“Boss, you promised we’d never bring that up ever again.”
“Oh, right. I forgot.”
My bad. I had so few things to keep my mood up these days that I had to take advantage.
After work, I drove out to Mclean.
Not for any fun reasons, but to pick up Hallie. Noa, the brattiest brat to ever have bratted, was also one of the sweetest kids I’d met. He’d hooked my girl up with a part-time job right after the cruise. I’d mentioned in passing that Hallie wanted a job, and he’d just called his manager at the grocery store where he worked. Where he worked forfun.
When I was almost there, Nate called, so I inserted my earbuds and took the call.
“What’s up?”You motherfucker.
Maybe I was still 100% butthurt because he hadn’t cared to fight for the National Parks Passport.
“What we’ve been dreading finally happened this morning,” he said. “It wasn’t Micah, though. It was Lily. She asked why you and I never kiss or hug.”
Oh. Hell.
Well, see, princess, your dad doesn’t want me anymore.
“What did you answer?” I asked.
He sighed. “Micah kinda saved my ass by blurting out that kissing was gross because of cooties—at which Lily got huffy and said he was wrong, because kissing means you love someone.”
“That’s my girl,” I murmured, turning into the parking lot of the store. “So, you didn’t tell her that you don’t love me anymore?”
“Funny.”
Not one bit.
He cleared his throat. “I told her I’d talk to you about it but that we definitely love each other, which… I don’t know. I feel bad lying outright.”
I clenched my jaw. “Well, I need one more week.” Maybe. Actually, I probably only needed two days, but I was gonna try to stretch that to two weeks. Because I was a dumbass masochist.
It was just the thought of taking off my ring—a thought that plagued me every damn night at the moment—made me wanna cry.
“I gotta go,” I said, killing the engine. “I’m about to pick up Hallie. Are you home?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, I’ll see you in a bit, then.” I ended the call and climbed out of the truck, breathing in the fresh spring air.
Focus on the good shit in life.
I was trying, dammit. I’d reconnected with my friends. I was back in the kink community. I had brats running around me every time I was out there. I’d joined an event, even. I was gonna be the King Master Owner of Penelope’s new girlfriendtomorrow. Nonsexual playtime, obviously, but damn, Nora was funny. She sure as hell scratched the Sadist’s itch in me.
I walked into the store, figuring I might as well pick up dinner. They had a deli here I could try.
I wasn’t in the mood to cook anyway.
After grabbing a basket, I made my way toward the back?—
Hold up.
I heard Hallie’s voice in the next aisle over, and she wasn’t alone.
“Was there anything else?” she asked.
