The only woman who’d seen us as individuals outside of our immediate family and close friends had been Katy. And now Heidi and Nemi did, too.
It was a good feeling, one I hadn’t even realized I’d been looking for. It was a surprise how much it meant to me, and I’d be damned if I’d ever do anything to fuck it up. I could only imagine how much it took for a parent to open up their life to someone else with a kid involved. That amount of trust would be hard to earn, regardless of how adamant I was that I’d be able to do it.
But even if the feelings I had for Heidi didn’t ever amount to anything in return from her, I wouldn’t do anything to mess up what we had now.
That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to let her know I wanted more. I just had to prove myself a little more, and I’d start by getting her what she needed from the store and anything else that stood out as useful. I was also anxious about Nemi and how sick she was, worried enough to risk throwing up myself if she puked near me again, so being here to keep an eye on her wasn’t purely for Heidi. It was for me as well, and Nemi if she needed anything else to get better.
When that realization hit me, I truly saw how far I’d come in such a short space of time. Damn, kids really did change your life. I just hadn’t known it would be in the best way possible.
Chapter Ten
Heidi
Finishing off the last bit of crumb coating on the sponge, I stood back and made sure it was all even and perfect. I’d have to add the proper buttercream layer, chocolate shards, dried colorful fruit slices, and other decorations in the morning. Adding them now would risk them going soggy and look awful.
Satisfied with it, I placed the layers in the fridge I’d bought solely for my work until morning and turned to drag my ass upstairs to take a shower. I kept the kitchen and dining room cold so my work wouldn’t melt but standing on your feet for hours heated you up and made my muscles ache. Only a shower would help me with it enough to fall asleep.
When Bond had come back from the store, he’d brought a small overnight bag that he’d explained had what he needed for the night. I was grateful to him for being so willing to help with Nemi so I could work. I hated doing it usually, but when she was sick, it was even worse having to divide my time between baking and making sure she was okay.
She liked Bond, though, and had kept asking for him while she was throwing up the first time, so I knew she’d find comfort in having him around. Well, that was unless he’d been sick again, too. It could have been amusing that a man like him would have a weakness like that, but I felt guilty about it. I had irritable bowel syndrome, and people might find that funny, but unless you’d had an attack at an inopportune moment, you’d never realize how bad and embarrassing it could get.
Remembering I’d left my conditioner in Nemi’s bathroom, I stumbled toward it and pushed the door open, coming to a halt as soon as it registered what I was looking at.
Bond. A naked Bond, to be precise. A very naked, wet, and shiny Bond, in fact.
I was so shocked by it that I didn’t even blink or cover my eyes. No, like a dirty little hooker, I stared at him, my eyes moving slowly from his head, to his body, to his feet, and back up again.
And then I stopped on his penis. Holy. Shit!
I might be a single parent, but I’d never been a slut. Before I’d conceived Nemi, I’d been with a grand total of two men in my life, both of whom I’d been in long relationships with. Sure, Nemi’s dad hadn’t been someone I’d seen forming a lifelong commitment to ever, but it’d been exclusive, and we’d been dating at the time, too. It wasn’t either of our faults that the condom had split.
Out of the three, not one had even come close to Bond’s penis. I’m sure I’d remember if they had. It was long and thick, and the longer I stared, the thicker it became.
That’s when I realized what was happening and snapped out of my penis fog.
“Shit, fuck,” I squealed, jumping and turning my back to him. “I’m so sorry. I came in to get the conditioner and, well, penis.”
I was a loser. I was a dirty hooker and a loser who’d just said ‘penis’ to the poor man I’d been ogling and objectifying.