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When Tish hung the dish towel up and turned to face me, I rested my hands on the counter beside her hips and dipped my head to kiss her. Our tongues tangled lazily. She reached between us, dragging her palm over my lengthening cock.
“We don’t need to do this tonight,” I whispered.
I knew she was tired and feeling emotional for reasons that had nothing to do with us.
“I know, but I want to. I missed you.” She curled her hand around my neck, arching up to meet my lips for another kiss.
It was messy. Everything moved swiftly with an intensity of emotion whipping the flames burning between us higher and higher. Her gaze held mine as the air shimmered around us when I filled her with a deep thrust. I savored the way she clenched around me and cried out. My own release crashed through me and we trembled together. I held her close, whispering, “I missed you. I love you.”
After we fell asleep and Teddy’s cries woke me through the baby monitor, I carried him to her and waited up with her while she fed him.
After she fell asleep, I brought Teddy back to his crib. Once I slipped under the covers, I leaned over to check the baby monitor once more. As I settled into the pillows, a sense of comfort and rightness gusted through me. It felt as if everything was how it was meant to be.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Tish
“I’ll have…” I paused, lightly tapping my fingertips on the edge of the counter as I scanned the chalkboard behind the counter at Firehouse Café. “A mocha.”
“Do you want anything to eat?” Janet asked as she began prepping my coffee.
“I’ll take a cranberry orange muffin.”
Janet deftly adjusted the knobs on the espresso machine with one hand while reaching for a muffin with the other and putting it in the toaster. Just then, I heard Hallie’s voice behind me.
“Hey, hey!” She stopped at my side, curling an arm around my shoulder and giving me a quick squeeze. “How are you?” She had a sly twinkle in her eyes.
“I’m pretty good. How are you?”
Despite the earthquake Paul’s phone call had set loose inside of me, Griffin and I had a few good nights together and I felt more settled. I told myself denial was a perfectly acceptable coping skill when under stress. It also helped that Colin told me he would handle it and I trusted him. As much as I liked to manage things, in this case, I was simply handing over the entire problem to him and hoping for the best because I didn’t know what else to do.
“I’m fine. How are things with Griffin?” she asked as her arm slid away from my shoulders and she waggled her brows.
I felt the heat rising to the surface of my cheeks. I couldn’t even keep myself from smiling. I cleared my throat. “Good. Actually, really good.”
Her smile widened. “I’m glad to hear that. Griffin is a great guy.”
“I know,” I said, thinking of how he got up with me during the night and dozed on the pillows beside me while I nursed Teddy.
Phoebe came in, followed by Maisie, Amelia, and Madison. We ended up deciding to get a table. I had a little cushion of time before I needed to be in the office. When we sat down, I experienced a sensation that was becoming familiar, a brief moment where I felt like I had forgotten something extremely important.
I gave my head a little shake, and Amelia noticed. “What is it?”
“Ever since I started going back to work and taking Teddy to daycare, this weird thing happens where I’ll think I forgot something, but I didn’t. He’s basically been an extra limb for months. It’s a little weird not having him with me all the time. I love him, but it’s nice having a little break.”
Amelia nodded vigorously. “I totally get it. I thought I was going to climb out of my skin after the first few months. I was so relieved that I had my mom and Cade’s parents to help. Without them…” She let out a hearty sigh. “I don’t know what I would do.”
“My mom came up for two weeks at the beginning, but she’s still working so she can’t be here full-time. I bet it’s really nice having your parents close,” I replied.
“It is, but we still do daycare. They all have things going on and they work. I am not cut out for the stay-at-home mom thing. I feel like I’m a much better mom when I’m working. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I am really freaking tired, but I can enjoy it more and not feel burnt out on it,” she explained.
I smiled over at Amelia. “I love your take. That helps me with my guilt.”
The conversation carried on. I didn’t know why, but a sense of unease slid through me a few minutes later. I checked my watch, noting I needed to leave for work soon. I glanced around the table before looking toward the doorway to the café. My stomach plummeted and nausea rose in my throat.
“Are you okay?” Phoebe asked from my side.
I swallowed through the acid burning in my throat. “That’s Paul,” I whispered under my breath.
