We might not get a real
chance until they go see their dad.
I can wait.
“Bitch, I can’t,” Sloan groaned.
Getting to know you better will
just have to hold me over.
Sloan’s stomach fluttered as it filled with butterflies. She closed out of their conversation and called Xeni. She was too anxious to text. Thank god Xeni answered right away.
“You busy?”
“I’m a sexy ho in her prime, in one of the most bumping cities in the world on a Friday night. Of course I’m not. I’m crafting in bed and watching this documentary on serial killers. Why are you whispering?”
“I’m in the bathroom. The girls are asleep in my bed. I have a quick question and then I’m going to leave you alone.”
Xeni laughed. “You don’t have to leave me alone. And if this is about your ginger stud, you know I want to hear all about it. What’s going on?”
“How soon is too soon to ask a guy to be your boyfriend?”
After taking several knees and elbows to the kidney throughout the night, Sloan was surprised to wake up in bed alone. She was also shocked that it was almost nine a.m. and she’d woken up peacefully on her own. She lay there for a moment, soaking in the morning sun coming through her curtains. She closed her eyes, starfishing in the middle of her bed, and then listened very carefully. Her kids were definitely awake. There were no signs of fire or the distinct scent of blood, so she figured they could manage a few more minutes without her.
Sloan rolled over and grabbed her phone. There were more texts from Rafe from a few hours before.
Don’t rush.
I fed them.
Sloan shouldn’t have been surprised. It was literally his job. Still, a warmth spread through her chest at the thought that he had everything under control. She scrolled up and looked at the rest of the texts they’d shared before they’d finally called it a night and that warmth turned into a raging heat as it moved much lower.
Xeni deserved the Best Friend Ever award. She’d listened to Sloan’s confession regarding her spiraling feelings for the family nanny and gave her some sound advice. First, Xeni had needed to confirm if they had slept together yet. The answer was no, but damn were they close. As far as Xeni was concerned, there should be no boyfriend talk until they slept together. Yeah, things were great so far, but there was still a chance Rafe was terrible in bed.
And then Xeni had explained the layers of terrible. Terrible, but willing to learn versus lost cause terrible. Sloan needed to complete a bedroom evaluation on Rafe before she moved on to Do You Wanna Be My Boo. If the sex was bomb and she was really starting to catch feelings, then, Xeni said, it was time to slow the fuck down. Rafe was in her life and he wasn’t going anywhere for now. She didn’t need to jump to boo’d up talk one week in. What she did tell Sloan to do was ask him if he was seeing anyone else. It’d never dawned on her that he might be sleeping with other women, which, no shit. Why wouldn’t a guy like him be out there playing the field? She definitely needed the answer to that question before she slept with him.
If all of that was in order, then Sloan needed to ask herself what she really wanted. Fuck buddy, boyfriend or the future father of baby #3. There was nothing wrong with any of those options, but she needed to be clear about what she wanted before she had a serious conversation with Rafe. Xeni, best best friend ever.
They’d talked some more and ended up making plans for a girls night in that Saturday night. Xeni and their friend Meegan both had to spend Labor Day weekend with their families and once school started their schedules would be less flexible. Sloan would start up the grill, they’d get in some quality pool time with Addison and Avery, and after they went to bed, it was wine time. It was Rafe’s night off, so if he didn’t have plans she’d warn him that no fewer than four vivacious young women would be bopping around the first floor of her home.
With her Saturday plans well in hand, Sloan started to get up. Before she could make it to the bathroom, the instrumental version of “What Would I Do if I Could Feel?” from NBC’s version of theThe Wizstarted playing from her nightstand. Dammit.
She picked up her cell and hit accept. “Good morning,” she said, trying not to suck her teeth. God, she hated her ex so much.
“Hey,” Drew said, all cool and calm. “I got an email from the administrator at Whippoorwill.”
“With the school calendar, right? I made sure they had your email.”
“Yeah. I arranged a parent-teacher conference for the Friday before Labor Day.”
“Oh?”
“I’ll come down Thursday and then fly them back with me Friday morning after the meeting. I know you won’t mind them having a four-day weekend. It’s the holiday.” The girls were already staying with Drew an extra night due to Labor Day. He didn’t need another extra day.
“Actually, I do. I want them to finish that full week. I want to get them into a good rhythm.”
“Listen, you’ve already fucked up their rhythm plenty by moving. They’re only six. Missing one day of kindergarten isn’t going to derail their whole lives. Plus, it’ll give my mother some extra time with them.” And there it was. The real truth. Drew was going to hand the girls off to his mom. Susan was a nice woman when she got her way, but when Drew had the nerve to fight for visitation he should have just been honest about who was doing what when he had them.
