“A couple of months ago,” I tell her. I have nothing to hide.
“Why? You didn’t even call me to talk about it,” she says. I can hear the tinge of anger in her voice. She has no right to be angry.
“The phone works both ways, Rebekah.”
She huffs. “You’re right, it does, but I —”
“Look. I won’t argue about this over the phone. This is not about me. This is about what’s best for Naomi. I think you know that. But if you want to talk to me, call my lawyer. I—”
I cut myself off. There are a lot of things I want to say, like — what choice do I have? You left her. She calls me Daddy for a reason. Look at what happened last time, and I won’t let my kid go through that again. But I don’t.
Instead, I keep it as simple as I can. “If you have questions or an issue, call the lawyer. Goodnight Rebekah.”
Hanging up the phone, I toss it on the nightstand with a sigh. I knew this was a possibility. She could fight this, and it’s possible she could win. I don’t know if she has a steady job. We didn’t talk about all of that while she was here.
Indecision churns in my gut. If Rebekah chooses to fight this, it could expose Naomi to all of it. The way she responded to Rebekah last time worries me. She was not the little girl I’ve raised, and I knew she was hurting and had no idea what to make of it. It took us a while for her to get back to normal, though I know she still thinks about Rebekah. But she doesn’t ask me about her much anymore. Which is telling in and of itself.
Tan arms slide around my waist, and lips kiss my spine. “Hi,” Mae says.
I smile and turn around in her arms. “Have a good shower?”
She nods with sleepy eyes. She’s back in my shirt and her lounge pants, and everything about this feels good. It makes me feel like I’m finally the man I want to be.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m tired,” she says.
I stoop down and kiss her quickly. “The fashion show took it out of you.”
She snorts. “Sure, let’s go with that. What side of the bed do you normally sleep on?” she asks
“I’m usually there,” I tell her, pointing to the right side, closest to the door.
She shrugs and rounds to the left side of the bed.
I turn off the light and slide under the covers. Mae gets comfortable and wiggles in next to me.
“Wake me up when you get up so we don’t confuse Naomi,” she whispers.
“You forgot something.”
“What did I forget?” Mae says.
“To kiss me goodnight, duh,” I rumble.
Mae sighs.
“Oh, I’m sorry, is it an imposition for you?” I ask her.
She pinches me playfully, and I grunt. “That was mean, you should have to pay for that,” I tell her, sliding my hand down her back and grabbing her ass.
She squeaks and throws her leg over one of mine.
“You’re looking for excuses to feel me up,” she says into my neck.
I grab her chin, easily finding it in the dark, and our lips meet a breath later. When I kiss Mae, I can fight the entire world and win because of her. I could burn it all down or save it purely because she wanted me to.
Her tongue flickers against mine tentatively, and my hips unintentionally buck against her.
Mae whimpers into my mouth and I swallow it whole, trying to keep myself from devouring her.
