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The tower was done. Four walls that went only to Harley’s shoulders when she sat in the middle.
“That’s all the blocks, Harley.”
“Oh good.” Harley looked relieved. “Because there’s no door, and I need to go potty.”
“Oh no, we didn’t think about a door!” Tori laughed and offered her hands toward Harley.
Harley lifted up her arms, and Tori scooped her up, swinging her over the walls of her castle.
They had dinner, and the night routine only had a few tantrums, most noticeably the one where Harley didn’t want to wash her hair.
“Good night, Pumpkin.” Tori kissed Harley on the forehead, closing the second bedtime book she had been conned into reading.
“Mommy, why don’t I get to see Rebel and ’Randa anymore?”
“Sometimes it happens, Pumpkin. People get busy.”
“Is ’Randa your age?” Harley said it with such disgust and just a hint of pride at figuring out what was going on that Tori couldn’t hold back the laugh.
“No, Harley, Miranda is not my age. She’s closer to Mom’s age.”
“Oh.” That perked Harley up instantly, relief washing over her face. “So you still like her, and I can see Rebel and ’Randa again when you aren’t so busy?”
“Yes, now go to sleep.” Tori hated lying, especially to her daughter. She hoped she hadn’t really told her something that would never happen.
No, she just had to get used to Miranda and appreciate who she was. The spark between them was too strong to let the distance stop what they had. Despite the seeming finality to the end of their phone call, Tori couldn’t deny that merely hearing Miranda’s voice had sent a shiver up and down her spine.
For the rest of the week, Tori kept herself busy, as though it would make the potential lie to her daughter more true.
By the time she said goodbye to Harley for another week, Tori was just about tearing her own skin off with the itch to hear Miranda’s voice again, to see her honey eyes, and feel her skin against her own.
She paced her floor, all remnants of her daughter packed up neatly in their proper places ready for her return.
She lifted her phone, and Miranda’s name and number lit up the display. Her finger hovered over the call button. She dropped her hand by her side again and kept pacing. After three paces, she stopped, lifted the phone, hesitated, dropped the phone again.
“This is ridiculous,” Tori growled out loud to herself.
This time she didn’t stop pacing. She lifted the phone and pressed the call button immediately, not waiting for the twist in her stomach to make her hesitate at the sight of Miranda’s name.
The ringing sounded like a warning bell in her ear. Damn it, when had she become so melodramatic?
“Hello?” Miranda’s crisp voice came down the line. In the background, Tori could hear the sound of running water.
“Hi.” Tori smiled. The nerves still twined in her stomach, but just hearing Miranda’s voice settled them a little. “I thought I’d see how things are going with Rebel and Tierney. I haven’t had a chance to catch you at daycare this week.”
“It’s only been a few days,” Miranda spoke as though she were distracted.
“Oh, so you haven’t looked into it yet?” Tori asked, hoping her own personal reservations about Miranda’s plan didn’t come out in her voice. She had a terrible poker face, she knew that, but sometimes she could manage to keep her thoughts better in check over the phone.
“Honestly?” Miranda sighed down the phone line, and Tori’s heart yearned and her arms twitched, wishing she could wrap them around Miranda. “No, I’ve barely had a chance to do anything but get through the week.”
“Did you want to talk about it?” Tori smiled at the ease of her question. After all the anxious energy of the week, she finally felt a little more like herself. She sat down on the couch, leaned her back against the armrest, and stretched her legs out on the cushions.
“It’s been a really tough week.” The sound of running water stopped, and Tori heard some shuffling happening in the background.
“What are you doing?” She asked with a laugh.
“I’m taking a bath.” The soft sound of lapping water made Tori press her thighs together, imagining Miranda’s naked body submerged, the drops of water sluicing over her breasts and neck for Tori to lick up, following the trail as they moved against her skin.
