Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 89324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
“From everything you’ve told me, you weren’t being irresponsible at the resort. And yet the universe allowed this to happen. We can’t always control things, no matter how hard we try. This situation seems crazy, but it also feels like destiny.”
Chapter 31
* * *
TATE
Nervous wasn’t a strong enough word to describe how I felt about seeing Blair tonight.
I didn’t want her to sense my jealousy. The closer it got to her date this evening, though, the more freaked out I became over the prospect of her falling for someone. I wanted her to be happy. I just didn’t know if I could handle having a front-row seat to it all.
I was a wreck, which made me realize how poorly I’d been managing my feelings for her. Offering to watch Nicholas sent her the message that I was okay with her dating other men, when in reality, I wasn’t okay at all. I felt ragey, to be honest. Like a fucking caveman.
Nicholas.
You need to focus on your son.
I’d worked extra hard this week to wrap up some projects at work so I could give Nicholas my undivided attention. This was big—our first time alone together. That was the only bright side of this whole date event. Getting one-on-one time with the little guy was a gift.
I’d bought more of the snacks I’d learned he loved from last time, some spare clothes in case he needed them, and a few new toys. Yes, I supposed I was trying to buy his love—whatever made it easier for him to be comfortable around me. Once he trusted me, I could slowly scale back on spoiling him.
Blair pulled up in front of the house, and I went out to help her bring Nicholas’ stuff in. When I saw her, I nearly lost my breath. Her hair was down and styled into long, loose waves. Her black dress was form-fitting with tiny sequins. And it looked awfully familiar. It hugged her ass and breasts in a way that made my heart race. Her lips were painted red. The way she looked reminded me of the night at the resort where she’d dressed sexy to torture me. In fact, I was pretty sure it was the same dress. I remembered it. Fuck. It had worked then to drive me absolutely wild, and it was working the same way now.
It occurred to me that maybe Blair knew exactly what she was doing—just like the Blair I knew and loved back then. I cleared my throat. “You look nice.”
Nice? She looked fucking hot.
I tried like hell not to look down at her chest like a creeper. But it was hard to take my eyes off her. Memories of her beautiful body beneath mine flashed through my mind. It was downright painful to remember what it’d felt like to be inside of her. There was nothing I wanted more than to feel that again, and I feared I never would.
How would I handle her getting involved with another man? Could I be cordial to him? Could I hide my pain?
I went around to open the back door of the car and forced myself to shake off the jealousy for the sake of my son. “Hey, buddy!”
“Hi, Mr. T.”
His little voice hit me straight in the heart. I couldn’t wait for the day when he could call me Daddy. “Are you ready to have a fun night?” I asked.
He nodded as he exited the car.
I guided him inside as Blair followed with his overnight bag.
“You didn’t have to bring anything, actually,” I said. “I meant to tell you that. I bought him some clothes to keep here, even though you told me not to. Just wanted to make things easier for you if you don’t want to truck stuff back and forth. You’d mentioned he was wearing a size 4T now, so I kept that in mind. Got stuff in 5T, too, in case he has a random growth spurt.”
She nodded. “Okay, well, I’ll know for next time.”
“When are you coming back?” I asked, trying like hell not to scan her body like I wanted to.
“Tomorrow morning. Is that okay?”
“Yeah. Of course.” I scratched my chin. “You’re going straight to meet him from here, I assume, if you’re all dressed up…”
“Yeah. I won’t have enough time to stop back home again.”
Unable to stop myself, I gave her a once-over. “Well, be careful.”
“I will,” she said. “Let me know if you have any questions. Just text me if you need anything.”
What I needed right now I’d be keeping to myself. I managed a nod. “We’ll be fine. Don’t worry. Just try to enjoy yourself. You deserve a night off.”
She didn’t seem to be looking me in the eye much, which was strange. Was she ashamed of what she planned to do tonight? Or was that my paranoia playing with me?