“How’s that?”
“One minute they’re barely speaking to me. And it wasn’t like the next minute they were. We worked up to it, got over the hump, skidded down the other side.” I crossed my legs under me on my bed. “But now we’re speeding. They’re here a lot and I want them here a lot. I want them here for good. I’d take them here forever. But there’s something about this change that makes me think that either they’re escaping their dad’s or Martine is perpetuating cruel and unusual punishment by not allowing two teenage kids to DVR anything.”
“Maybe they saw they were bein’ hard on you and they’re tryin’ to make up for it,” he suggested.
“Maybe,” I mumbled.
“Go with it. Build on it. And just have this good without makin’ it dark when you don’t know if there’s anything to worry about.”
That was good advice.
“I’ll do that.”
“Good,” he said. “Now, speaking of kids.”
“Oh boy,” I muttered.
“Yeah. Ash and Cill know their friend and next door neighbor, Amy, is Dad’s girlfriend.”
The girlfriend again.
It felt nice again.
But I was still braced.
“And?” I prompted.
“Cill’s cool with it. Not straight up, he looks after his mom, had questions about what this means for me and his mom and it wasn’t real fun to share that there was not ever gonna be a me and his mom again. He came to terms with it without throwin’ a shit fit, which was a surprise but it was good. Ash didn’t have much of a reaction except to say, ‘No kidding, Dad?’ which started to set Cill off because he thought she knew something he didn’t know and he isn’t big on that.”
“But it’s all okay now?”
“Woulda had you over for dinner tonight, but don’t think spendin’ the day with you yesterday then havin’ you back tonight would be good. But I do think, if we keep easin’ them into it, they’ll get there.”
I smiled at the phone. “That’s good.”
“So, tomorrow and Tuesday, I’m at the firehouse. That means phone on your nightstand.”
“Right,” I agreed, still smiling.
“Wednesday, your kids aren’t with you, I’m takin’ you to dinner and a movie.”
Me and Mickey in a dark movie theater.
That sounded fantastic.
“I’d love that, Mickey,” I told him. “But we’re taking my Land Rover.”
“Fine. I drive.”
“You drive?” I asked. “But it’s mine.”
“I strike you as a man who rides?”
“Jimbo drives the fire truck,” I pointed out.
“Jimbo doesn’t have a vagina.”
My back shot straight. “Really?”
“Your ass is in my Expedition in the passenger seat or in the same place in your Rover,” he declared.
“It’s a new car, Mickey. I love it. It took everything I had to allow Auden to take it for a spin today. I wanna drive.”
“Drive around the next coupla days. Wednesday night, you know your choice.”
He was lucky he was so fabulous for the times when he was so annoying.
“You need to get checked,” I snapped. “You clearly have an overabundance of testosterone in a way it’s harmful to your health.”
“Not sure that can even happen,” he replied smoothly.
“The harmful to your health part is me murdering you.”
“You take me out, it’s back to that toy in your nightstand and I’m thinkin’ you don’t want that.”
My head twitched as I asked, “Have you been snooping?”
“Single woman who goes hot quick, babe, took a guess, I was right and I don’t consider it snooping. More like investigating just in case I’m in the mood to shake things up. Any man has gotta have the tools he needs to get the job done.”
That gave me a shiver along with the premonition of an aneurysm.
“Amy?” he called when I didn’t respond.
“Quiet. I’m trying to think if I’ve seen any Internet cafés I can go to to anonymously order poison off the Web.”
“Toy comes out tomorrow night,” he muttered.
Another shiver.
“Are you done annoying me?” I asked.
His smile was in his voice. “For now.”
“Fine. See you tomorrow night.”
“Charge it up, Amy.”
God, he couldn’t be believed.
The problem was I was thinking I loved that about him.
Along with a variety of other things.
“Whatever. Have a good night.”
“’Night, baby.”
With the call with Mickey done for the night, I tossed the phone on my bed and went back out to my kids.
*
“Yes,” I breathed, I came, Mickey slid my vibrator away and then he slid inside me. “Yes,” I repeated.
We were on our sides, face to face and I had my leg thrown over Mickey’s hip. Even though it lasted a good long while, Mickey let me finish coming before he kissed me, fucked me and again sent me flying.
Condoms being history, after, it was me cleaning up, slipping on a nightie and back into bed with Mickey where he tangled us together and held me close in the dark.
I was snuggled deep, warmed by his body, replete and half asleep before he spoke.
“See, my heiress likes the way I shake things up.”
I opened my eyes and saw his shadowed throat.
“Shut up, Mickey.”
“Think I’m a year older, you came so long.”
I tipped my head back and glared at him through the dark.
“Shut up, Mickey.”
He bent his head and kissed me. It lasted longer than my orgasm, a lot longer and ended with us tangled up tight, his hand on my behind and me pressed so close it was like I wanted him to absorb me.
“Now, go to sleep, baby,” he ordered when he stopped kissing me.
I tucked my face back in his throat and told him, “You’re most annoying.”
“Good you get off on that.”
He was correct.
I decided silence was in order.
I was as close as I could be without Mickey being inside me.
He still pulled me closer.
“Flash,” he whispered.
“What?” I asked sleepily but still managed to inject tartly.
“Of really fuckin’ happy.”
I wasn’t going to cry.
I was not going to cry.
I didn’t cry.
I pushed even closer, kissed my guy’s throat and whispered, “’Night, honey.”
“’Night, Amy.”
I closed my eyes, settled into Mickey, and experiencing my own flash, I fell asleep.
*
Mickey and I were on our way back from the movie when he said, “Both your kids came to you last night, so I talked to a coupla buds. They’re good with bein’ on call should I need them at the firehouse.”
He had my hand in his resting on my thigh and he was stroking the side with his thumb.
He also was gently reminding me he wanted to meet my kids.
I liked that but I was nervous about it.
“Next time they come again together, I’ll give them the talk,” I promised.
We’d already had the dating discussion and they were absolutely not under the impression their father and I would get back together.