Hell, they still don’t now that I’m an adult..
As everyone finished eating, I turned to Caden and waggled my eyebrows. “Ready for a surprise, birthday boy?”
“Yes!” he shouted with his fist raised in the air. Harper swerved out of the way of his hand and shook her head.
“What’d you get him?” she asked.
“Come around front and you’ll see.”
I stood up, grabbing Caden from Harper’s arms, and walked around to the front of the house, where the rental company had left the Lamborghini convertible. It was blazing red with a cream interior. A fucking showstopper. Caden’s favorite video games all had to do with racing or making things go really fast.
“I got a car!” Caden yelled and bounced on my hip. I set him on the ground as he ran to the convertible. I was pretty sure he didn’t know this car by name, but just looking at it, anyone could tell that this baby went fast. I’d rented it for the day, and we were going to cruise on backcountry roads before taking it to a local track for a quick race around.
I laughed. “Just for the day, little man.”
“Cool!” he shouted and ran his hand over the sleek design.
Roman stood next to me and huffed. “You bastard,” he muttered.
“Is this safe?” Harper asked. Her brow was furrowed, and she was biting the edge of her lip. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Roman knocked it off and hugged her to his chest. I laughed and shook my head.
“He’ll be safe. We’re driving around then going to the track down the road. Y’all can meet us there.”
“Absolutely not.” Harper stepped out of Roman’s embrace and pointed at my chest. Her cheeks filled with color, and she stared at me angrily. “You are not racing my three-year-old son around a racetrack. His car seat won’t even fit in there. Kiernan, I love you, but not everything is fun and games. You have to think and remember that he’s still just a baby. Can you even drive on a racetrack? You’re not a race car driver.”
I gritted my teeth as my jaw locked. I never forgot how small he was or how young. I thought she knew me better than that. Anger bubbled in my chest. I understood her concern, but I would never take Caden on an adventure where he wouldn’t be safe. I licked my lips and took a deep breath.
“I’ve been trained to drive fast and handle cars in dangerous situations under fire. His car seat does fit. I checked. I bought a helmet for him, the same one race car drivers use. He will be safe. Roman can drive just as well and if you want, he can take him.”
She swallowed and switched her stare between me and the car before settling on Caden, still walking around the car brushing his hand over every surface. It had been shiny, but now his little fingerprints were all over it. It was better than sticky little prints on it.
“We’ll meet you at the track,” she said.
I nodded as Roman handed Caden’s car seat to me and whispered, “Remember that she gets really worried about everything at the end of the pregnancy. She was the same with Caden. Remember she called the doctor almost daily? I know you’d never let anything happen to Caden. Besides us, you’re the one I trust most with him.”
I coughed to clear my throat as unexpected emotion rolled through me. I hadn’t realized how much I needed to hear that from him. Harper’s anger had taken me by surprise; we’d been close since I met her. I’d thought she knew I’d never take a risk with Caden.
I strapped Caden in, let Ava take a picture, closed the door, and walked around the hood of the car.
“Kiernan,” Harper shouted. She stood at the passenger side of her car. Her hand was rubbing quick circles over her stomach. “I’m sorry. I know you love Caden and would never do anything that would get him hurt.”
I smiled, even though I didn’t feel it, and folded myself into the driver’s seat.
“Ready, little man?”
“Yes!”
6 Caroline
One Friday a month, I opened the office for only a half day and spent the rest of the day doing the stuff I’d neglected while I worked. It was my day to run errands, clean the house, and catch up on any shows sitting on my DVR. I let the hot water run down my back while I made a to-do list in my mind. I wiped away the water from my eyes and bent back my head to rinse the conditioner from my hair.
I shut off the water and wrapped a fluffy towel around myself before stepping out onto the bath mat. The music playing from my laptop was set on a low volume. I bent at the waist and wrapped another towel around my hair to soak up some of the excess water before I attempted to dry it.
I sang softly with the song, walking to my bedroom dresser, and pulled out a bra and panties. The towel dropped to the ground, and I stepped into the soft silk underwear and put on the bra. I turned to my computer when it dinged with a message alert.
I yelped as photos of me getting out of the shower started flooding the screen. Stark naked. Then photos of me wrapping the towel around myself, walking into the bedroom, dropping the towel, putting on my bra and panties. One photo after another. One last photo popped up. It was of me again, staring at the laptop with tears in my eyes. I could see the fear and confusion written across my face.
A black window appeared in the center of the laptop screen. Green text was typing out in front of my eyes. I covered my mouth with my hand as I read the message.
You’re so beautiful.
If you don’t do what I want,
