Ashley snorts. “Knowing you? Yes.”
“Shut up,” I shoot back without any heat. “Do you wanna hear my idea or not?”
“Of course I do.”
“Okay.” I drag in another deep breath, which does nothing to calm the racing of my heart as excitement and terror beat at my chest. “Mommy and I have a zoo date next weekend. I’m gonna ask Daddy to meet me there.”
My plan is met with another long silence. I’m just about to check if the call dropped when Ashely finally speaks again. “Have you lost your fuckingmind?”
“Ashley Marie!”
“Daddy!” Fear has Ashley’s voice shooting up several octaves. “You’re home early.”
“And it’s a good thing, too.” Uncle Ryan’s tone is tight with anger. “Who are you talking to?”
“J-Junie.”
There’s an odd noise and then Uncle Ryan’s voice comes through the speaker. “I’m sorry, Junie, but Ashley has to go.”
“But Uncle Ryan, I need her!”
“She can call you back after dinner.Ifshe’s a good girl.”
In my head, I can picture him glaring at my bestie while she glares right back. Arguing with him when he’s already made up his mind is likely to end with us being put on restriction from each other and not being allowed to talk for a couple days, so I swallow down all the arguments burning on my tongue. “Yes, Sir.”
“We’ll talk to you later, sweetheart. Be good.”
“I’ll try.”
His laughter bursts through the phone, making me smile despite myself. We end the call, and I stare down at the device in my hand.
Maybe Ash is right. Maybe I have lost my mind.
But I don’t care. This is a chance to finally get everything I’ve ever wanted.
Swiping open my contacts, I select the number Daddy programmed in after we agreed to play more regularly, in case I dropped really bad after a scene and needed him. I pull up the option to text him, tapping out a message before I lose my nerve.
And I hit send.
Sebastian
From my lounge chair, I watch as my wife climbs out of the pool, water dripping from her tan skin, which has only turned more golden during our time here at the resort. Our friends opted fora destination wedding, which was part of why we chose to stay the whole week instead of simply flying out for the ceremony and flying home, and as much of a hassle as it was to get here, I’m grateful for the time away with my beautiful wife.
Dropping onto the seat beside me, Valentina sighs happily, stretching her long, shapely legs out in front of her as she drops her head back against the chair, tilting her face up toward the sun. “It’s going to suck going back home to the cold after this.”
Chuckling at her unusually sulky tone, I reach over and thread my fingers with hers. “Maybe we should take more of these trips in the winters. Give ourselves a break from the cold and the slush.”
Over her sunglasses, her eyebrows wing up toward her hairline. “Really? Can you afford to be away that much?”
Guilt pricks at my chest. Ever since I made partner, I haven’t been making time for my wife the way I should. Which makes my weekly outings toRestrainteven more of a betrayal.
Perhaps I should end things with Junie. Give up my membership. Focus on the woman I married, instead of a woman I can never really be with. It isn’t fair to either of them for me to have one foot in each door like this.
The thought of never seeing Junie again is an ache in my chest, one that I deliberately ignore as I smile at my wife. “A week or two during the year isn’t going to kill anyone. Would you want to come back here or try somewhere different?”
To my surprise and delight, an adorable blush creeps into Val’s cheeks. “Actually, I have a list of places. We’d talked about traveling more a few years ago, so I started putting some ideas together.”
Jesus, I really am the worst. Lifting our joined hands together, I press a kiss to her knuckles. “Send me the list and I’ll make the arrangements.”
