“I thought it was a great idea for you after being away so long. That you’d get time to bond with your dad again. Him wanting to do that for you made me fall in love with him even more. But all this bad stuff is what made him decide to officially move in with me. I’m sorry that it’s gone down like this. I wanted it to be special for you. Not rushed. He’s just scared for you, and so am I.”
She brushes my hair from my face, but I can’t bring myself to look at her.
“I don’t want you to feel punished, not when I’m so happy that you’re here with me. I get to see you every day, my bonus daughter. I’m so happy that you’re here. I love you, Mila.”
Those words cause me to turn over and look up at Kate. She’s smiling. Ugh…why does she have to be so nice and sweet? I rub away my tears before sitting up. I have always wanted this. Wanted a mother figure who actually gives a shit, and now that I have one, I want to kiss her son…it’s so complicated.
I hug her and whisper, “Thank you.”
“Look, why don’t you take the day off tomorrow? It's Thursday, so maybe spend the day getting organized here. Unpack the boxes? Or not. I don’t mind. Watch a movie, relax. Go for a soak in the hot tub. But promise me you will just stay here. Don’t run off after your boyfriends.” She winks.
My phone blew up after I told Hunter, Roman, and Jace that I’m grounded and now living here. Surprisingly, Roman was the most vocal. He thinks me staying here will protect me from Johnny and Carlo and the rest of the Amato Family. But it gives them more targets with Madison, Kate, and Asher.
Which brings me back to the messages Roman sent about Asher, and how he would squish all my butterflies for my almost-stepbrother. That made me snort out loud. He really hates Asher.
“Yeah, I’ll stay home and unpack.”
Kate kisses my head and lets me go. “Now, get some sleep. It's late.” She smiles and closes the bedroom door softly behind her.
I lie back down, hugging a pillow and thinking about Roman. Mmm…touching me and pinching my nipples as Hunter spreads my legs, tracing his warm tongue up the inside of my thigh. My hand moves between my legs, and I find myself wet from those thoughts. It won’t take me long to get off. It will help me relax and sleep.
* * *
Fuck this. Sleep is impossible. Even though I’ve gotten myself off three times, I’m awake and wishing the orgasms weren’t by my own hand.
I have so many thoughts running through my head, most of them about Roman and Hunter. I’ve been so used to them being with me all the time that I miss them, and it’s only been a day. Then I’ve been thinking about how bad it is to miss them this much. I don’t need them around me all the time. I can do things without them. But it’s been us against the world, and now it’s me here alone. Without them.
I pick up my phone and open the group chat between me, Roman, Jace, and Hunter. There’s a new message from Jace saying he’s sorry, and he should have started the conversation off with his dad telling mine about the cops. There are also a few from Cadence and Sadie after I told them that Hunter was leaving for Lakeview.
Sadie: You’re not gonna change schools, right?
Cadence: Don’t even think that. It might happen now that you put it out there.
Me: I’m not moving schools.
At least, with Kate on my side, I won’t be.Fuck.I wouldn’t put it past my dad to change his mind if I mess up again. I never expected to be grounded or move to Kate’s house.
I can’t leave Roman at Ridgecrest. He would have Jace, but it’s not the same. I need him just as much as he needs me. Who would braid his hair at lunch if I’m not there? I’m getting so much better at it now. Like a real professional. I smile at the thought of the first time I did his hair for a game.
I throw the covers off me. I’m wearing my sleep tank and boy shorts. It’s all I could find of my sleep clothes, which Dad packed in boxes and moved here while I was at school. I gave up looking for something else after throwing clothes everywhere and making a mess. The room’s huge, so my little clothes-throwing tantrum earlier just looks like a small pile of clothes discarded in the corner of the room.
Hunter has a huge bedroom like this, but his is full of shoes. That boy has a sneaker addiction. He said they were an investment. As someone who wears the same old sneakers that I love every day, I don’t know much about that. But I believed him when he didn’t let me touch a pair. The look in his eyes made me back away slowly from the sneakers. Who knew they could be worth so much money?
It’s three in the morning. No one will be in the kitchen if I go for something to eat. I skipped dinner in protest of my grounding like a child, and now my stomach’s growling at me. It’s probably part of why I can’t sleep.
I open my door, and the hallway’s dark and quiet. I’m on the opposite end from Dad and Kate. Thank God. I don’t want to hear anything coming from their room. Madison’s room is right next to me, and across from me is Asher.
I stare at his dark wooden door. I’ve seen him since the whole “just be friend’s thing,” but apart from a smile and a nod of hello, we haven’t exactly talked. Not like we used to. I don’t think our conversation on Halloween made anything better…it just complicated things more.
I close my door softly behind me and turn the flashlight on my phone to guide me downstairs to find something yummy. There is always cake. The best part of Kate’s job is that she loves baking cakes as much as she loves running her cake supplies store. I guess it was a passion of hers and then it just all fell into place.
My passion is drawing, and I haven’t done that much since I’ve been back. I wonder if one box has my sketch pads and pencils. Might be nice to spend the day drawing. I don’t want to push Dad by going to see Hunter and Roman. I might end up at Lakeview if I did.
I open the refrigerator and the whole kitchen lights up. I see cake and take it out. It’s only got enough for two, maybe three, slices left, but I’m hungry, so I take the whole plate and grab a spoon from the drawer.
The first bite of chocolate and cream hits my mouth, and I moan. Kate’s a genius; this is too good. Living here isn’t going to be too much of a burden once I’m not grounded anymore.
I place the plate down on the counter next to an enormous window overlooking the yard and hot tub. There’s enough room for a pool out there, hell, probably three of them. But the grass is all perfect and manicured. I assume they have a gardener for that. Unless Dad mows it. Ohh, do they have someone come in to clean the house? Kate’s always so busy, and the house is always clean. I’ve never seen anyone, but I assume they come during the day when everyone’s out. Like Mom’s cleaning lady; she was the sweetest. I think she might be the only thing from New York I miss.
