“Okay, okay, I get it. Nap, snack, no juice. Don’t worry, everything will be fine. And if it’s not, I’ll call.” He looks past his daughter directly at me. “You can take Mama Bear away now, Greyson. I think she needs a little push.” He laughs, only making Emma frown at him even more.
I grab my girl by the waist and drag her out of the home as she calls over to Gracie, telling her how much she loves her and will miss her, as well as giving further instructions to her father.Jesus, we’re only leaving for a few hours. The way she’s talking makes it seem like we’ll be gone for weeks.
I bring her to my truck, open the passenger door, throw her inside, and slam it closed, cutting off the rest of the orders she was giving her father. She gapes at me through the window in shock, watching me as I walk around the front of the truck and wave goodbye to Lance and Gracie before climbing into the cab.
Emma still hasn’t said anything as I pull out of the driveway and down the street, just staring at me with daggers in her eyes. Finally, she sits forward and buckles herself up, folding her arms under her chest and looking out the windshield with an angry pout.
“You know, I’m thinking of revoking your‘best boyfriend’title. Silas never throws Cecilia like that in his car, and he always buckles her in. Now that’s a good boyfriend,” she says, lifting her head high.
“Would you like us to switch places? Do a little wife swap?” I chuckle while focusing on the road.
After a few seconds with no reply, I quickly glance her way and instantly know where I fucked up.Shit.As good as our relationship is going, Bunny still has little moments of insecurity that pop up. Sometimes it will be something I’ll do or say without thinking, like in this case.
I place my hand on her thigh. “Baby, that’s not what I meant. I was just joking along with your comment. I wasn’t thinking.”
She nods but doesn’t say anything and won’t look at me, but her fingers won’t stop playing with her nails like she does whenever something bothers her.
I grab onto her hand closest to me and intertwine our fingers. “Stop, Em. You don’t have anything to worry about. There’s no one I want in this world but you. I’m yours and you’re mine. That’s all that matters. My Bunny. Your Wolf.”
She finally turns to me while we’re stopped at a red light, so I take the time to show her through my eyes how much I mean every word.She’s my world. Her and my daughter.
“My Wolf,” she whispers with a deep sigh.
I lift our joined hands to my lips, kissing the back of hers. “My Bunny.”
It takes us all of three hours to do our shopping and come back home. And the minute we step through the door, Em runs over to Gracie and showers her with affection. I love how crazy Emma is about my daughter. It simply makes me love Em more.
Lance helps me carry everything into the house while Bunny fusses over my baby girl. “How’s single life treating you, Lance?” I question as we take out more bags from my truck bed.
“It’s pretty good. I forgot what it was like to get out there and mingle,” he says smiling, but it’s one of those smiles that hides a story.
“And are you mingling with a specific person at the moment?” I raise a brow and smirk.
“Maybe.” His smile grows.Damn, Lance has a girlfriend. Good for him.
“I’m happy for you. Where did you meet her?”
“Well, we actually met the first time about five years ago but bumped into each other last month at one of my work events and got talking. And well, things have escalated since.” He chuckles, and I laugh.
“I’m sure they have.” Despite Lance being in his early sixties, he’s a very good-looking man who takes great care of himself. “So when do we get to meet this lovely new lady in your life?”
I see the hesitation in his eyes before he even speaks. “Well, I’m not sure. I’m not embarrassed or anything like that, but there are slight complications.” He squeezes the back of his neck.
“Like?”
“Well, first, I’m not sure how Emma would feel about me having a girlfriend so soon. Second, she’s almost half my age, butthe biggest issue would be that Emma knows her.” He chuckles and blushes slightly.Well, now I have to know who this mystery woman is.
“Damn, a young one, huh?” I laugh.
“Woah, not that young. She’s thirty-four.”
I nod with approval. “I’m sure Em wouldn’t have a problem with you dating. She might be a little shocked at first, but she just wants to see you happy. Why don’t you invite your lady over for dinner with us?”
“You trying to put me on the spot, son?” He narrows his eyes as we take out the boxed cabinet from my truck.
I laugh again. “Nah, just thought it would be a good way to bring it out in the open. If you see this going somewhere with your new friend, better to get it out now than later down the road.”
He takes a moment to think about it, then nods. “All right, I’ll see if she’s okay with the change of plans. We were already supposed to have dinner together tonight, so I think she’ll say yes.”
