“That’s what I told her when she called me yesterday, asking for pictures of Lyla. I didn’t send any, by the way.”
“Oh? Is the golden child feeling a little tarnished?”
“Maybe a little. Mom won’t shut up about the wedding, and I’m so close to jumping on a plane and eloping.”
“Is that why you’re so interested in me getting married? To get Mom off your back?” I squint at her.
“No, Willa. Some of us just really like seeing you happy for once and want it to become a regular thing.”
“You wanted to be the maid of honor, huh?” I tease.
“Shut up,okay?” she wails, fanning her face to keep her lovey-dovey tears from spilling. “I justlovelove, and you and Trevor are so cute. And yeah, maybe I do want to be theMOH.” She pronounces it likeMoe. “Is that a crime to want to be there for my sister?”
“Come on,MOH. Help me decide which one of these is gala worthy so I can go home.” I giggle at how emotional she is over this hypothetical wedding. Trevor and I have only ever had one conversation about it, and he hasn’t brought it up since. Maybe he’s okay with things staying just as they are too.
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
TREVOR
“Fatherhood looks good on you, bruh.” Hunter furiously taps the GamePlay controller, keeping his eyes on the TV screen.
“Bro, itfeelsgood.” My eyes drop to my Lyla Belle snuggled up on my chest, staring for so long I crash into a wall on the racing game we’re playing. I can’t help it. She’s perfect. “Being a dad is my favorite thing.”
Hunter leans back on the couch and smirks at the baby. “You think you’ll have any more?”
“Nope. I mean, if Willa really wanted to, I’d do it. But I’m good with one.”
He nods and tips his head over the back of the couch, stretching out his back. “Things still going good there?”
“Yeah.” Except for the fact I want to lose myself in her, but she doesn’t want me to touch her. “I think.”
He pops his head up with a quirk in his brow. “What you mean,you think? I saw you two before she left. You’re gonna tell me that’s not good?”
“Man, I don’t know. It’s all fine, but we still haven’t…” I hesitate to share this. I’m not into giving details of my sex life, even to friends.
“Haven’t what? Joined bank accounts?”
“We haven’t had sex since before the baby. She hasn’t been ready, and I’m trying not to be that guy.” Lyla shifts and turns her head to the other side, making the smiling koala on the back of her onesie wiggle side to side. “It’s so hard, bro. All I can think about is getting that connection back, but she doesn’t want it.”
“Naw, this isn’t about you.”
“How do you know?”
“Because Willa and I have a lot of the same issues,” he says. I tilt my head, eyebrows dipping. “Hey, I go to therapy too. I know I have problems.” He laughs and sits forward to slide the controller onto the coffee table. “Bruh, trust me when I tell you, she’s in her head, and it has nothing to do with you.”
The front door opens, and I turn my head slowly, knowing I’m about to get in trouble. Willa takes one look at Lyla on my chest and crooks a pointed finger at me with an annoyed glare. I tip up a shoulder with a grimace. “Look at her!” I say defensively. “She’s so comfy. How could I move her? Just look at how cute she is.”
“She is pretty cute, Wills.” Ashlie perches next to me on the sofa arm and sweeps a thumb over Lyla’s curls. Hunter starts unhooking the game from the TV.
“Great,” Willa says to Ash. “So when she wakes up in the middle of the night screaming, I’m calling you to remind you just how cute she can be.”
Willa’s purple sundress hugs her waist, and my heart thumps wildly, just imagining my hands all over her hips. I’m so thirsty for her, it’s ridiculous. Like I’m kneeling at a trickling stream in the forest but too racked with fear of what’s in the trees to guzzle for survival. I just need to know what’s in the trees. I have to talk to Willa about this, make sure I’m not missing something.
Lyla stretches and blinks up at me before that lip quiver starts. Willa rushes over from the front door and swoops the baby in her arms, then walks her into the kitchen. I watch the sway of Willa’s hips, hung up on her silhouette and what’s underneath.Nopanties? “Did she eat anything while I was gone?” Willa asks, popping open the fridge for some thawed breastmilk. We have so much stored from her overproducing days, Willa’s no longer breastfeeding. She slides the bottle into the warmer and sways those hips while she waits. I need to get a fucking grip.
“Nope.” I clear my throat, swatting away my dirty thoughts. “She slept the whole time.”
She puffs out a breath. “Of course she slept for you.” She smiles down at Lyla. “Can Mama get that same courtesy sometimes? Hmm?”
