Reckless(72)

She scrunches her nose, my answer clearly not satisfying her curiosity. Fuck my life. Why don’t I know how to answer this?

Tori reaches over and takes Mila’s other hand, her soft voice immediately soothing to my frayed nerves. “It’s how babies are made, but you don’t have to worry about that for a long, long time.”

For a second, I’m worried Mila’s gonna ask if Logan is trying to have babies with all of his girlfriends—again, please, God, no—but instead, she shrugs again, the concern in her eyes disappearing.

“Can I have some pancakes, Daddy?” she asks, and I nod, relieved to have this conversation over.

Standing, I direct her away from the table. “Mr. and Mrs. Duran, it was nice to meet you. I certainly enjoyed this little exercise in mortification. I hope y’all have a good lunch.”

Kat snickers. “Ethan, you’re the sweetest thing ever. At least that’s what my sister tells me.”

Pretty sure I’m blushing. A grown man. Blushing.

I run my hand over my face and blow out a breath. When my eyes connect with Tori’s, though, the crazy swirl of affection I have for this woman almost overwhelms me. “Take your time here today. Enjoy the visit with your parents.”

For a second, it’s just the two of us, like some scene out of a movie where all the ambient sound fades, and she comes into sharp focus, knocking my heart rate up a few notches with her secret smile.

Yup, pretty sure I’m head over heels for this girl. I give her a wink and quickly nod to her scary parents before I scoop up my daughter and head for the counter to order her some pancakes in a to-go box.

Because we need to go. ASAP.



* * *



“What happened?” Logan’s laughing so hard, he snorts, and I shove him off the living room couch. He lands on the carpet with a loud thump and rolls onto his back.

He clutches his stomach, tears streaming down his face as he relishes one of the most awkward moments of my life.

“Mila said what?” he asks again, more for dramatic effect than the need to have me repeat it.

“Get off the fucking floor.”

“Oh, my God. That’s hysterical.” With a quick swipe of his palm, he wipes one eye and then the other. “Bro.”

I can’t make out what else he mutters because blood is pulsing in my ears. Taking a deep breath, I try to calm down before I choke my sibling.

Once I’m confident I won’t stroke out from anger, I try to put into words how utterly embarrassing this situation was.

My eyes dart to the hallway, ensuring my kids are still taking their afternoon naps, before I jab a finger in his direction. “What do I always tell you? Mila isn’t window dressing. She fucking hears you talk about your dating life, dumbass. Thanks for her first lesson on sex, for traumatizing me, Tori, her parents. Fuck, her parents. You should’ve seen their expressions. Like I was an ax murderer. Like I had defiled their daughter and then told my kid about it.”

With my hand to my forehead, I try to focus on the silver lining. “’Course, Tori came to my rescue. As always.”

“Love that girl.” Logan pats himself on the back. Literally. “Pretty sure you have me to thank for planting her cute little ass in your life.”

“Don’t talk about her ass,” I growl, even though I know he doesn’t think of her that way. He’d better not be jerking it to thoughts of Tori.

“Just saying you can’t be too angry at me since I’m the reason she’s here in the first place. And hey, have you even thought about our court appointment this week since all this happened?”

I still. Then scratch my chin.

My silence is the only answer he needs, and his trademark smirk spreads on his face. I hate when he’s right. I’ve been a mess of nerves, and while informing Tori’s parents that I’ve fucked their daughter is not exactly the reprieve I was looking for, it has rewired my headspace.

Now that I’m home, though, now that I’ve had some time to mull it over, there are a million things I wish I’d told Mr. and Mrs. Duran. Like how much I adore their daughter. That she’s one of the most capable people I’ve ever met. That they raised a brilliant, passionate woman who’s an amazing example for my kids.

Did I say any of that? No. I stumbled through a terrible description of sex, one that only confused Mila, and then hightailed it out of there. What the fuck is wrong with me?

I groan, dropping my head into my hands.

Never again. Tori deserves better.

The front door opens and shuts with a soft click. Tori drops her bag in the front hall, traipses across the living room, and plunks herself on my lap.

Before I can begin to figure out how to apologize for this morning, she beats me to it after planting a soft kiss on my lips.

“I’m so sorry you got ambushed. I didn’t realize Kat was meeting up with our parents.” She shudders. “I’d never drag you into something like that on purpose.”

Having her in my arms immediately puts me at ease. “Nothing to apologize for, honey. I’m sorry I didn’t handle it better.”

She nibbles on her bottom lip. “I feel bad. You guys have a lot going on this week. You don’t need more stress.”

Logan, who’s still on the floor, groans. “Shit. Guess I need to wear a suit on Friday, right?”