Chapter 3 #2
The dark-washed bootcut jeans I chose hugged my behind and thighs just enough to accentuate my curves without looking painted on, and my top had a thick, tight band around my hips and belly, but loosened around my chest and shoulders, giving me a dramatic hourglass shape.
It was a beautiful deep turquoise that I thought looked great against my pale skin.
I wore a long, thin gold necklace that hung past my breasts, with a couple gold bangles at my wrists over the long sleeves of the blouse.
The shoes I picked were killer platform cork wedges with a ton of gold-studded turquoise straps along the top.
They’d been an impulse purchase, but added an extra five inches to my height and made my ass look great.
I’d done my makeup in a soft, dewy look, and my red hair was shiny and full of big fat curls.
I watched in a daze as Trick lifted a huge box from the back of his truck, causing all those delectable muscles in his back and arms to bulge and stretch the material of his tee in a way I could appreciate even from all the way across the street, and I sucked in a gasp as a sudden wave of lust slammed right into me, causing the area between my thighs to pulse.
I’d been so lost in my gawking that I hadn’t been paying attention and accidentally slammed my front door loud enough that it drew his attention across the expanse of concrete that separated us.
His head shot my way, and a smile stretched across his face as he lowered the box to the ground and started toward me.
That startled me into action. Turning back to the door, My hands shook uncontrollably as I used the seconds it took to slide the key into the deadbolt and lock it as a chance to calm my rapidly beating heart.
After much thought and a ton of sugar the night before, I’d finally made a decision where Trick was concerned. And until this very moment, I’d been feeling rather good about it.
I was a grown woman. What happened was over and done with, and it was time to move on. As long as that line wasn’t crossed again—and there was no way in hell I was ever crossing that line again—there was no reason why we couldn’t get back to where we’d been before we slept together.
I was taking the high road, being an adult, and I’d been pretty freaking proud of myself when I’d gone through the whole pep-talk in my mirror before bed the night before. But now that I was actually living my decision, I wasn’t feeling nearly as strong as I had been
Clearing my throat, I pasted a smile on my lips and turned back just as Trick hit my front walk. “Hey,” I greeted cheerfully.
“Mornin’, beautiful.”
That endearment drew me up short. I felt that in my belly—as well as a few other sensitive places in my body—but I somehow managed to push away the sorrowful pang it caused and keep a brave face.
Looking to the loaded-up truck sitting in his new driveway then back to him, I said, “Tris told me you were gonna be our neighbor.”
“Yeah.” He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, settling in for a conversation. “Saw the sign when I dropped Tristan off last weekend. Just signed the lease agreement yesterday.”
“Wow. You’re not wasting any time, huh?” I asked on a laugh.
His teeth flashed with a grin that made my belly flip. “Yeah, well, I’ve got the kids this week, and I can’t stand the idea of them sleepin’ in that godforsaken apartment for one more night.”
Man, he was such an incredible father. That was just one of the many reasons I fell for him as hard and as quickly as I did.
I knew Chris loved our kids, but love wasn’t all there was to being a parent.
He would rather be Tristan and Blythe’s best friend, the one they could have a good time with, than hand out discipline when needed.
He only cared about being the cool parent, and that left me holding the bag on all the things that really counted.
I knew this for certain because he lived in a shithole apartment himself that made Trick’s place look like a five star resort, and didn’t seem to care about the fact that our fourteen-year-old daughter had to share a room with her little brother when they stayed with him.
Where Trick made sure he got his kids every other week in their custody agreement, Chris had accepted visitation every other weekend without batting an eye.
He claimed it was because he didn’t want to take them from the home they’d grown up in for too long.
But I knew him better than he thought I did, and I knew the reason for the limited visits was because he didn’t want to face the responsibility of actually having to care for two other human beings all on his own.
He’d left the lion’s share to me while we’d been married, so it wasn’t a stretch to think he’d still shirk the responsibility now.
“They’re gonna love it, Trick. And they’ll appreciate what you did to give them better.”
He looked away, his face a mask of uncertainty as he muttered, “I hope so.”
I couldn’t stand the self-doubt radiating off him.
All I could think was that I needed to do whatever I could to make him feel better.
It was instinctual to reach out and wrap my fingers around his forearm as I said, “They will. Kids are smart, Trick. They see things we don’t expect them to see.
Hell, they even see things we try to protect them from.
They’re also resilient. Even if you think what you’re doin’ might break them, it won’t.
Nobody’s perfect. All we can do is try our very best, and if we do that, they’ll turn out okay. ”
He pulled his hand from his pocket and grabbed mine before I could drop my arm back to my side, enveloping my hand in his big, strong palm. “Thank you, sweetheart. That makes me feel a little better.”
“Well,” I said with a shrug, “it should. I am awesome, and everything I say should be taken as gospel. Just ask my kids.”
He let out a rich laugh that was better than any chocolate cake I could ever make. “I believe it.”
That tension I’d been feeling in my chest finally began to loosen its grip. “It’ll be good to have a fancy detective on the block. We’ll have to have you and your kids over to dinner one night to officially welcome you to the hood.”
Those gray eyes sparkled brilliantly. “I’d like that.”
With that, the tension melted away completely. This was nice and easy, just like we used to be. I felt like, for the first time in more than a month, things were finally starting to get back to normal.
Then it all went straight to hell.