Chapter 4
NOVA
Boone’s lips were addictive. As soon as he kissed me, I couldn’t wait to taste them again.
For the next hour, the girls kept us apart. Skylar and Lyric chose to sit between us on the couch. Once they began yawning, I knew my impromptu date was coming to an end.
“Did you still want to go out tomorrow?” I asked Boone as we stood on the porch, while the girls finished their show inside.
“Of course. Did you want me to pick you up with my truck or motorcycle?”
Though I felt like the right answer was his motorcycle, the safer answer was his truck.
“I don’t know.”
“Have you ridden a motorcycle before?”
“Yes, with Dan a few times.”
“Did you like it?”
“I worried I would fall off and make my girls orphans.”
“Well, there’s your answer,” Boone said and ran his fingers through my hair. “I don’t want you to worry about your girls on our date. I’ll bring my truck.”
When Boone kissed me again, I wrapped him in my arms. I didn’t want tonight to end.
With him showing up unannounced, I never got too anxious to have fun.
We’d already pushed past the scary parts.
I even mentioned my criminal father without Boone missing a beat.
He was fully committed to giving our relationship a fair shake.
As Boone drove away, I stood on the porch and rubbed my lips. I’d never felt so lovestruck before. The desire swirling in my belly was new and exciting. I imagined Boone naked. His skin felt hot under my fingertips.
Snapping back to reality, I returned to the girls and prepared them for bed. They were still nervous sleeping in their rooms without Dan at the house, so they bunked in mine.
“Tomorrow, the night light will arrive,” I reminded them.
“Is Boone your husband?” Lyric asked.
“No.”
As I tucked them under the blanket, Skylar said, “He acts like Uncle Dan does with Aunt Lula. They got married.”
“Yes, and we had fun at the wedding.”
“Are you going to have a wedding?” Lyric asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe one day. If I do, you can help me plan it.”
Skylar smiled instantly. “I want a big pink cake.”
“Me, too,” Lyric said and squirmed closer to her sister.
“Okay, we’ll have two pink cakes. Anything else?”
“I want to wear a red dress,” Skylar told me before yawning.
Lyric mumbled with her eyes half closed. “I want to wear a purple dress.”
“Okay, is that it?”
Skylar gripped my hand. “I changed my mind. I want a pink dress, but not bright pink like the cake. I want the other kind of pink.”
“Okay.”
Lyric turned over and cuddled with their sleeping bear. “I would also like the other kind of pink dress.”
“I’ll write that down once you go to sleep to be sure I won’t forget.”
Once the girls drifted off, I cleaned the kitchen.
Halfway through the dishes, I put on a few bouncy love songs and danced around while I wiped the counters.
I could still smell Boone’s cologne on my shirt.
Sniffing the fabric, I rested on the couch and closed my eyes.
In my head, I could see Boone next to me, touching my body and kissing my lips.
I checked my messages, answering Dan’s question about the truck outside the house.
“Stop spying on me,” I told my brother. “You know darn well that was Boone.”
“What happened to your date tomorrow?”
“He couldn’t wait. Now, leave me alone and enjoy your beautiful wife.”
I set the “do not disturb” option on my phone, so Dan wouldn’t spend all night bugging me in his lovingly overprotective way.
I eventually took a shower and went to bed. Nuzzling my shirt with his scent on it, I recalled every moment of my first date with Boone.
Waking up to find my phone filled with messages, I frowned at how everyone already knew my business.
Occasionally, this new life felt overwhelming.
I couldn’t simply sit at home and eat Cheetos while watching junky dating reality shows.
People were always over at the house, and I felt like I had to hide my bad habits.
This morning, Elle moseyed over after Lyric and I returned from dropping Skylar off at school. Lyric eyed the woman’s belly bump and then shouted at Zodiac nearby.
“Your baby is a monster!
“He’ll consume your soul, little girl!” Zodiac hollered back.
“I’m keeping my eye on this one,” Elle muttered and gestured at Lyric. “She’s got it bad for my man. In twenty years, she’ll try to steal him away, and I’ll be too fat to chase after his wheelchair.”
“Why is Zodiac in a wheelchair in this scenario?” I asked.
“Because your daughter would have worn out his old man pelvis. Duh, Nova, put some shit together on your own,” she mocked and waddled past me. “I’m going to sit inside your house and wait for you to entertain me with details about your date.”
I looked at Lyric, who was sticking her tongue out at Zodiac. The biker waved off her attitude.
“I think you’re making Zodiac sad,” I told Lyric.
“No, he’s not crying.”
“People can be sad without crying.”
“I can’t.”
“Well, you’re special, but not everyone is. You shouldn’t assume things about them.”
Lyric stared at me and then shook her head, so her Dumbo ears bounced. “No.”
“You can’t just say no.”
“I want to,” Lyric said as she took my hand. “I like saying no.”
“I know, but you’ll be in school soon. You can’t tell the teacher no all the time.”
“Skylar does.”
“No, she doesn’t.”
“She yells at the teacher and makes her cry.”
“You’re really into lying today,” I said as we entered the house.
“Good for her!” Elle cried out from the family room. “Lying is an important part of contributing to a functioning society!”
“What?” Lyric said.
Stroking her bump, Elle insisted, “My monster baby says I shouldn’t repeat myself for a little hellion like you.”
Lyric waved off Elle’s comment like Zodiac had waved off her tongue gesture.
“Why don’t you work on your alphabet while Elle and I talk?” I suggested and got Lyric set up at the table where Dillon and Skylar did their schoolwork.
Sitting on the couch next to Elle, I asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Hemorrhoidal. Zodiac, Sutter, and I decided to stay in town until after Halloween to give my body a chance to relax after the drive up here,” Elle said and then smiled. “So, what do you think of our mutual friend?”
“You know I like him.”
“Yeah, but did he make a good impression yesterday?”
Nodding, I glanced at Lyric and picked my words carefully so she wouldn’t feel the need to join us and add details.
“He did well with the girls. We had a nice meal. I look forward to seeing him tonight.”
Elle smiled softly. “He’s a good guy. For a long time, I thought he and Clint would end up living together as elderly bachelors. They showed zero interest in dating.”
“Neither did you.”
“Huh, it’s so weird, too. Our parents have great marriages, so you’d think Clint, Boone, and I would be psyched to hook up with someone. Maybe our lives were too comfortable. Or we were too spoiled. Maybe we’re rotten people.”
Frowning, I reminded her, “You and Clint are in relationships now.”
“That’s true. So maybe we didn’t date because no one was good enough until we found the right people. Speaking of people who deserve happiness, Boone would be a great friend to you. However, he isn’t really a kid person.”
“I’m a kid,” Lyric said and showed me how she had finished her first sheet. “I’m a hard worker. I’m doing another one now.”
“Such a smart kiddo,” Elle cooed.
Once Lyric stopped watching us, I leaned forward and whispered to Elle, “He brought them presents and was really friendly.”
“You have good kids, so it might be easy for Boone to warm up to them.”
My stomach dropped, and I asked, “Does he not like kids?”
“He’s like Zodiac, I guess. He doesn’t have a natural way with kids, but he can do it for the right people.”
I considered my daughters’ future. What if Boone and I could build something real?
“I feel like you’re stressing,” Elle said and stood up. “How about we pick out your outfit for tonight and take your mind off stressful stuff? Lyric can help us choose. We can put music on and do a movie montage scenario.”
Standing up, I smiled at her attempt to put my worries to rest. Before we brought Lyric into the mix, I took Elle’s hand and stared into her gray eyes.
“Boone was everything I hoped,” I whispered. “Since I’m old-fashioned, I’m already thinking about the future. But that also means I can’t slow down and enjoy anything. Help me.”
“Don’t fight your feelings. I wasted a lot of time with Zodiac because my head was stressing the details. Once I got to know him, I was hooked. And he, of course, couldn’t get enough of me. The guy really is my sex slave now.”
Smirking at her bragging, I mumbled, “But what if Boone doesn’t want to become my sex slave?”
“Aww, you said ‘sex’ like a big girl,” Elle mocked. “Yeah, you’ve got a horny vibe now. I don’t blame you. Boone is a hot man.”
Feeling territorial, I frowned at how she complimented Boone’s physical appearance.
“Oh, you’re the possessive type, huh?” Elle asked and laughed loudly. “I love it. I ought to hire a woman to throw herself at him, so I can watch you go homicidal.”
“I feel like you’re no longer helping.”
“No, I am. You love it,” Elle assured me and gestured at Ivy at the front door.
Once I let her inside, Ivy asked, “What are we doing?”
“Lyric and I plan to help pick something fun for Nova to wear tonight.”
“I’m a good helper,” my baby told Ivy.
Elle gestured for us to follow her as she walked down the hallway. “We’ll listen to music and dance. If I wasn’t pregnant, we could drink margaritas and talk about boys.”
“Can I have a margarita?” Lyric asked me.
I shook my head. “No.”
“Why not?”
Elle sighed. “You need to listen better, Lyric. I already explained how I’m pregnant.” When Lyric frowned at Elle, she frowned right back at her. Their irritation lasted for about a minute before Elle gave up and asked, “Want to help me pick a song on my phone?”
Once a band called Metric started playing, Ivy and I searched my closet.
Elle rested on her side, stretched out on the bed, while Lyric danced around me.
Three songs later, we had chosen a peach knit top that emphasized my chest without being trampy.
A simple pair of faded blue jeans and sandals finished off the look.
By the time Zodiac and Sutter showed up to reclaim Elle, I felt ready for my date tonight.
Elle was a loudmouthed woman, but she tended to be honest. She had held back with Zodiac, just like I had done with Boone.
Once Elle admitted her feelings, the relationship moved quickly, and she smiled all the time now.
If I could be similarly brave, I believed I could also win the heart of the sexy biker of my dreams.