels it.
Tessa waltzes in, scooping Remy into her arms. “You did a good job, little man. I knew you’d find Mama.”
My phone pings from the bed, and both of us glance that way as I rise and flatten the dress.
“Amy is on a call.” She peers out the cracked-open door, revealing that she used Remy as a reason to bust in here while Amy was preoccupied. Her green-blue eyes float back to me. “Your feelings don’t have to make sense to anyone else. It’s okay if things are complicated.”
