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“Yes, we did, but I’m not convinced we’re completely changed. Do you believe we’re no longer affected by our pasts?”
“What past?” I gave her ass another smack. “I don’t remember existing before seeing you on your bike, riding like the wind.”
“Then you might be surprised to learn you have a thirteen-year-old daughter.”
I snapped my fingers. “True. I do remember her. Everything else is vague and blurry.”
More sweet giggles. “If only life were truly like that. There are quite a few things in my past I’d like to blur out.”
I thought about it for a minute. There’d been shitty times in my life too. Things I’d love to shove to the back of my mind and never think about again. But in the end, if I was offered a pill to make that happen, I wouldn’t take it. Not when everything led me to this.
To her.
“Nah. I’m not going to wish away anything that got me you.” I pecked her lips. “But if I come across a selective memory wiper, I’ll pass it your way.”
She groaned. “I can’t use it now that you’re being so principled. Just destroy it.”
I grinned at how miserable yet adorable she was. “If I find a fictional memory wiper, I’ll keep that in mind.”
That made her laugh again. “You know how I know I’ve still got work to do? Being this happy with you makes me nervous. Like I’m waiting for the other shoe to fall.”
That hurt me to hear. I didn’t take it personally, though. This woman trusted me with her daughter, so it wasn’t me who made her feel that way. She’d been done so wrong, even secure with me; she was bracing for the bad to show up anyway. This wasn’t the first or last time I hoped her ex had an unfortunate and very painful accident in prison.
“It’ll take time, and we’ve got that. One day, you’re going to realize you’re not waiting anymore.”
“At least one of us is patient.”
My mouth tipped. “That’s why we work so well. Between us, we’re one emotionally healthy person.”
Her laugh was melodic, making my chest tight. “Do we really need any more than that?”
“Nope.” I kissed her forehead and gave her ass a squeeze. “I’ve got all I need right here.”
Chapter Thirty-eight
Jake
The other shoe dropped.
After living in a dream with all my girls, growing closer to Clara, watching her bond with Sage, getting all the cuddles I could possibly handle from Nellie, I was flying high. Dinners and sleepovers and dancing to cartoons had me armed to the teeth, so when I walked into my office Tuesday morning, I wasn’t as on edge as I normally was. I didn’t love this job and never would, but what I had outside these walls more than made up for it.
The thing about finding happiness was it existed on a razor’s edge. Without balance, it could have been sliced into ribbons. Lucky for me, and Clara, we did balance each other. It was outside forces we had to worry about.
The woman on the other end of the phone meant less than nothing to me anymore, but she was the last person I’d needed in my ear today—or any day in the future.
“Hello, Jake. Nice to hear your voice.”
A chill rattled my spine. I hadn’t heard from Andrea in years. Had never expected she’d call me at all, let alone at work.
“Why are you calling me?” I gruffed.
She chuffed. “Straight to the point. Aren’t you going to ask me how I am? I’d love to know what Sage is up to.”
There was a time I would’ve taken advantage of this situation to tell Andrea she was a coward who’d broken a little girl’s heart, spitting all the vitriol I’d carried around with me for too long, but I had none of that in me anymore. I didn’t care about this woman, and she certainly wasn’t going to get the gift of hearing about my daughter. As far as I was concerned, she was a stranger and Sage was none of her damn business.
It was easy to keep my voice level. I wasn’t mad or upset at this phone call. Why it was happening was all I needed to know, then I’d be hanging up and going back to forgetting she existed.
She. Did. Not. Matter.
