Me: Seriously? You’re going to give me shit too? Find someone else to do it.
Marek: I was kidding. Do you really think those words have ever crossed my lips before?
Me: I hope not. You’ve used those lips in inappropriate ways on my body, and I don’t want to think that same mouth would use such language. I shudder at the thought.
Marek: Like that would really make a difference to you.
Me: You’re right. I love that mouth and its expert skills.
Marek: Are we turning this into naughty texting now?
Me: In your dreams. I’ll see you in the morning.
Marek: Good night Tinley.
Knowing she’ll be spending the next few days at Marek’s house rather than alone in this apartment is enough to help her find her way into dreamland.
“Ugh, it’s been a month week since my daddy took me to the playground. I don’t even remember the last time I got to ride my bike either. It’s pretty frustrating.”
Tinley arrived at Marek’s house bright and early so he could catch his flight to London. Although she would have loved to go with him, she doesn’t even have a passport to make that possible. She’s pretty happy getting to spend time with Luna and get to know her better, and that’s definitely what she has done. The little girl says anything and everything as it pops into her head, providing some much-needed entertainment for Tinley. Like now, for example—what the heck is a month week?
“A month week?”
Luna sighs and leans back on the couch, fully stretching out. “Yeah, like forever.”
That’s not a length of time Tinley has ever heard of or used before, but she anticipates using it again in the future. In fact, she feels like her entire vocabulary is going to be more and more altered the more time she spends with this little girl, and she doesn’t really see that as a bad thing.
“I’m sorry your daddy has been so busy with work lately, and I know he would much rather be here spending time with you than at a boring training. I know it’s not quite the same thing, but I’d love to take you to the park sometime if you’d like.”
That instantly perks her up, and Luna sits up with a giant smile on her face. “Can we go down the slide and climb the spider thing?”
She’s lost her again. It’s like she needs an entire dictionary for child speak. “Yes on the slide, for sure, but you’ll have to tell me what the spider thing is.”
Her exasperation shows through as she sits up and sighs yet again. This little girl does nothing but sigh when she’s frustrated. “You know, the spider thing. It’s tall and has holes in it, with bars and stuff.”
Tinley is totally confused but knows Luna will just get even more frustrated with her if she keeps asking questions. She racks her brain thinking of what would be at a playground that she could be talking about. A spider thing? It makes absolutely no sense to her. Taking a stab in the dark, she asks, “You mean a jungle gym?”
Luna shrugs her shoulders and seems to move on from that particular topic of conversation. “My daddy lets me go down the slide as many times as I want to. When we go to the playground, he helps me climb the rock wall so I can go down the slide. It’s so much fun. And then I run and run and run. When I get really tired, I run lots to get more energy.”
Only in the mind of a kid does that kind of logic make sense. Just thinking about walking has Tinley feeling exhausted, let alone running. Then again, she’s ready to pop at this point, and just going from the living room to the bathroom leaves her feeling winded. As much as she’d love to take Luna to the park right now, she’s feeling much more content lying here on the couch together. Maybe they’ll get to spend more time being active after she delivers her baby.
Chapter 22
The further she gets into her pregnancy, the more her hormones rage on, and it’s even worse with Marek currently on the other side of the world. Feeling more horny than usual, she sends a quick text to Marek with only emojis. It doesn’t help that she’s currently snuggled up in Marek’s bed surrounded by his scent. Her clothes don’t fit her anymore and she’s taken to wearing his t-shirts to bed every night. She’s never done the sexting thing before, but there’s a first time for everything. She just hopes she’s doing it right.
Marek: I have no idea what you meant to send me, but I don’t think it was that.
A few seconds later a GIF from one of her favorite movies, The Princess Bride, comes over from the character Inigo Montoya. She chuckles but doesn’t understand where she went wrong or why he’s confused.
Me: What do you mean? I think it’s pretty clear what I meant.
Marek: If that’s really what you meant, then no. No punching or fisting involved.
The sip of water Tinley just took sprays out of her mouth and she rereads Marek’s text one more time. What the heck is he talking about? How is that what he came up with from the message she sent him?
Me: I have no idea what you’re talking about. Neither one of those things were ever on the table.
Marek: Like I said, I don’t think you meant to send me what you did.
Me: I don’t see how it would be anything else. I sent an eggplant and a taco. It’s pretty obvious what those are.
Marek: And the fist?
Me: It’s a fist bump. Like what bros do.
Me: Dude, I’m getting laid. Fist bump. See?
Marek: Yeah…no.
Me: No? I thought it was funny. You know, naughty emoji equation.
Marek: I get what you were trying to go for, and I’m sorry to break it to you, but you failed epically.
Me: Rub some salt in the wound why don’t you.
Me: Your pregnant and very horny girlfriend is lying in your bed and you’re a million miles away. She’s trying to sext you and you correct her? I think something is wrong with you.
Marek: Sexting, seriously? How old do you think we are?
Me: Bad idea?
When a few minutes go by and he doesn’t respond, she starts to wonder how bad of an idea it really was. Her nerves start getting the best of her and she begins to panic, thinking her idea was completely stupid. She didn’t even think it through before sending it to him in the first place. As she scrolls back through the short interaction, she realizes how stupid the emoji equation was. Marek is right, it doesn’t even make any sense. She starts to type out another message to him then her phone starts ringing with a call from him.
She accepts the call and before she gets a chance to say anything, he’s already talking. His husky voice comes across the line, and she’s internally kicking herself for not thinking to just call him in the first place. She could get off just by listening to him talk. “I want you to think about what you just asked me for a minute. What part of sexting sounded like a good idea to you?”
Tinley starts to shrug then realizes he can’t actually see her. “I don’t know. I honestly didn’t even think about it. The idea popped into my head and I just went with it. Now that I say it out loud though, it really does sound stupid.”
“It wasn’t stupid. I was a little shocked, for sure, but I think if we’re going to have sex of any kind with thousands of miles between us, I’d much rather have video or phone sex rather than sexting.”
Her face turns bright red at the idea of video chatting. It’s not something she could imagine herself doing, at least not while she’s hugely pregnant and a month out from delivering their baby. She feels like a whale as it is, and she doesn’t need to see her five chins on her phone while trying to be sexy. No thank you.
Tinley laughs and says, “I’m an introvert. I’d much rather text someone than talk to them on the phone, which is hilarious considering my day job, but my first instinct is always to text someone first rather than call them.”
“Well, there’s always FaceTime.”
“Yeah, so you can see my five chins? Hard pass.”
He groans and says, “Tinley, we’ve talked about this. You’re gorgeous and I love you. Every pregnant woman puts on weight—it’s norm
al, and the fact that you’re pregnant with my child makes you incredibly sexy in my book.”
“You can keep throwing those compliments my way, but you won’t be seeing my face right now.” She yawns into the phone and checks the clock on the nightstand.
“Did you just yawn on me? I thought we were going to have some sexy times.”
Tinley tries to hold it in as another yawn comes on, but she fails and lets it slip. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize what time it was. It’s way past my bedtime right now.”
Marek laughs and she can hear shuffling on the other end. “I have to get going for training anyway. I need to leave here in twenty minutes.”
“Are you sure?” She fights sleep as her eyes start shutting on their own. “I’m sure we could do a phone sex quickie.”
“As much as I’m into that idea, I think I’m going to pass. You need your rest, and I’ll be seeing you tomorrow anyway.”
“Okay, if you’re sure. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“I love you.”
“Love you too.”
Tinley ends the call and drops her phone beside her on the bed. As she lays her head down on the pillow and closes her eyes, all she can think about is how soon she’ll get to see Marek. But for now, she hopes for some sexy dreams where she’s not hugely pregnant.
Chapter 23
Reaching into the refrigerator, Tinley grabs an apple juice box and pokes the straw in. The little expectant eyes in front of her are enough to make her melt. She can’t ever remember being such a sap toward children, but the pregnancy hormones must be getting the best of her. She hands the juice over, and Luna offers her a giant grin.
She sucks on the straw, gulping down as much as she can in one breath, and with an overly long ahhh, she says, “Thanks, bro.”
Tinley can’t hold in her laughter as she looks down at the little girl standing in front of her, sucking down her juice like nothing out of the ordinary just happened. Where does she come up with this stuff? Never in a million years did Tinley think most of her daily entertainment would come from the mouth of a child.
As Luna dances around the kitchen in her tutu and rain boots, Tinley takes inventory of the food in the fridge and freezer. She’s lacking any kind of creativity today and turns toward the tiny dancer. “Luna, what do you want to eat for lunch?”
She briefly stops her dancing and taps her finger against her chin. She drinks more apple juice while considering her options. “How about a cheese quesadilla?”
For the most part, Tinley has been letting Luna take the lead, and it’s been relatively easy taking care of her, but seeing as she just fed her a quesadilla for dinner the night before, part of her thinks she needs to give her something else to eat. What would Marek say if she fed his child the same thing over and over again while he was gone? That doesn’t seem like the smartest thing to do. So, she tells her, “Why don’t you pick something else? You had a cheese quesadilla for dinner last night.”
“No. I want a cheese quesadilla.”
Tinley sinks to the floor, getting on the Luna’s level, and looks her in the eyes. Luna continues slurping down her juice and tilts her head to the side, watching Tinley’s every move. She feels dumb as she tells herself over and over to be strong and stand her ground. She’s dealing with a little kid, for goodness’ sake. Shaking her head, she says, “I’m sorry you feel that way, but I won’t be making you another quesadilla. How about a tuna fish sandwich?”
Luna sticks her tongue out and spits. “Yuck. Fish is gross. I won’t eat it—you can’t make me!”
Marek never told Tinley what to expect when a tantrum comes, and she really hopes that isn’t where this little conversation is going. As it is, her legs are starting to shake from the crouched position she’s currently taken up, and she doesn’t know how much longer she can last. She racks her brain trying to think of any other options she could feed Luna, but her mind comes up blank. She doesn’t want to give in so easily, because what will that say about her own parenting style when she becomes one herself? She doesn’t know who she’s trying to prove something to at this point—herself, Marek, or Luna—but she refuses to give in.
“I understand what you’re asking for Luna, but I think you should try something else today. What else can I make for you?”
Her face reddens as she finishes off her juice and throws it to the floor. Opening her mouth, Luna lets out a loud scream and stomps her foot. “Just give me what I want! You’re stupid and I can’t handle it.”
This is not going to go well at all, she can already feel it, but now that it’s turned into such a big ordeal and Luna is throwing a fit, she feels the need to be firm. “Luna, I need you to pick up that juice box right now and throw it away in the trash can. It’s not okay for you to have tantrums or throw garbage on the floor. And name calling is certainly never acceptable.
“No, you pick it up.”
Tinley takes a deep breath in and slowly lets it out. She refuses to let her feelings show through, but she can feel herself relenting quickly. Never in her life has she understood why people get mad at their children. She once witnessed a woman screaming at her young child in the grocery store and all she could think to herself was that some people just shouldn’t become parents, but she somewhat understands it now. If she weren’t pregnant, she would definitely become one of those moms hiding in the pantry drinking from a bottle of wine.
“You’re going to jail.”
Well, that’s a first one for sure. Then again, she’s been experiencing a lot of firsts while watching Luna. Is this child for real? Did she really just tell her she’s going to jail? “For not making you what you want to eat? That means I’m going to jail?”
The smile on the little girl’s face is so menacing as she replies, “Yep, and when you go to jail, that means I get to do whatever I want. You can’t tell me what to do if you’re gone.””
“But won’t you be sad because I’ll be gone and you won’t get to see me again?”
Luna shrugs, and Tinley is shocked. This little girl is cold. “If you don’t make me what I want then I’ll scream at you.”
Don’t back down. Don’t back down. She can feel her resolve start to weaken, but she won’t let herself break at the demand of this tiny dictator. She’s got this. She could go all day with this back and forth.
Luna opens her mouth, and that’s all it takes. She screams as loud as she possibly can and doesn’t show any sign of giving up. Tinley tries to ignore it, but the high-pitched screaming makes her ears start to ring and she can’t stand it any longer.
“Fine! I’ll make you the cheese quesadilla. Just go play with your toys while I make your food.” Luna gets the biggest smile on her face and twirls as she dances out of the kitchen. Why the hell did she try to go to battle with a child in the first place? Obviously, she has a lot to learn.
Chapter 24
Tinley closes the door behind her and breathes a small sigh of relief. Since Marek left, bedtime has been rough, to say the least. Luna misses her daddy, and she’s been acting out and showing her dominance. If this is what it’s like to have children, Tinley isn’t sure if it’s something she’s ready for. If there’s one thing Luna has been good for, it’s making Tinley realize that no matter how prepared she thinks she is to be a mom, nothing can actually prepare you. It’s all a guessing game, one day at a time. Her hand slides down to her belly as she walks away from the bedroom toward the living room. Her stress and anxiety are through the roof, and normally she’d end her evening with a large glass of wine. Unfortunately, that’s not an option, so she’ll have to settle for making a shit ton of cupcakes instead.
As she wanders through Marek’s house, she finds herself thinking, for the zillionth time, how incredibly comfortable she feels here. It’s only been a few days, but being here in his house just feels right to her. He’s mentioned the idea of moving in together, and she finally thinks it’s time to agree with him and start making things more official. With the baby on the
way, it just makes sense for them all to become a family. Plus, there’s no way she could afford her current apartment alone now that Dakota is gone, and the idea of looking for a new roommate just sounds excruciating. She’s not in her twenties anymore, and moving on to the next chapter of her life sounds like the perfect plan.
The feeling of excitement travels through her body as she steps foot in Marek’s kitchen. The first time she came over here and saw his kitchen for the first time she almost orgasmed on the spot. She remembers seeing his giant butcher block island and wanting to throw her body on top to hug it. The tiny space back at her apartment is barely large enough for one person inside let alone multiple people. She could have a party in here and there would still be room for everyone to be able to move around.
She opens up the pantry door and a smile overtakes her face. Not like the fake ones she does when she’s at work, but a legitimate smile. The room is larger than her closet in her bedroom back at home and the shelves are neatly organized with everything in perfectly labeled containers. Just standing in Marek’s kitchen has her wondering why the heck she has been pushing against him on moving in together. Obviously, she’s had a serious lapse in judgment so far.
Sinking in the Shadows (Dating Trilogy Book 2) Page 12
