I shrugged, then shook my head as changed the subject from one thing I didn’t want to think about… to another thing I didn’t want to think about. “What about you? Anybody… special in your life now?”
“No.” I hoped she didn’t notice, but my shoulders sagged with relief at the sound of one little two-letter word. “I’m working on starting fresh. I didn’t really do that, after the divorce, but I’m working on it now. I sold my business, traveled a little bit… I put my house on the market a few weeks ago, and as soon as it sells, I’m moving to something smaller, alone.”
“No more living with Melanie?”
She grinned. “Yep. She was never there anyway, and it makes more sense for both of us to be closer into the city. And honestly, I’m tired of all of the work and upkeep.”
“Ah, so you’re a girl who prefers not to change her own light bulbs after all,” I laughed, remembering our conversation in her garage. It felt like forever ago, but it was still vividly present in my mind.
“Indeed,” she said, giggling.
She shivered in response when I went from almost touching me to doing it, burying my hand in what I’d discovered was one of my favorite places: the curls at the base of her neck. I had no idea what compelled me to do it, but it seemed like an abomination to be so close to her and not touch her. She didn’t move away, even though we both knew she should. Instead, she relaxed into it with a little sigh that sent heat rocketing to my groin.
“You seem happy,” I said, grazing my fingers along her scalp.
“Because I am.”
I nodded, keeping my eyes on her as I smiled. “Wild, sexy, and free. That’s how I like to remember you. None of that stuffiness you put on when you’re trying to be in control, or not do the ‘wrong’ thing. Just Tori. Like you were that night at the beach, and on our ‘not a dates’, and in Chicago. None of the bullshit, just you. Wild, sexy, and free. That’s how you look right now and damn, you’re beautiful.”
She was so beautiful, even with her eyes puffy from helping Des with long nights with the baby, no makeup, with her hair all over the place, and just a tee shirt… she was gorgeous.
I moved closer, and suddenly my lips were on hers. Then my tongue was persuading them open, asking to be allowed inside. When she obliged, I deepened the kiss with a hunger that snatched my breath away, and I was drowning, fast, but I didn’t care. I would die happy today, with handfuls of my shirt bunched in Tori’s fists to pull me closer, and keep me from going away.
Then, Madison reminded us she was there. Her wailing cry filled the room, and Tori pulled away, taking a deep breath before she stood to retrieve her from her bassinet. While she gently bounced the baby in her arms to soothe her cries, I took the time to compose myself before standing to approach her, with one hand shoved deep in my pocket, the other massaging the back of my neck.
“I should probably….” I inclined my head toward the open door.
She gave me a little smile. “Probably so, since it appears we… can’t keep our lips to ourselves.” She lifted baby Madison up, pretending to speak to her. “Madi, tell him you didn’t like that. Say that’s why I started crying, Uncle Avery, I didn’t like that.”
I laughed, shaking my head at her silliness. “It was good to see you, Tori. Really good to see you.”
“It was good to see you too.”
She sucked in a breath as I approached her, enveloping her and baby Madi in my arms. When I pulled back, I placed a kiss on Madi’s forehead, and then a lingering one on Tori’s. I was pulling away when I heard Maya and Des’ voices in the hall, and I quickly put an appropriate distance between Tori and I. When they appeared in the doorway, Maya looked … perturbed, as she had the entire time we’d been in Chicago for this visit that I wished I had left her ass at home for, and Des looked giddy. She was leveling a knowing smirk between Tori and I, and I shrugged, then left to be chewed out by Maya. She didn’t know it, but at least this time I’d actually done something.