“I’m free this weekend.”
“Alright!”
“We’ll have to get your momma’s approval though. Okay, sport?”
“Okay.”
“Now, get some rest. You have school in the morning.”
“Awe, man.”
I laugh, standing up because I’d been sitting on the bed. I pull his covers up and ruffle his hair. “Get some rest, buddy.”
“I will.”
I turn off the bedside light and start to walk out. I can see Meadow standing in the hall, but she’s avoiding my eyes.
Shit. That’s not a good sign.
“Hey, Blue?”
“Yeah, Adam?”
“Mom really likes chocolate peanut butter cups. Maybe you could bring her candy and tell her you love her. Girls like gifts.”
I smile. He’s giving me help to win his mother over. At least I have his approval. “We’ll pick some up for her when we go fishing,” I tell him. “Now, go to sleep.”
He laughs but rolls over and snuggles into his pillow. I make it to his door, pulling it together gently. Meadow is already gone. I start walking to the living room, wondering just how upset with me she is.
She’s sitting on the couch when I get there. One lone light is on on the table beside her—the rest of the room dark. Her eyes are looking downward, and she doesn’t move even when I know she’s aware I’m standing in front of her.
“You heard me talking to Adam,” I mutter, rubbing the back of my neck.
“Yeah, I did.”
“Listen, Doe. I know I might have overstepped. I couldn’t shut down the conversation. You can be pissed.”
“Thanks for your permission,” she snaps. And I bite my tongue.
“Maybe you even have a right. There’s no way I could hurt Adam, though. He deserves better than that. I had to be upfront with him.”
“You told him that you loved me,” she answers, still refusing to look at me.
“For fuck’s sake, woman. That can’t be a surprise.”
“It kind of is,” she says, her voice really quiet.
“I love you, Doe. I’ve always loved you. I was just a young, stupid idiot.”
“You told Adam that you loved him. Promised to be there for him no matter what happens with us.”
“I know.”
“Did you mean it?”
“Of course, I did. He’s a great kid, Doe. There’s no way I would hurt him.” She goes silent again, and I let out a breath of aggravation. I suck at things like this. I don’t know what to do here. “Damn it, baby. Don’t be mad. I don’t want us to waste our time over this. I promise in the future to make sure to run anything concerning Adam by you. I just couldn’t tonight. He needed me to let him know he was safe here. I couldn’t turn that—”
“Shut up, Blue,” she says shocking me. She gets up, finally looking at me—tears in her eyes. “Shut up.”
“Doe…”
“Shut up,” she says again, closing the distance between us. She’s in my arms quickly and then her lips are on mine, giving me the taste of her tears, the saltiness mixing with the sweetness of her mouth, and I take it, deepening the kiss of the only woman I’ve never wanted in my whole life.
Chapter 36
Blue
I pick her up and carry her into my room. “Blue, you’re going to hurt yourself,” she whispers while nuzzling my neck. She presses her lips against my pulse, her sweet tongue teasing across my skin.
“Yeah, right. You’re as light as a feather, baby,” I respond. I stand beside the bed and pull back just enough to look down at her beautiful eyes. “Are you sure this is what you want, Doe?”
“I’m positive.”
It’s just two words, but none have ever been sweeter. I let her slide to the floor, and when she’s standing, I look into her eyes. She’s nervous. I move my hand under the heavy fall of her hair and cup the side of her neck.
“I don’t want you scared, sweetheart.”
“I’m not scared, not really,” she answers. “It’s just the last time we were together…”
“Was fucking amazing,” I interrupt with a grin.
“It was different, too. There was so much anger between us.”
“I’m not angry now.”
“That’s my point, Moonie.”
I slide my hands down over her arms, not stopping until each are resting on her hips. “How about this time I give you some control?”
“What does that mean?” she asks, her forehead crinkling in confusion.
“Undress for me.”
She laughs. “That’s giving me control?”
“Well, if I take control, I’m going to rip your clothes off you and bend you over the bed. Think of it like I’m trying to be romantic here.”
I pull my shirt over my head, throwing it to the ground. I dare her to do the same—without words. She knows what I want. It’s there in the smile that’s playing on her lips and the heated look in her eyes.
She takes her shirt off, but I shake my head. “It doesn’t count if you don’t take the bra off, baby.”