This week’s was harder to ignore.
Liam: Hey, Kit. I get you’re angry, but you can’t keep my baby from me. I want to meet her. I’m emailing you tickets to fly to Sydney. We’ll talk about how we’re going to do this co-parenting thing in person.
I didn’t know how to reply to him, so I didn’t. This wasn’t me burying my head in the sand like I had about the house. Adequate words would not come to me. What could I even say to this man after he’d abandoned me and Joey?
I had a feeling if he pressed me for a call now, what I had to say would involve many curse words and copious amounts of yelling. One thing was certain: I wouldn’t be using that airplane ticket.
Elliot walked up behind me, so I laid my phone down on the counter beside the sink and watched him in the mirror.
“That’s quite a frown you have,” he remarked, his hands landing on my shoulders. “What’s going on in here?”
I was in the bathroom, touching up my lipstick for a night out with Elliot. Raymond and Davida were in the living room with Joey. Raymond to babysit, and Davida to nose about Elliot’s house.
This would be our last night together for a week. Elliot was leaving in the morning for Dubai, taking Daniel with him as his assistant. I didn’t want him to go, and he hadn’t hidden his reluctance to leave, but his responsibilities were far spread, and he couldn’t put them off forever.
Besides, I had plans that would fill my time during his absence. Work on the house had begun. Raymond’s cousin wasn’t the fastest worker, but he was methodical and came cheap, so I was a fan. While Elliot was away, I’d be spending half the day in the office and the other half at the house, doing some of the work myself. It was all coming together, thanks to Miles’s detailed plan. If not for him, I would have still been wandering around the home improvement store.
Elliot knew about this. He grumbled when I wouldn’t allow him to take over, but he had grudgingly accepted I needed to do it on my own.
I handed him my phone. “Liam.”
He glanced at the text, his expression unreadable. “Is this the first time he’s contacted you?”
“Basically.”
His hand clenched around my shoulders. “Basically or yes?”
I sighed, my mood plummeting. I’d been hoping to ignore this so I could enjoy my last night with Elliot.
“He texted last week, asking to catch up.”
“You didn’t tell me.”
“It barely registered.”
He put my phone back on the counter and met my gaze in our reflection. “You didn’t tell me about the one he just sent either. I had to ask.”
I took his hand from my shoulder and kissed his first knuckle. “He just sent it. I was trying to battle back my annoyance so I could wrap my head around it.”
“You would have told me?”
I nodded. “Yes, I would have. I just needed a minute to process.”
His hand slid from my shoulder to cup my throat, drawing my back against his chest. “And now? Did I interrupt?”
As always, I melted into him, the knots in my stomach unfurling and tension in my muscles easing. Elliot was so damn good at relaxing me.
“You came right on time.”
He tapped my throat twice. “What do you think about his request?”
“I’m not going to Australia.”
“Damn right you’re not.” His palm flattened on my chest. “If he really wants to see Joey, he’ll get on a plane himself.”
I smiled at him. This wasn’t a time for smiles, but I couldn’t help it. He’d started calling her Joey more often than Josephine or Jo. I didn’t know why he’d made the switch, but there weren’t many sweeter sounds than my daughter’s nickname coming from Elliot’s lips.
“I don’t want to think about him anymore. I’ll come up with a reply tomorrow.” I spun around to face him, and Elliot wasted no time backing me onto the counter. Reaching around, he slid his hand over my ass, watching himself touch me in the mirror.
“Don’t promise him anything. If he makes demands, we’ll take it to a lawyer.” He wrapped his arms around me, holding me against his chest, and buried his nose in my hair. “He’s not going to walk all over you again.”
My throat squeezed at the words that went unsaid. “I’m here now. I’m standing by you. I’ll make sure no one mistreats you.” Maybe I shouldn’t have relied on Elliot so much, but it was a relief to know I could.
I woke in Elliot’s arms. He had one leg thrown over mine, locking me against him, and his fingers were stroking my hair.
Seeing him watching me in the dim, early morning light, I smiled, my lids still heavy with sleep. “I don’t remember falling asleep like this.”
“You rolled into my arms as soon as your eyes closed.”
Despite Liam’s message hanging over our heads, we’d had a wonderful night out, just the two of us. Outside of work lunches, we’d never gone on a date. Kind of crazy, considering we were basically cohabiting, even temporarily.
We ate good food, had delicious drinks, laughed, flirted, then came home at ten p.m. exhausted—with absolutely no shame about it.
“Hmmm.” I kissed his bare chest and sighed. “That sounds like something I would do.”
“I would have pulled you onto me if you hadn’t.”
I laughed softly. “That sounds like something you would do.”
Since the first night he’d shared my bed, he hadn’t left it. With Joey-Girl in her bassinet on the other side of the fireplace and Elliot wrapped around me, I’d never slept better in my life.
“I’m going to have to snuggle a pillow when you’re gone,” I whispered.
He groaned, his forehead crinkling. “I’m going to have to snuggle with Daniel. Who’s got it worse?”
I snorted. “Poor Daniel. He doesn’t know what he’s in for.”
He pushed up on his elbow, looking me over. “You’re going to be okay when I’m gone.”
Not a question, but I nodded anyway. “It’s only a week. We’ll be fine.”
“You and Joey will. I’m not sure about me.” He teased my lips with his fingertip. “You’ve gotten me used to waking up to sunshine.”
“There’s sunshine in Dubai. Plenty of it.”
“Not the kind I crave.” Dipping down, he pressed a lingering kiss to my lips, and my chest ached. This man could be devastatingly sweet. If he kept it up, I was going to fall stupidly in love with him.
Joey cooed, telling us she was awake in her own cute way. Elliot kissed me again, then disentangled himself to get her. I lay there listening, the ache intensifying as he spoke to her.
“Good morning, little girl. How did you sleep?” Velcro ripped as he opened her swaddle. “Big stretch, Josephine. That means it’s going to be an incredible day.” He picked her up from her bassinet and carried her to the changing pad on the dresser. “I’m sorry to tell you, I’m leaving for a while. Lucky you, you get to hang out with your mommy while I’m on the other side of the world with a guy who shakes like a leaf when I speak to him.”