Chapter 19
Phone – handy little gadget which only works if you actually answer it
Chloe
L ucas: Can you pick Natalia up from camp? Running late.
I check the time. I should be able to walk over to the summer camp before the kids are finished.
No problem!
I leave my bike at Five Fathoms Brewing and walk over to the camp. When I arrive, the kids are just finishing up. I lean against the fence and wait for Natalia. She comes rushing out holding another girl’s hand.
“Chloe! You’re here!”
I hug her in greeting. “Your dad got caught up at work.”
“I could have walked home on my own.”
I agree but Lucas is a bit overprotective. I assume once he gets used to Smuggler’s Hideaway he’ll loosen the reins a bit. In the meantime, it’s my job to stand united with him.
I tweak her nose. “Maybe next time.”
She rolls her eyes. “Maybe means no.”
“I didn’t say no.”
“Parents always say maybe when they mean no.”
Parents? Does she consider me one of her parents? I’d love to be her parent.
Slow your mermaid loving heart, Chloe. Natalia is not your child. You are not a step-mom. This marriage is not real. No matter how much you may wish it was.
“I’ll speak to your dad about it. It’s the best offer I’ve got.” I hold out my hand and we shake on it.
She giggles. “You’re silly.”
“Ask her,” the girl with Natalia whispers in a loud voice.
I smile at her. “I’m Chloe.”
“This is Piper,” Natalia introduces. “She’s my friend.”
“Nice to meet you, Piper. What is Natalia supposed to ask me?”
Natalia clears her throat. “Can I have a sleepover at Piper’s house? Please. Please. Please. I used to have sleepovers all the time back home.”
Shoot. What do I do? Do I need to check with Lucas? I probably should.
“Let me check with your dad.” I dial Lucas’s number but he doesn’t pick up. Darn it. What now?
A woman who appears slightly familiar joins us. “Chloe?”
“August?” I guess.
“I didn’t know if you’d remember me. I was several classes ahead of you.”
“Smuggler’s Hideaway,” I murmur as if naming the island is an answer for everything.
“I heard you married Natalia’s dad.” She grins. “You snatched up the hottie police officer awful quick.”
My brow furrows. “Aren’t you married?”
“Yep. Married my high school sweetheart when I got pregnant with this one.” She wraps an arm around Piper. “Been married ever since. But I can still look.” She winks. “And the whole island is devastated you snatched Lucas up before anyone else got a chance to play with him.”
She has no idea. There’s no playing happening between me and Lucas.
“Mom.” Piper tugs on August’s arm. “Ask her.”
“My daughter, who has forgotten the magic word despite how many times I’ve reminded her, wants to have Natalia over tonight for a sleepover. Is that okay?”
What do I do? Do I try to contact Lucas again? Will it appear suspicious if I need his permission? Will rumors spread about our marriage being a hoax? Everyone’s already gossiping about how fast we got married.
Here goes nothing.
“Will you be home the entire evening?” I ask. She nods. “Do you have a list of Natalia’s allergies?”
“All the parents received a list of allergies of each kid at the start of the summer camp.”
“And you have my phone number if anything goes wrong?”
She giggles. “Or I can just run over to your house.”
She could. No one’s too far away in Smuggler’s Rest. In fact, no one’s too far away on the island of Smuggler’s Hideaway.
I kneel in front of Natalia. “Do you promise to let me know if anything goes wrong? Anything at all? It doesn’t matter what time of night it is. I won’t be mad.”
“Does this mean I can stay over with Piper?”
I blow out a breath and take a risk. “Yes.”
She squeals and jumps up and down. “Thank you, Chloe!”
Piper and her rush off without a backward glance. “Doesn’t she need clothes?”
“She has her bag of spare clothes with her.”
Oh right. I forgot one of the requirements of summer camp was to have a set of spare clothes since getting dirty isn’t a rare occurrence.
August pats my arm. “It’s hard the first time they’re away, but trust me, you’ll be happy to have the night to yourself. Enjoy it. Once you get pregnant, it’s all downhill.”
I frown at her. Once I get pregnant? I’m not getting pregnant. I’m never having children.
“Thanks. If Natalia’s a bother, feel free to send her home.”
She waves as she rushes to follow the girls.
Once she’s out of hearing range, I ring Lucas again. He still doesn’t pick up. He must be dealing with an emergency. He wouldn’t ignore me for any other reason. Not when he knows I’m with Natalia.
By the time Lucas returns home a few hours later, I’m fighting off panic. My mind knows nothing happened to him. Someone would have contacted me if he were injured or in the hospital.
My heart disagrees. My heart wants to know what could have possibly kept Lucas busy for three hours and unable to return a simple phone call.
“Hey!” Lucas calls in greeting.
“Hey? I’ll hey you. Where have you been? Have you forgotten how a phone works? Do you need me to give you a course? It’s not difficult. It starts with picking up your phone when it rings.”
He rubs a hand over his beard. “Shit. Sorry. A herd of sheep got loose and wreaked havoc on half the island.”
“A group of sheep is a flock. And how long does it take to get the sheep under control?”
“When your partner is Weston, a long ass time.”
I blow out a breath. This isn’t me. I don’t lose my mind when a man ghosts me.
“What happened?”
“A farmer was replacing his fence and a sheep got out. Did you know where one sheep goes the rest follow?”
I giggle. I actually do know that. I also know I will never pull a prank involving sheep ever again. Give me a raccoon any day. They’ll do anything for food.
“Every single time we thought we had all of the sheep corralled in the correct location, one of them would get a hair up his ass and escape. And the rest of the flock would follow.”
“You look pretty good for someone who spent the past three hours chasing after sheep.”
“I showered at the station. Shit. I should have called you back then. I’m so used to my mom and dad knowing about the job and how I can be late, I didn’t think to check my phone and make sure everything went well with picking up Natalia.” He glances around. “Where is she anyway?”
“She’s at a sleepover with her friend, Piper.”
He freezes. “What did you say?”
“Did all the bleating affect your ears?”
A muscle in his jaw ticks. “I can’t believe you let Natalia go to a sleepover.”
“Are you mad?”
“Hell yeah, I am.”
“Why? I don’t understand what you’re this mad about. I checked with Piper’s parents. They will be home all night. They have a list of Natalia’s allergies and all of our phone numbers.”
“Because Natalia is my daughter. Not yours.”
Pain slices through me at his words. He’s right. Natalia isn’t mine. This is a game we’re playing to appease his ex. None of it is real.
But I don’t back down. I never do.
I poke his chest. “How would it have looked if I said I couldn’t give Natalia permission? Huh? We’re supposed to be married. I’m supposed to be her stepmother. Do stepmothers have no rights?”
He captures my hand. “You’re not Natalia’s stepmother, though, are you?”
Kick me while I’m down, will you? News flash. This girl doesn’t stay down for long.
I glare at him. “Don’t you dare blame me. If you would have just answered your phone, I could have checked with you.”
“Now, it’s my fault?”
“Yes, you big buffoon. You can’t ask me to help out with Natalia and then get mad when I give her permission to sleep over at a friend’s house. It’s one or the other. I help or I’m not involved. What do you want? Do you want me to move back into my house?”
He growls before using his hold on my hand to haul me near. I slam into his chest with an oomph.
“Stop talking.”
“I can—”
I don’t manage to finish my sentence before his lips slam down on mine. His kiss is hard. But I don’t care. The feel of his lips against mine is all I need. If this is supposed to be punishment, I’m going to be bad more often. Maybe all the time.
He thrusts his tongue into my mouth and I suck on it. He tastes of musk, mint, and man. It’s a heady combination. It’s the taste I remember from our wedding day. One I’ve imagined ever since.
He moans and presses his hard cock against my stomach. I gasp at the feel of his hard length against me.
“I’m going to fuck that attitude right out of you.”
My entire body goes up in flames at his declaration. “You can try.”
He throws me over his shoulder.
I should probably stop him. This is a bad idea. Trust me. I know. I’m an expert at bad ideas. But I couldn’t stop him now if I wanted to.
And make no mistake about it. I don’t want to.