Stay(49)

I’m pretty sure she’s having a mini stroke.

“Okay, then.” She backs away quickly. “I guess it’s good to see you, Stephen. I hope you’re happy.”

Biting my lip, I’m holding on tightly so I don’t burst out laughing. Whoever this bitch is, clearly she expected Stephen to be with someone super high-class. And while I grew up in that world, she doesn’t have to know it.

“Good to see you, too.” Stephen’s voice is mild.

She spins on her heel and takes off as fast as she came. I cover my mouth with my hand and snort.

He pulls my hand in his arm again, giving me an extra tug. “That wasn’t very nice.”

“She was not happy to meet me. What’s her story?”

We’re crossing Fifth Avenue, heading south toward his townhome. “Alyssa Falcone and I dated for about nine months last year.”

“Nine months!” My jaw drops, and I look up at him.

He only shakes his head. “She started pressuring me for a ring, and I finally told her I had no intention of getting married. Ever.”

“Oh…” I feel a teensy bit bad for Alyssa-Bitch, and a whole lot good for me. “Maybe if she were more of a harpy you’d have proposed.”

Tilting my head to the side, I cut my eyes up at him. The dimple in his cheek appears with his grin. “Don’t act jealous. It’s not cute.”

“Stephen Hastings.” I jerk my hand out of his arm. “I am not jealous. That woman was a shrew.”

He picks up my hand and puts it in his arm again. “Whatever you say, dear.”

“I am not jealous!” My voice goes louder. “And don’t call me dear! I’m not eighty.”

We’re back at his place, and he takes the front steps two at a time, stopping to unlock the door. “Whatever you say, dear.”

“You’d better believe me.” I jog up after him, ready to tell him off, when he opens the front door and spins me inside against the wall.

He kicks the door shut and looks down into my eyes, holding my jaw in one hand. I’m captive in his arms. “Are you fighting with me again?” His voice is hot and growly.

The jog up the stairs left me breathless, but the way he’s looking at me now, eyes wicked with humor and lust, has my core hot and clenching. “What if I say yes?”

He pushes off the wall and takes my hand. “Let’s get cleaned up. We’ve got some fucking to do.”



* * *



Early morning rays stream softly through the drapes, and Stephen is asleep in the bed beside me. I’m holding my silent phone in front of my bent knees in the bed. On the flatscreen, a pod of dolphins crosses the open ocean.

He called it the desert of the sea. I read the text, doing my best to keep an eye on the screen. That’s cool.

My thumbs move fast, and I look up and down. How long is 3 meters in US length?

Mom. It’s feet.

Sir David Attenborough describes the striped marlin, or what I would call a swordfish, diving to depths of one hundred meters.

How am I supposed to know what that means? I tap out quickly.

Stephen emits a weird, honking sound, and I snort a laugh. I want to tell Eli Stephen snores, but my stomach twists. I’m afraid to bring Eli too close to this… whatever it is. God, I don’t even know what this is.

Stephen and I had sex one million times this weekend, three more times last night. Every time I move, my insides ache from his invasion. We’ve made plans, we’ve told each other things… Shit, I told him he was my first, and I’m still grappling with his reaction.

He was furious. He was floored. He was defensive, but ultimately, he was gentle. He said he was sorry. I have to wonder if Stephen Hastings has ever apologized to anyone in his life. Then he said he wanted to make it up to me. He made sweet love to me. He’s been so different ever since.

We’ve drawn each other close… yet, at the same time, I know this isn’t a real marriage. I married him for his medical connections and his money.

He fell in love with my kid.

Eli is the reason he proposed to me. I can never let myself forget that. He jokes that he married me for the sex, but Stephen Hastings can have sex with whoever he wants. Take for instance Alyssa-Bitch. I’m sure she was ready to give it up at a moment’s notice. I certainly was.

From ten years ago to today, nothing makes me happier than being pressed beneath the weight of his body, feeling him lose control in my arms, his breath hot, his groans ragged.

Not to mention his big dick.

Or his talented tongue.

A gray bubble floats on my screen. A sardine tornado!

I’ve lost track of the episode. Looking up, I see a giant whale is on the scene, gobbling up a bunch of fish. I’m awestruck. I thought whales ate krill?

Depends on the size of the whale.

My smart little man. My thumbs move quickly as I text back. I miss you. Ready to move in here?

As much as I’ve enjoyed this time with my new husband… As weird as it is to call Stephen my husband… I miss my tiny apartment and Eli in bed with me watching The Blue Planet.

Sort of… Aunt Lou likes kisses at bedtime!

My eyebrows pull together. What does that mean?

A gray bubble floats, and I don’t know what to expect. Chocolate has milk and antioxidants. She says they’re good for us.