“I forgot to mention,” Aston said, breaking free from my lips. “Movers are coming in the morning to pack up your stuff.”
“Oh my God, Aston. You don’t give a person a chance, do you?”
“No, I don’t. Come on.”
Two nights later, I climbed into Aston’s ginormous bed, which he’d told me was new since he divorced Cass. In fact, all the furniture was new.
“Thanks, the kids loved that,” Aston said to me, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“It was pizza dough. Seriously, no big deal.”
“Well, they’ve never done that before. We’ve never done it.”
“I think you’re going to need to adjust your life a bit. We can’t be fancy all the time. Plus, Denise doesn’t have to work twenty-four/seven. She needs a vacation.”
Gathering me in his arms, Aston settled me on my side, turning to face me. His palm ran over my cheek, tucking my hair behind my ear. “Whatever you want. But that job, it’s not safe, and I need you with me on this project. Please?”
“Aston, I’ve been at the job a long time. They depend on me. I’m good at helping those women.”
“Give them notice. Help train the next person.”
Tilting my head to look at him, I spoke quietly. “Look at Milly. She gave up everything about herself to be some new person, and she wasn’t exactly happy. I don’t want to be that person. I’m not a society lady.”
This got me a laugh from Aston. “I’m not asking you to plan parties. I need your expertise, your good judgment when it comes to hiring people. I don’t want you to be anyone else.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good. Now let’s think about something else.”
His hand traveled down my side and into my pajama bottoms—we had four kids, there wasn’t any racy lingerie. His finger quickly found my heat and slipped inside, bringing me to the brink at lightning speed. When I was close, he put pressure where I needed it, and over the edge I went.
“Shh,” he warned me and then shoved my pants all the way down.
Yanking the shirt over his head, he turned to glance at the door, making sure it was closed, and then he was inside me. Slowly stroking inside me, he pulled off my tank top and took my nipple in his mouth. My head tipped back, and he picked up speed.
“Aston,” I said softly, his name a whispered plea.
“I got you,” he said, and rode me faster.
Our bodies moved in sync, looking for release until we were both covered in a fine sheen of sweat and panting. After we finished together, Aston told me he loved me, and then hurried off to get a washcloth. By the time he returned, and I was cleaned up, there was a knock on our door.
“Come in,” Aston called out, making sure I was covered.
Little A peeked in. “Dad, can I sleep in Tyler’s room?”
“Sure, but don’t stay up all night. Hear me?”
“Yes. G’night,” he said, and went running off.
Aston chuckled. “We’re going to have to get those two bunk beds.”
“But we don’t need to get anything else.”
“Shh.”
He silenced me with a kiss, which only lasted until Piper burst into our room crying, showing us pictures on her phone of a sleepover she wasn’t invited to.
“This is a great life,” Aston said to me.
I nodded over a teary-eyed Piper and went back to consoling my daughter.
Aston
Three years later
It was late. The sun had set long ago, but I didn’t feel like going inside. Not yet.
Mainly because the house was a fucking zoo, not that I minded it. Actually, I loved it, and was learning not to try to control the chaos. It was so different from the way I was raised, yet so much better.
Tonight was supposed to be different, though. Tonight had been meant for Bexley and me, but our night would have to wait. No big deal. I’d already waited a lifetime to get her back. I could wait a day or two for a special date night.
When I’d had enough of the hysteria inside earlier and went to step outside on the expansive wrap-around deck, Mara stayed inside, determined to feed baby, Olivia, and Bailey, the beagle, a mashed-up banana.
Yep, Bexley and I couldn’t help it . . . we had a baby, pretty much right away. Apparently, we were fertile. We also got a puppy for the kids when we moved. We were gluttons for chaos.
As I’d slipped out through the back door, I noticed there was more banana on the dog’s back, on the floor, and on the wall than in Olivia’s belly, but I let it be. The housekeeper would clean it up in the morning, and I’d be damned if Bexley didn’t leave it for someone else to do. She would argue, and I would shut her up in my own way.
Little A and Tyler were battling it out on the PlayStation, screaming and yelling at each other over whose football team was better.
They didn’t even hear me shout, “Quiet down, you punks,” so naturally, I gave up and let them be too.
Then there was my beautiful Piper—the real reason tonight was different. My baby girl was upstairs in her room, crying over Jensen Danvers. God, I hated the little prick. I did not want to let him be. Never had I wanted to beat the crap out of a tenth-grader before.
The little jerk had wooed her all goddamn year, even when I told her not to fall for his shit, and invited Piper to the homecoming dance. Of course, now the cocksucker was shacking up with some senior and had ditched Piper for the dance.
I had every reason to head over to the Danvers’ house on the sixteenth hole and give those parents a talking-to. The only thing keeping me home was Bexley. She’d given me a death stare
