MAKE ME PAY
“That was nice of your mother to take Maverick for the night,” Chance said two days later. “Did you ask her to do that?”
“No,” she said. “I really hadn’t.”
Not once had she mentioned to her mother that she’d like some alone time with Chance. So that they could have fun again and feel like a dating couple.
Jocelyn was fine with the way things had been. Even if she missed their more intimate encounters, she felt what they had was growing, but in another direction. Not a bad one. Just more complex.
It’s not like Chance and she weren’t having sex. It was just subdued sex, as she felt they both worried they’d wake up Maverick.
“Do you think he’ll be fine?” he asked.
“I’m positive. She’s staying at my place. He’ll feel comfortable there. He needs some familiarity and it will work out.”
“I appreciate it for both of us,” he said. “Though I think it’s going to feel odd to be in my place now without him. If he’s here, so am I at night. Or we are both at your place.”
“I think you need a night away. We both do. Not that I don’t enjoy my time with him. I always thought I’d have a child by now.”
“I heard,” he said.
Her lips pursed. “I’m sure one of my brothers mentioned it.”
“Jayce. I thought little of it. You’re too good with Mav not to want kids.”
“Thank you. Just because I always thought I’d have a child by now doesn’t mean I’d be good with one. You don’t know until it’s that time.”
“You’re better than me.”
“You’re doing a great job. Do you want to spend our night talking about Maverick?”
“Is it horrible of me if I say no?”
“Nope. It’s healthy. My mother will call if there is a problem. There won’t be.”
At least she hoped not.
“Where do you want to go tonight for dinner?”
“Nowhere,” she said. “Let’s stop and pick something up and eat naked in bed. I might even let you eat off of me.”
He burst out laughing and turned his head from where he was paying attention to the road. He’d picked her up. It’d been touch and go if Maverick would be upset with them leaving, but he gave them both a hug and kiss and went back to playing with her mother.
“I can get on board with that. What do you want to eat?”
“You,” she said.
“The feeling is mutual, but we’ll need something else.”
Her head was swiveling around. “Subs. We can toss them in the fridge until I’ve had enough of you.”
“That defeats you eating it off of me.”
“Sorry, that was a joke. If you’ve got some chocolate sauce, I might be into that.”
“Then I’d have to clean the sheets,” he said.
“Oh my God. Chance, did you just pick laundry over dirty sex with your girlfriend? You are totally a dad now.”
