by J. P. Comeau
I wasn’t heartbroken.
The betrayal hurt, yes. And the loss of the money was really not an issue. I hurt for Marie Lee, though. My daughter had lost her mother and had no clue why. But, was I sad at Patricia leaving me? Leaving us?
Not in the slightest.
“Well then,” I whispered.
Suddenly, a wondrous sound cascaded against my ears. I grinned at the girlish giggles and squeals that came from the backyard. I stood to my feet, stretching my arms above my head as I made my way over to the window. And as my back popped a million times straight into place, I peered down at Marie Lee. At my daughter, with her beautiful ringlet curls, running around the backyard with Willow chasing her. The two of them looked to be having the grandest time together, and my heart warmed at the sight.
Willow had been a godsend for both of us.
I walked over to the bay window and sat in the sill, watching them play down below. Willow scooped my daughter into her arms and started twirling around as if she had caught some sort of magic treasure. Which only made my daughter laugh harder. The sound tugged a smile across my cheeks. It set a fire ablaze in my gut, and it made me wonder if Willow was as happy here as we were to have her here.
As I was to have her here.
I saw Willow bringing my daughter into the house, so I made my way downstairs. I enjoyed the privacy of my home office, but sometimes being at home was a great distraction, especially with Willow around. Recently, I definitely was more focused at our family’s business office near the stables. Still, she and I needed to talk. My confrontations for the day weren’t over, and I needed to make sure I utilized my daughter’s nap time well.
Willow and I still had yet to talk about our encounter a little while back.
“Anyone ready for some lunch?” I called out as I came down the stairs.
“Daddy!” Marie Lee exclaimed.
I held out my arms. “Come here, princess.”
She jumped down from Willow’s hip and dashed into my arms. I hugged her tightly and picked her up, swinging her around just to hear that giggle in my ear again. I peppered her cheek with kisses. I felt her small arms clinging to me around my neck. But, when I lifted my eyes to look at Willow, I saw nothing but hesitancy and regret staring back at me in hers.
It killed me to see it because I knew it was about the night we shared. I felt nothing but joy and ecstasy. However, she was filled with nothing but regret and worry.
We really needed to talk today.
“Looks like someone’s already tired,” Willow finally said.
She nodded to Marie Lee, who had already fallen asleep on my shoulder.
“Should we wake her up to eat?” I asked softly.
She shook her head, walking towards me. “No. She can eat once she’s up. Here. I’ll go put her down.”
“Will you eat lunch with me, then?”
Her eyes flashed to me, momentarily as she scooped Marie Lee from my arms. And the look in her eye told me she didn’t want to talk. Hell, her body language told me she didn’t want to be within a few feet of me, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to be around her.
“I’ve actually got some chores I need to do around here,” Willow whispered.
“You know you don’t actually have to clean, right? That’s what Maria is here for.”
She shrugged, making her way toward the stairs. “I still like to clean up a bit. I mean, she’s not responsible for the backyard, and we’ve made a pretty good mess out there.”
“Well, then how about tonight?”
“I’m not sure, Bryce…”
“Please?”
She stopped in her tracks and looked down at me from halfway up the stairs. I’d plead with her if that’s what it took because I didn’t want this weirdness between us. I didn’t want this awkwardness to create distance when she was so good for our family. I gazed into her eyes as my soul pleaded with hers. Hell, I would’ve gotten on my knees if I would’ve thought it might make a difference.
“Please, Willow. Can we talk tonight? Maybe after dinner? No wine, I promise.”
Then finally, she nodded. “Sure. We can talk then.”
I clasped my hands together. “Thank you. Really.”
“You’re welcome. Now, let me go get her down.”
“Of course. Yeah, yeah, you go, and I’ll,” I snickered, “see you tonight.” Smiling, I watched as she made her way up the rest of the stairs.
Only to disappear down the hallway above my head.
15
Willow
“Hello there, sweet girl,” I said with a smile on my face.
Marie Lee stretched her arms over her head before turning over onto her side. So, I started rubbing her back.
“Oh, no-no. You gotta get up, pretty girl.”
She pulled the covers over her head as an answer to my statement, and it made me laugh.
“All right, you lazy butt. Come on. Nap time’s over.”
I scooped a limp Willow out of her bed as she groaned. Her head fell against my shoulder before she clung to me, and my heart skipped a beat. Every time this wondrous little girl reached for me or took my hand or wrapped her arms around my neck, I couldn't help but love her all the more. She was precious as they came, and it sickened me that someone would be idiotic enough to abandon her.
To abandon both of them.
I walked a sleepy Marie Lee downstairs and started the back half of our routine. I sat her down at the table in her booster chair and set a small plate of healthy snacks in front of her. And if she wanted more since she slept through lunch, she could always get more. I got myself a cup of cool coffee and sat next to her, watching the sleepy girl pick at the fruits on her plate. Then, she looked over at me with those big baby doe eyes of hers and jutted out that lower lip.
“More?” she asked.
I booped her nose with my fingertip. “More, what?”
“More fruit?”
“More fruit, what?”
I saw the cogs in her head, turning. “Pwease?”
I smiled. “Of course, you can have more fruit.”
After our power snack-slash-overdue-lunch, I wiped her down and took her into the living room. We sat in a small corner I had made up just for her of books and noise-free toys and things she could color on. We sat on the fluffy rug, and she chose the activity we’d do for the next hour, and when I saw her reach for the stenciling pad, I went ahead and started digging out the markers.
And for an hour, we doodled.
We drew stars and worked on the names of shapes. I helped her trace numbers, and we counted all the way to ten. She was smart for a little two-year-old. She had dexterity capabilities well beyond her age. And while she had various speech impediments that we were working on, that was the only outward sign that she was delayed in any sort of way.
In every other area of her life, she flourished.
“Good girl!” I praised after she accurately traced the number ‘3.’
When she smiled up at me with that gigantic wide smile of hers, my heart melted all over again.
“You’ll be the death of me,” I said with mock sternness on my face.
That made Marie Lee giggle profusely.
“You ready for exercise time?” I asked.
Her eyes lit up. “Swim?”
I peered over my shoulder. “Bright blue sky. Sun, unimpeded by clouds. I think we can go swimming for sure.”
She hopped up. “Yay! Swim! Fwoaties, pwease!”
My head fell back with laughter. “Come on. Let’s get into your bathing suit.”
After exercising for an hour in the pool and enjoying a popsicle while drying off in the sun, it was time for our free hour. For one hour a day, Marie Lee got to do whatever she wanted, leading up to the preparations for dinner. And today, she wanted to swing on the porch swing out front. She tugged her Peppa Pig blanket behind her and crawled up onto the swinging piece of finished wood, waiting for me to join her. So, with a drink for each of us, I headed
out front and sat down with her, the swing softly swaying in the summer breeze that kicked up.
And as she crooked herself beneath my arm, resting her head against my bosom, a daring thought crossed my mind.
This is all I want in life.
I blinked back tears as the words rattled around in my head. The talk that was coming with Bryce wouldn’t be good, that much was for certain. And here I was, reaping the benefits of a life I didn’t deserve while taking care of a little girl that could never be mine. It made me angry for many reasons. It made me mad that I’d never have something as beautiful as this. It made me mad that there were selfish, spoiled women out there with options to simply run away from all this. It made me angry that Bryce and Marie Lee were left high and dry without any explanation. Yet, I was here to help pick up the pieces of that fallout without any explanations myself. All of it seemed so unfair and so cruel.
Especially when Bryce was on the brink of firing me.
Our interactions this afternoon gave me pause for my concerns. But, I was still of the mind that he was about to let me down as gently as he could. And for a good reason, too. Things were supposed to be stable around here for Marie Lee’s benefit. That needed to be our only focus, and clearly, the only thing we could do was focus on one another. If it were my child? It would’ve been grounds enough for me to fire someone.
So, I soaked up every single moment I could with Marie Lee and committed every wonderful emotion I had in the process to memory.
Because I wasn’t sure I’d ever experience it again.
We swung on the porch swing until Bryce pulled up in the driveway. Then, Marie Lee hopped down and took off running towards her father. I stood as I watched him scoop her up and spin her around. I watched as she clung to her ‘Daddy’ tightly. I watched as the two of them gazed into each other’s eyes, so far beyond in love that they didn’t know what to do with themselves.
It kind of made me jealous.
And it reminded me of why I needed to accept my fate head-on tonight.
My work here is done.
Dinner was silent and awkward. Bryce tried to break the silence every now and again, but it didn’t really work. I was suddenly too tired to give him full-on answers to his questions, and eventually, he stopped asking them. All too soon, however, dinner was over, and the bedtime routine was enacted.
And that’s when he shocked me.
“Here, let me help you guys tonight,” Bryce said.
I furrowed my brow. “We’ve got it, Mr. Remington. Just give me a few minutes, and I’ll be down.”
He winced. “Mr. Remington?”
Marie Lee giggled. “You mean, Daddy.”
I grinned at her. “I’ll be down in a bit, Mr. Remington.”
But, he started up the steps. “I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Now, come on. Show me this almighty bedtime routine we’ve got going on.”
I sighed. “All right. I need you to take her into her bedroom so she can pick out a pair of pajamas. We won’t bother with a bath tonight, but I am going to wipe her down with wipes and but some lotion on her, so her skin doesn’t dry out.”
Marie Lee took her father’s hand. “Even on the feets?”
I grinned. “Even on your feet, yes, Marie Lee.”
Bryce chuckled. “She’s very ticklish on her feet.”
I turned toward the bathroom. “Trust me, I’ve figured that out.”
He barked with laughter, and I tried to stuff down how I was feeling. But, as Bryce helped me with his daughter’s bedtime routine, it kind of felt like we were family. Him, holding Marie Lee still so I could lotion down her feet. Me, helping her into her pajamas while he loaded up her toothbrush with paste. The two of us, sitting on either side of her bed while I read the bedtime story she finally let me pick out for her. Even both of us sneaking out quietly so as to not disturb her after she’d fallen asleep.
It felt good.
Too good.
And it only reminded me of why I needed to get the hell out of there.
“So,” I said as I made my way toward the stairs.
“So,” Bryce repeated.
“You… wanted to talk?”
He held out his hand, ushering me down the stairs. “Let’s get a glass of wine and chat.”
I crooked an eyebrow. “Sure, wine is a smart choice of drink?”
He paused. “You got a point. Uh… sparkling cider?”
I smiled. “Sounds good to me.”
“Great. Great. I’ll go get us a glass and meet you on the couch.”
“Maybe the kitchen table, instead?”
His eyes found mine as we came to the bottom of the steps. “Sure. Yeah. We can sit there, too.”
I watched him curiously as he made his way into the kitchen. I could’ve sworn I heard disappointment in his voice, but I also wasn’t sure. For all I knew, my mind was playing tricks on me. Trying to find the slightest bit of hope in this situation like the masochist it was. I shook my head and started for the kitchen table. Bryce set a glass of sparkling cider in front of me before taking a seat next to me. Not across from me, or at the head of the table. But, right next to me.
Where I could feel the warmth of his thigh against my own.
“So, I’m just going to blurt out what’s on my mind and your rebuttal. Is that okay?” he asked.
I sipped my drink, trying not to look over at him. “Sure. Yeah.”
He drew in a deep breath. “All right. Here goes. I’m sorry if I crossed a line last time we were together, and if I made you uncomfortable at all, I’m really sorry. I never meant to make you feel that way, and if I did, I’d like to make it up to you somehow.”
His words pulled my eyes over to his. “Make it up to me?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Maybe with some time off? Or a sincere apology? Or, I could pay your race dues for the next few races.”
“So, you want to bribe my silence.”
“No! No, no, no. Nothing like that. I just--I--it’s--.”
I giggled. “Bryce, I’m just joking. It’s okay.”
He sighed with relief. “So, we’re okay?”
I swallowed hard. “I don’t know. Are we?”
He scooted closer. “I’d like to think we are.”
Don’t stare in his eyes. Don't stare in his eyes. “Yeah, we are.”
He grinned. “Good. Because for a while now, I felt like maybe you only went along with what happened because I was your boss? And you didn’t feel like you could say ‘no’?”
His words shocked me to my core. “Let’s get one thing straight, Bryce. You listening?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Under no circumstances did you sway me into doing something I didn’t want. I’m a grown woman, and I want what I want. And if I didn’t want you that night, I would’ve made sure you understood. Got it?”
He nodded slowly. “Yes, ma’am.”
I let out the breath I had been holding. “Is there anything else you wanna talk about?”
His eyes searched mine. “A lot.”
My heart stopped in my chest. “Like… like what?”
I watched his hand raise up, and my eyes were captured by the movement. His fingertips gravitated toward my ear, and I froze, wondering what he’d do next. I needed to tell him to stop. I needed to tell him not to touch me. But damn it, I wanted that man’s hands all over me.
And when he tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, my walls caved just that easily.
“Kiss me,” I whispered.
His eyes fell to my lips. “Just kiss you?”
I reached out, gripping his shirt. “Do whatever you want to me.”
I dragged his body against my own, knowing damn good and well I had no one to blame but myself. However, if I was only going to get a limited amount of time to be in Bryce’s life like this, then why the hell shouldn't I take the opportunity? It was clear he wanted me. And I wanted him. If he was concerned enough about my well-being to have this kind of conversation only to ap
ologize, then I knew he wouldn't screw me over in the end. We’d part ways once it was time with nothing but smiles. That, I was sure of.
So, with worries slowly sliding off my back, I purred at the moment Bryce wrapped his strong arms around me.
And hauled me out of that fucking chair.
“Come here, beautiful,” he growled.
16
Bryce
The taste of her skin against my tongue sent me flying into the heavens. The way her thick curves comforted me as my body pressed against hers sent my gut flaming with desire. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her toward me as her head fell back. And with her moans came my name, a sweet cry for more as my cock stiffened against her clothed body.
“Come with me,” I growled.
I needed her. All of her. And come hell or high water, I’d get it.
Now that I knew she wanted me as well, though, I knew nothing would be standing in my way. I tugged her over toward the couch. Our couch, to be honest. And as we fell to the cushions we kept christening with our debaucheries, my tongue lapped at her pulse point.
Causing her to shiver beneath me.
“We should memorialize this couch, you know,” Willow said breathlessly.
I hovered my lips over her clothed tit as my eyes slowly slid up to hers. And when I caught her gaze, it was filled with a playfulness that made me feel like a teenage boy again.
I chuckled. “I can christen it with you. How does that sound?”
She licked her lips. “Christen away, then.”
Her beckoning to me lit a fire beneath my ass that curled my fists against her clothing. I ripped them off, feeling seams and stitches tearing as I cast them to the floor. Her hands worked quickly to get my shirt over my head. Both of us had to work to get my fucking belt off before she ripped it from the belt loops of my jeans. By the time we were done, we were exposed to one another.
Again.
And I loved every second of it.
“You’re beautiful, you know that?” I asked.
