Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88078 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88078 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“Jesus Christ,” Mike snapped in disgust.
“The rest of the shit I would have ignored. He was drunk and being an asshole, but he made Kate sound pathetic.” I met my dad’s eyes. “She’s not fucking pathetic.”
“Don’t need to convince me of that.”
“I fucked up bad with Kate—I know that. But just because she puts up with my shit doesn’t mean that she’s some fucking doormat.”
“She loves you,” Mike said quietly. “Love can overlook a lot of things.”
“We’ve been doing good.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. I think she’s starting to trust me again. I’ve been trying really hard to make up for the shit before.”
“Seems to be working. I got an earful about the sleeping arrangements earlier.”
My face reddened, and Mike chuckled. “No reason to be embarrassed.”
“I’m not talking about this with you.”
“Trust takes time, son,” Mike informed me with a small smile. “You just keep doing what you’re doing and things will all work out.”
“Did you and Mom ever—”
“Hell, I was far worse than you,” he said seriously. “But that’s not a subject I’m ever discussing with my sons.”
I grimaced when I thought of ever discussing my past with Kate with any of my kids. “Fair enough.”
“You better go up and get some sleep. I’m just gonna work on my crossword puzzle for a while.”
* * *
I woke up with Kate tucked in tight against me the next morning, just as someone pushed open our bedroom door.
“I’m just going to grab Iris,” Liz whispered softly, tiptoeing to the edge of the bed. “So you and Katie can get some more sleep.”
“Thanks, Liz,” I murmured as she lifted the smiling baby out of her crib.
She closed the door behind her when she left, and the noise woke Kate just enough that her hips twitched against my morning erection. Shit.
The mornings were always the hardest for me, no pun intended. Kate had no idea how she moved against me before she’d completely wake up. I knew without a doubt that I could have her so hot before she’d finally gotten her wits about her that she’d let me do whatever I wanted…but I didn’t want to start out that way.
She wanted to wait—for whatever reason—and I wanted her to come to me when she was ready. Fucking her before she trusted me fully again would feel fantastic in the moment, but the lasting effects would not be pretty. She wasn’t sure yet, and sex wasn’t going to make up her mind.
Sex made things infinitely better, but it didn’t fix anything. We’d still be right where we started even if I was fucking her into the mattress every day.
Christ, I needed to stop thinking about sliding into her while she tilted her hips against me.
“God, my head hurts,” Kate rasped, finally waking up fully. “Too much booze.”
I kissed the side of her neck as she raised her hand to cover her eyes.
“You had quite a bit,” I agreed softly. “How’s your stomach?”
“Oddly enough, I have an iron stomach when your spawn isn’t growing inside me.”
I knew the exact moment that she remembered the events of the night before because her entire body went rigid against me.
“What was the fight about?” she whispered, reaching down to grab my arm as I tried to move away.
“Just stupid shit,” I said, relaxing back into her body. “Abraham’s a mean drunk.”
“Not usually,” she argued, her voice calm. “You know I’m going to hear about it when we go downstairs. Wouldn’t you rather I heard it from you?”
“I’d rather you didn’t hear it at all,” I grumbled, pressing my face into her hair.
“It was about me, huh?”
“Not specifically,” I hedged, not willing to hurt her feelings. “It was about past shit with me and you that he can’t seem to let go.”
“I figured.” She sighed. “I’ll talk to him.”
“Don’t,” I ordered, scooting back so she’d lie flat and I could see her face. “Me and you are good, right? You don’t have to defend me to him.”
She opened her mouth to argue, and I covered it with my palm. She looked so cute as her makeup raccoon eyes widened in surprise.
“You don’t have to talk about our relationship to anyone but me,” I told her, taking my hand away so I could kiss her lips. “It’s no one’s business but ours.”
“Do you think he’ll apologize?” she asked hoarsely, clearing her throat.
“Doesn’t matter one way or the other—only thing that matters is us, right? He’ll come around eventually or he’ll learn to keep his mouth shut.”
She wrapped her arms around my torso and pulled me down on top of her, digging her fingers into the skin of my back.
“I’m sorry your birthday was ruined, baby,” I mumbled into her mouth as I kissed her.
“Are you kidding? I had a great time for the first two hours. I’d call that a success,” she retorted with a huge smile.