“Come here.” I sweep her twists behind her and anchor her head in my hands, pulling her forward until our lips meet.
She pulls back abruptly and shakes her head. “I still have puke in my hair. I haven’t had time?—”
“I don’t fucking care,” I mumble, crashing into her lips. As I try to keep the heat out of my kiss, she returns it like she’s been thinking about it all day too. And when she shifts to straddle my lap, I’m done for. My hands grip hard on her waist, sliding slowly down to her hips to bracket her over the bulge growing in my pants. She scratches my scalp with her fingernails as she urges mecloser, my hips bucking in response. Willa stills, and I want to smack myself in the head.
“I’m not… I don’t think I’m ready.” She looks into my eyes, and I track the vulnerability as it slides onto her face.
Am I disappointed? Hell yes, but I don’t want her to feel bad about it. “It’s okay. Take the time you need. I’m not going anywhere.”
She kisses me again, just as feverishly as before, with an added roll of her hips.Fuck. “You keep grinding into me like that though, and I’m gonna need to excuse myself.”
Willa sits back with a sigh. “I know. I’m sorr?—”
“Nope. You’re not apologizing for this. You don’t owe me a thing. I’ll be ready whenever you are.”
Lyla’s cry crackles through the baby monitor next to us, and frustration slumps through Willa’s body. She drops her head against my chest and groans. “How can I ever be ready when she won’tfuckingsleep? I love her. Really, I do, but I’m about to send that baby monitor right out the window. I look like garbage. Smell like puke. And every time she cries, this intense demand to fix it twists in my stomach. I just…”She finally takes a breath, and I give her a small smile.
“I’ll get Lyla. You jump in the shower.” I give her a quick peck on her forehead, but she doesn’t move from my lap. “Unless you want help in the shower…?”
Willa’s laugh makes me smile, and I smooth my hands over her back as she leans into me. “I don’t think I’m ready for that either,” she says, even with the slightest movement of her hips.
I lean forward, and she shudders at my whispered breath in her ear. “I know you can feel what you’re doing to me right now. You’re gonna have to walk away first. There’s no way in hell I’m leaving this spot while you’re grinding all over me. I want you too much.”
She takes another deep breath, bites her lip like she’s contemplating taking it all back, and slowly rolls off my lap. If my dick could talk, the protest would be louder than a jet engine.
I take a few deep breaths before heading into the baby’s room, not bothering to turn the light on. Hearing her cry breaks my heart too, so I quickly scoop her in my arms. As soon as I do, her whining turns to happy babbling, and all is calm inside. I shift her in my arms to grab the pink Las Vegas giraffe from her crib before heading back to the living room.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
WILLA
“Hey, sweet pea,” Trevor coos at Lyla when he enters the nursery. I melt. Goo on the floor, completely dissolved. I know I should hop in the shower and get ready, but hearing the love for our daughter come out of Trevor so easily always pins me in place. He doesn’t hold back his feelings about being a father, and Lyla has him wrapped around her cute little fingers. “I’m jealous you got to spend all day with Mama.”
Lyla laughs, and I melt again.What the hell have these two done to me? For the last few months, my insides have been all ooey-gooey. I can’t control it.
“I know, Lyla Belle, but you can’tspit upon her.” Trevor walks out of the room and smirks right at me as if he knew I would still be standing here listening to him talk to the baby. “Sheisbeautiful, huh?” he asks Lyla in a high-pitched, cutesy voice, eyes still locked on me.
Biting my lip, I walk to the bedroom, ready to wash this baby puke out of my twists. It’s about time for Ashlie to pick me up anyway. Just as I’m zipping up my sheer lilac dress, the front door slams.
“OH MY GOD!” Ashlie’s voice travels through the closeddoor, and I rush to the living room in a panic.Where’s the baby? “Have you seen the news?”
Lyla’s calmly settled on Trevor’s chest, babbling to herself. My heart’s pounding so hard, I could slap my sister. “Stop yelling,” I huff, arms settling across my chest. Ashlie grabs the remote and turns on the TV, but I’m too busy juggling glances between her and the baby to worry about whatever the hell has her dramatic ass in a tizzy.
News Reporter:Carter Zane,a partner at the prestigious Johnson and Associates,has been arrested on charges of felony assault and indecent exposure.In the complaint filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office this morning, Zane has been accused of multiple assaults spanning three years,involving three women identified in court documents as Jane Doe one,two,and three.”
My head whips to the TV, mouth gaping as I watch shit-for-brains being led from his office in handcuffs. He struggles as they try to duck him in the back of a waiting patrol car, hitting his head on the door.
Johnson and Associates has been a champion against domestic violence in the community for fifty years.The charges follow an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation into allegations stating Zane sent explicit photos of himself from company devices.According to court documents,this investigation prompted the anonymous victims to come forward.We’ve reached out to Johnson and Associates for comment but have yet to hear back.This is a developing story.
I cackle so loudly, it makes Lyla jump.Dumbass.Caught sending puny dick pics from the law firm. In all the messages he sent me, I’m glad I never had to seethatagain.
“Should I turn in the mall video?” Ashlie asks through her giggles. “Maybe they’ll put his ass under the jail.”
“Nope.” I laugh, heading back toward the bedroom. He stopped messaging me after our run-in at the mall. The video we have is pretty damning, but I’ve moved on and he’s clearly being taken care of. “I just never want to hear his name again. Let me get my shoes.”
Trevor is hooking up a gaming system to the TV when I come back to the living room. Ashlie and Hunter are on the sofa, fawning over baby Lyla with animated smiles on their faces. Auntiehood suits Ash, and Hunter’s taken the uncle role to an extreme. I regularly get demanding messages from both of them requesting baby pictures during the day. It’s annoying and adorable, but nice to know my little village of people is legit. For the first time in forever, I actually believe I’m not alone.
“Ash, stop hogging the baby!” Hunter leans over her lap, putting his face in front of Lyla.
