“Was that okay?” I ask, anxiety creeping in. “I hate that my body does shit on its own while I sleep.”
Mei cups my cheeks and stares deeply into my eyes. “I trust you whether you’re awake or asleep. I’m safe with you.”
I let loose a sharp breath of relief. “I would never hurt you. Never.”
Jin finally comes home with Penny, later that evening, and there’s a tension in the air that hasn’t existed between us before. Things need to be said and I’m tired of avoiding the subject. In order for us to figure out the camera guy shit, we need to be frank with one another.
“Where are your kids?” Jin asks after putting Penny to bed.
“The two younger ones are at Leah’s. Rhett went to Riko’s.” I motion for Jin to join me in the living room. “Come sit.”
Her eyes dart over to Mei who’s sitting beside me on the sofa and she scowls. “Mei, go to your room.”
“She’ll stay,” I bark, voice firm and unyielding. “You’ve kept her in the dark long enough.”
Jin gapes at me but then quickly schools her features. “I need wine for this.”
She disappears into the kitchen. I take Mei’s hand and bring it to my lips to kiss. It was nice spending the entire day, uninterrupted, in bed with her. We even ate lunch and dinner both in bed. I can still taste dessert on my tongue. Mei’s pussy is sweeter than any cake I’ve ever eaten.
Jin returns with a wineglass filled to the brim with wine. I arch an eyebrow at her. She rolls her eyes at me as she sits in anarmchair. When she notices me holding Mei’s hand, she takes a long swallow of her wine.
“I knew it,” Jin says, ice in her voice. “Should’ve known better.”
“We’ll get to this,” I say as I hold up Mei’s hand. “Start from the beginning. Who is Penny’s father?”
Jin’s tough exterior melts a bit and she frowns. “Don’t play ignorant. You both know it’s Christopher.”
Mei lets go of my hand and sits straighter, glowering at her mother. “Why lie? Why let me think Penny was an accidental pregnancy from a one-night stand?”
Jin huffs. “Because she was an accidental pregnancy from a one-night stand.” She pauses to drink another gulp of wine. “I didn’t know he’d last past that night or let alone I’d fall in love with him.”
Mei softens. “You love him?”
“Of course I do,” Jin clips out. “My life has been a mess since I crawled into bed with him. Love has me going back to him again and again.”
“Why all the secrecy?” I ask, eyebrows scrunching together in confusion. “From what I’ve witnessed, he loves Penny dearly. I guess I don’t understand why the two of you aren’t together.”
Jin checks her phone, replies to someone, and then purses her lips. “It seems simple to you. It wasn’t always simple.”
“Explain the complexity then,” I urge. “She’s family. I’m at the very least your friend, Jin. You can confide in people and not die.”
Jin snorts with what might be humor. Mei stifles a giggle.
“After a particularly difficult work day, I went to the bar to unwind. Met a handsome guy with an intensity I was attracted to.” Jin’s eyes glaze over as if she remembers that night like it were yesterday. “He was perfect. I haven’t ever felt so…smittenover a man.” Her barely hidden pleasure is wiped away by a flash of regret. “Should have known it was too good to be true.”
Mei shoots me a frown and I shrug. I have no idea what’s the problem so far.
“Christopher was married,” Jin says simply. “To someone in an influential family.”
“Oh,” Mei says, voice soft.
“I saw the ring, saw the torment in his eyes, and pursued him anyway.” Jin downs the rest of her wine. “It was good, but the next morning, he expressed his shame for cheating on his wife.”
She disappears to grab her wine bottle and returns a few seconds later. I take Mei’s hand again, stroking her skin with my thumb, hoping to offer comfort as her mother tells her deepest secrets.
“As much as I liked him,” Jin continues, “I didn’t want to be that woman. We agreed not to see one another. That was that.”
“Until…” Mei encourages.
