Reckless(20)

The sound of his name makes me wince. “No, he wasn’t my boss. He was my boss’s friend, which was bad enough.”

Because one, my boss Kevin never bothered to tell me my boyfriend was fucking married, and two, when Jamie and I unceremoniously broke up that fateful day, I had to quit my bartending job or face the very real possibility of seeing him because he frequented that restaurant.

And there was no way I was ever talking to that scumbag again. I changed my number, switched my job, and eventually moved when he kept stalking my place and sending me flowers. Nothing says, “Hey, sorry I didn’t tell you I was a cheating douchebag” like bouquets of carnations. Who apologizes with the cheapest flower in the state of Texas? Even after I trashed them, they left behind that sickeningly sweet scent that reminded me of my grandmother’s funeral.

“Are you still on that man diet thing?”

“No dicks for me.” Figuratively or literally.

“That’s a shame. I have a friend—”

“No.”

“He’s super hot.”

“Then you date him, and I’ll live vicariously through your escapades.”

She laughs maniacally. “No one said date him. Just let him bang your brains out so you can get over your aversion to attractive men and see that you need to move back to Austin. Then we can party the whole summer. Come on. You haven’t been the same since Jamie. Where’s the BFF I know and love?”

“Girlfriend, I have to work. I have bills to pay. Daddy ain’t gonna cover my rent.”

I can almost hear her rolling her eyes. “George doesn’t pay my rent.” She calls her parents by their first names. My mother would smack me with her chancla if I ever did that. “I have a salary, thank you very much.”

A salary Daddy pays even when you don’t show up to work.

But when she doesn’t stop badgering me, I promise to go out with her. I might need a break from Ethan Carter pronto anyway.

“Yay!” she yells into the phone. “We’ll have a blast! One night of partying never hurt anyone.”

I don’t bother pointing out how we both know that’s not true.

One night is all it takes for everything to go wrong.



* * *



When I wake up the next morning, a precious face grins at me over the edge of the bed.

“Hey, Mila.”

What time is it? Ethan didn’t specify what time he wanted me to get the kids up, only that they ate around eight, and it’s not quite seven fifteen.

“Sorry I woke you. Did I wake you?” She bounces up and down on her toes.

This kid is like sunshine on crack. I smile at her even though it pains me to be so cheerful this early in the day without a shot of coffee injected straight into my jugular.

Baby babble sounds through a tiny speaker on the bedside table. Ethan must’ve put the baby monitor there this morning before he headed out to work with the horses. Cody isn’t quite two, so of course his dad still has a monitor for him. I feel dumb for not thinking about that sooner.

“Mila, can you do me a favor and keep your brother company for a few minutes while I brush my teeth? I’ll be right out.”

“I can do that!” She leaps into action, a blur of little girl racing out the door.

My laughter turns into a groan as I try to roll out of bed. When I bartend, I usually go to bed around three or four. Sometimes later. So getting up with the cows is not something my body knows how to do. I haven’t gotten up this early since that internship fired me.

A few minutes later, when I get to Cody’s room, his big smile perks me up. These kids are so freaking happy, I don’t know what to do with myself. I grin at him and snuggle his warm body to me.

“Did you sleep well, munchkin?” He nuzzles closer. I close my eyes, loving his sweet baby scent. “Are you hungry?”

His grumbling tummy answers the question, and I hurry to get him changed so I can feed him. It takes a few minutes to wrestle him out of his pajamas, and when I get to his diaper, his smile widens.

“Poopies!” He kicks his chubby legs. “Poopies!”

“Okay, buddy. Thanks for the warning.”

Except for the toxic diaper, the morning goes smoothly, but by lunch time, Mila’s not wearing that bright smile anymore.

This little girl who never stops moving is staring out the back window, completely frozen.

I kneel down next to her. “What’s wrong, honey? You look worried.”

Her lips twist in her cherubic face. She waves me closer to whisper in my ear. “Can we make my daddy something to eat?”

I almost laugh, except the serious expression on her face tells me I shouldn’t. “What does he usually do for lunch?”

“My grandma makes him food.”

Ethan expressly told me I shouldn’t make him any meals, but that’s kind of weird if he’s used to coming into the house to eat. What is he doing for lunch?

Movement catches my eye in the back yard, and I look across the expansive field to the beautiful red barn where Ethan leads a horse to his stall.

Returning my attention to Mila, I give her a hug. “How about we make some extra food in case he comes in for lunch?”

She looks down, still frowning, and nods. Clearly, that wasn’t the answer she wants to hear.