Her eyes pop almost out of her head. “I would never send you a picture of my vagina,” she says, “especially not one that looks battered and bruised like that.”
“Well, you did spend the night with your co-worker.” I throw it out there.
“I didn’t spend the night with my co-worker,” she starts to say. “I mean, I was at his house, but I wasn’t with him.” She shakes her head.
“You’re allowed to be with whoever you want,” I tell her even though it tastes like coal in my mouth.
She throws her hands up in the air. “I’m not with anyone. Especially not my co-worker.”
“It’s fine; it’s okay,” I tell her, and she just gets angrier.
“He’s married to a man.” She throws up her hands. “So even if I was with him, you have the equipment to satisfy him, and I don’t.”
“So you didn’t hook up with anyone last night?” I ask her.
“Of course not,” she says, confused. “I drank too much, so they took me home.”
“Really?” I ask with the biggest sigh of relief.
“Did you think that I actually spent the night with someone I just met?” she asks, and I cock my head to the side. “That was different. I was nineteen and horny.”
I laugh at her. “And you’re not horny now?”
“Get out.” She points at the door.
“It’s a simple question,” I ask her, waiting for her to answer.
“Let’s not make this anymore awkward than it has to be. You’re Aiden’s dad, and we have to co-parent,” she says.
“What if I want more?” I ask her, and I can’t believe the words that just came out of my mouth.
“What do you mean, what if you want more?” she asks me, her voice going quiet.
“I mean, what if I told you I want to be more or at least see if we can still be more?” I lay my cards on the table.
“You mean date?” she asks me, pointing at her and then me. “You want to date me?”
“It’s not the dumbest idea,” I tell her. “I mean, we did have amazing chemistry, and we created a pretty cool kid.”
“Yes,” she whispers, and I don’t know exactly what she is saying yes to.
“Yes to what?” I ask her.
“I want to date you.” She smiles, and I go to her this time. Standing right in front of her, I hold my breath right before I lean down and take her lips with mine.
Chapter Fourteen
Eliahn
“I want to date you,” is the last thing I say to him before he is standing in front of me. His whole smell invades me, and I literally get weak in the knees.
When I saw that Aiden sent him pictures of my vagina, I thought I was going to die, or at least hoped the earth would open and swallow me down. The last thing I wanted was for him to see my vagina after all this time, butchered.
The only thing I thought of was to apologize to Lauren. I mean, what if they were together, and she opened it and thought I was coming on to him? I would die.
But now standing here in front of me, he takes my breath away. He brushes the hair away from my face, both his hands now holding my face, and I swear my breath hitches right before I feel his lips on mine softly. I thought if we ever kissed again, it would be needy and all hands, but this, this softness of him taking his time to slip his tongue into my mouth. My hands go to his waist as I bunch up his shirt in a daze. My stomach is doing flip flops every single time his tongue slides with mine.
He lets go of my lips, his hands not leaving my face. “So no one made you breakfast this morning?” he asks softly while I stop breathing, or at least that’s what it feels like. I don’t want to break the moment, don’t want to do anything to make this go away. “No one fed you this morning and then kissed you after?” he asks, and I shake my head. “I thought about that when you got here this afternoon,” he continues, this time using his thumb to rub my face, and my body shivers at his touch. “I wondered if he kissed you, if he cherished you like you deserve to be cherished.” He comes closer to me, so close we stand crushed together. “Did he kiss you right behind your ear and make you shiver?”
“Luca,” I whisper and inhale right before his lips meet mine. I swear I think I sigh right before and when his tongue slides into mine. My hands roam up his chest, to his neck, and I finally wrap my hands around his neck, pushing more into him. What started off as a sweet, sweet kiss is turning into so much more right now.
He groans in my mouth, his hand now buried in my hair as he tilts my head the other way, sliding his tongue deeper into my mouth. I get lost in his kiss, lost in his taste, and just like that, I’m back to that first day I saw him. The butterflies in my stomach fluttering.
“Mommy!” I hear Aiden yelling for me from upstairs. Luca lets go of my lips, and our foreheads crash together. “Mommy!” Aiden yells again.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell him, not wanting to let him go. What I really want to do is take his hand in mine and walk up the stairs to our son. But as I slowly walk away from him, our fingers hold on until the last minute.
I walk into my room, not having a chance to move him after texting Luca. “Hey there, what’s the matter?” I ask him and see tears streaming down his face while I sit next to him and hold him in my arms.
“I had a bad dream,” he says, his little voice hitching.
“It’s okay, mon amour.” My love. “Mommy is here.” I hold him in my arms, rocking him when I look up and see Luca standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorjamb with his feet crossed at the ankles.
“He had a bad dream,” I tell him quietly as he comes into my room.
He leans down and kisses our son on the head. “I’m going to go,” he tells me, leaning in and kissing my lips softly. “Text me when you get up, and we can get breakfast.”
I smile at him. “Are you going to feed me?” I bite my lip so I don’t laugh at him.
“You bet your ass I am,” he says, leaning in again and kissing me softly, once, twice, three times. “Where are your keys?”
“In the office on my desk, why?” I ask him, looking down at Aiden who has fallen asleep.
“I’m going to lock up on my way out so you don’t have to go down.” He smiles at me. “Sleep tight, Eli,” he whispers, and I watch him walk out of the room. I listen to him shut off all the lights and then go into my office. The sound of the door locking as I rock our son side to side. I know that Aiden is sleeping again, so I get up and carry him to his bed.
“Maman,” Mommy, he says in French.
“C’est moi, mon amour.” It’s me, my love. “Fais de beaux rêves,” Sweet dreams, I tell him and kiss his cheek.
He turns over in a ball and falls back asleep. I walk back to my bedroom and lie in the bed with the lights out, and I just stare at the window. I bring the top of my robe to my nose. It smells just like Luca, and I smile.
I take my phone out of the pocket.
Me: Did you get home okay?
I joke with him, wondering, and he answers back right away.
Luca: Got stuck at a red light but all is good. Is Aiden okay?
I laugh; he was always witty.
Me: He’s good, just had a bad dream.
I’m waiting for him to answer me, but instead, my phone rings. “Hello,” I say, turning to the side.
“Hey,” he says softly. “Figured this was easier than texting.” He laughs, and I wonder if he’s in his bed, and what he’s wearing. “I’m going to Nick and Mona’s tomorrow for Sunday brunch. Would you and Aiden like to come with me?”
I smile, thinking of the last time I saw Nick, and he was bringing Luca to the hospital. “Are you sure it’s okay with them?”
“I’m sure.” His voice stays the same, and I think back to when we were on the cruise, and how we would do face-to-face talking and then kissing and then it would lead to so many other things.
I smile. “Then, yes, we would love to.”
“Sounds like a plan,” he says, and I hear covers being
ruffled. “I can’t believe you thought I was with Lauren!” He laughs.
“I can’t believe you thought I went home with a man I work with!” I snap back.
He laughs now. “Okay, fine, we were both wrong, but next time, we should communicate better.”
My eyes close. “How about if something bothers us, we just tell the other person?”
He gasps. “You mean open communication? I think that sounds like a perfect plan.” I hear him yawn.
“I’ll text you tomorrow when we get up,” I tell him, and he just mumbles.
“I’ll be there. Night, Eli,” he says softly.
“Sweet dreams, Luca,” I say and hang up, putting the phone on my nightstand and falling fast asleep. My dreams that night are from that cruise seven years ago. When Aiden finally crawls into my bed the next morning, he climbs on top of me and kisses my cheek. “Bonjour, Maman,” Good morning, Mom, he says.
“Bonjour, Cherie.” Good morning, sweetheart. I open my eyes, and it looks like I didn’t move the whole night. I cuddle him to me, kissing his head and resting my cheek on it. “Are you hungry?” I ask him.
I’m not the least bit surprised when he looks over at me and says, “I’m starving. Can I have cookies?” He jumps off the bed, and I hear his little feet go downstairs. “Mommy!” he shouts. “Daddy is here!” I fly out of bed and go to the top of the stairs.
“Good morning.” He stares back at me in his jeans and a T-shirt with bare feet. He looks like he just walked out of a fucking photo shoot, and I’m pretty sure I have dried drool on my cheek. “I brought doughnuts.”
“What time is it?” I ask him, bringing the robe together at my neck.
“Seven thirty,” he says, taking a sip of his coffee. “I also brought you coffee.”
“What time did you get here?” I ask him.
“About thirty minutes ago, give or take.” He smiles. “Come down.”
“I will. I just need to use the bathroom.” I smile at him, and Aiden comes over with chocolate all over his cheeks.
“I’m having breakfast.” He smiles and then runs back to his half-eaten doughnut. I walk to my bathroom, and I shriek at my appearance. My hair is sticking up, and I totally have drool on my cheek. I wash my face and finish off in the bathroom, then go into my closet and throw on yoga pants and a loose top. I pile my hair on my head as I walk downstairs, finding Luca and Aiden cuddled on the couch while they watch Paw Patrol.
I walk to the kitchen and grab a cup of coffee, taking it and going to the couch, sitting next to them as Luca looks over and smiles at me. “Good morning.”
I take a sip of coffee. “Good morning to you, too.” I tuck my legs under me and enjoy this. Never in my wildest dreams would I have pictured me on the couch with Luca and Aiden. I smile, bringing the coffee close to me, and I’m about to take another sip.
“You snore,” he tells me, and I look at him with open eyes. “I heard you from downstairs.”
“I have a deviated septum.” I glare at him.
“You must have got that after the cruise.” He winks at me, and I turn and watch television with them, trying not to let the heat rise to my face as I wonder if he thinks about the nights we spent together.
“What time are we expected at Nick’s place?” I change the topic.
“We need to be there at noon,” he says, and I just turn back and nod at him. We watch the rest of Paw Patrol with Aiden. When the show finishes, I get up and make some pancakes and waffles.
“You need to go upstairs and get dressed,” I tell Aiden when he bends over his plate and tries to lick off the syrup that is leaking down his chin and onto his top, where he spreads it on his shirt. “I think it’s a bath first.” Standing up, I take the plate from him. “Go upstairs and undress. I’ll be right up.” He nods his head and runs upstairs. “Don’t touch anything!” I yell back at him.
I put the plate in the sink, and suddenly feel him behind me. “When you wear your hair up, it gives me easy access.”
I laugh while he puts his hands around my waist and kisses the side of my neck. I move my head to the side, and his lips land on my sweet spot, the one right behind my ear, the one he knows all too well. I close my eyes, and my head falls on his shoulder. “Mommy, I’m ready!” I hear being yelled.
“Our son has impeccable timing.” He laughs into my neck and lets me go. “I’ll clean up. You go get him ready.”
“Okay,” I say, walking away from him. “In case I haven’t told you”—he looks at me over his shoulder—“I’m really, really glad you’re here.”
His side smile makes him that much hotter, that and he’s cleaning dishes. “I’m really, really glad I’m here, too,” he says, and I just nod, then turn to go upstairs and start the bath for our son.
I get Aiden ready and then get dressed. Grabbing my black jeans, I slide them on and grab the white chiffon crisscross long-sleeved top. Tucking it in, I snap it at the chest and tie the cuffs. It’s flowy and fresh; it’s both casual and dressy. I grab my nude ballerina shoes and walk downstairs. I walk to the kitchen and hear Aiden and Luca talking. “And that’s why hockey is the best sport of life.”
“But I like soccer,” Aiden says to him.
“You can like both,” Luca tells him, and when I walk into the room, Luca looks up, and he smiles. “Look at Mom, isn’t she beautiful?”
“Yeah.” He just shrugs his shoulders. “I’m hungry.”
“You are not hungry,” Luca tells him. “Let’s go.” He pushes off from the table, and Aiden runs out of the room. “You look beautiful,” he tells me and kisses my lips softly.
“You have lip gloss,” I tell him, wiping his lips off with my thumb.
“Let’s go before we start something, and I walk out of here with a tent in my pants,” he says, and I laugh.
“He did tell me you have a big penis.” Luca looks over with huge eyes. “Bigger than his.”
“I need to explain to my son about the bro code.” He laughs, putting on his shoes and looking down at Aiden who smiles up at him.
When we walk out, Luca hands me my keys to lock the door while he gets Aiden in the car and waits by the door. I smile at him and get inside the car while he slams the door. “And they said chivalry is dead,” I say, turning to look at my son who is on an iPad. “What is that?”
“It’s Daddy’s; he buy it for me,” Aiden tells me while he turns it on and sounds come out of it. I look over at Luca who gets in the car and puts on his sunglasses.
“So you bought him an iPad?” I ask him, looking over.
“It’s to keep him busy if there is traffic and stuff.” He smiles at me and then looks in the back at Aiden. “You ready to go and meet your crazy uncle Nick?”
“Yeah!” he shouts and puts his hands in the air.
Pulling up in front of Nick’s home, I look around and see that it’s almost like our subdivision. Luca turns off the car and looks at me. “I should apologize now for anything that he might say,” he starts off. “And don’t listen to anything he says about me.”
I turn and look over at the front door that is now open, and Nick comes out, shouting behind him. “The DiMarcos are here.”
Chapter Fifteen
Luca
I look up and see Nick waving like a madman, and Mona coming out to meet him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “This should be fun,” I say under my breath, getting out and walking around the car to find Eliahn unbuckling Aiden.
“I should just apologize now for whatever he says.” I look at Eliahn who just shakes her head.
“It’s going to be fine,” she says, and I want to hold her hand while we walk to the door, but if I know Nick he’s going to point it out right away. So instead we walk toward the house both of us holding Aiden’s hand.
“There he is,” Nick says, holding out his hands. “My favorite nephew.”
“He’s your only nephew,” I point out when we finally get to them after walking up the stairs. “Aiden, this is your uncle Nick and
auntie Mona.” I look at Aiden, smiling when Nick put his hands out to fist bump him, and he smiles while fist bumping Nick. “Mona, this is Eliahn.” Mona takes her arms from around Nick and puts her hand out to Eliahn, who takes it smiling.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Mona says. “You are like a God around here,” she says, making Eliahn laugh, and I roll my eyes.
“Thank you so much for having us,” Eliahn says, and then looks at Nick. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“The last time I saw you, Romeo’s head was about to explode. I mean, it’s better than the time before that when he”—he points to me—“was about to cry at saying goodbye to you on that cruise.” He laughs.
“I was not crying,” I tell him and then turn back to Eliahn. “I didn’t cry.”
“Please, you looked like a kid when someone ate their candy,” Nick says, showing us a pouting face. Why am I friends with him?
This time, both Mona and Eliahn laugh out loud. “Are you done?” I ask Nick.
“I think we are just getting started,” Nick says and then looks at Aiden. “I bought you something.”
“A present?” Aiden says, all excited, and Nick nods. “What is it?”
“Well, come in and see,” he tells him and motions with his head.
Aiden follows him with me following Aiden, and I hear Mona tell Eliahn, “It’s good to have another girl around.”
I walk to the back of the house where the kitchen is. “Look at all this,” Nick tells Aiden, and I groan. There are so many presents it covers the entire table. “This is my favorite one.” He gives Aiden the square box to open. He takes the box and tears open the wrapping, seeing it’s an iPad.
“Who the hell gives a six-year-old an iPad?” I look at him.
“You mean who besides his father gives a six-year-old an iPad?” I look over my shoulder to see that Eliahn is leaning against the island counter, trying not to laugh.
“The guy in the store said this would get me to the top of the list for best uncle, and that I might even win the best uncle awards.” He takes the box from Aiden. “And look, I found a picture of your mommy and daddy,” he says, opening the iPad, and a picture of us taken on the cruise shows up. “That might have been the night you were conceived,” he says, and we all yell his name. “What, not many people are lucky enough to have proof?” He looks over at us, and then I look at Aiden, who doesn’t even give a shit what is on his iPad screen saver.
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