What could I say to that? Obviously not no.
“Go away.” Charlie gives Nick a rough shove. “It’s my turn to play with Cassidy. Stop hogging her.”
“Fine, but only because I’m hungry,” Nick replies. He reaches down and smooths his hand over Cass’s small head which looks even tinier under Nick’s large palm.
“Okay. Bye ‘Unca Nick.”
I cringe at my daughter’s use of Uncle but at least she’s moved on from Dada. The first is embarrassing, but the second makes me want to dig a pit in the middle of the ground and jump inside.
Nick ambles over—all smooth animal grace and scorching male beauty. He’s a menace to all women. If I was in charge, I’d have to lock him up for the safety of womankind.
“If you ever wake up and find Cassidy missing, I’ve taken her,” Nick confesses as he drops onto the blanket we laid out on the grass. Charlie’s crawling around the playset chasing a screaming Cassidy. The day at the park with Charlie and Cass turned out to be a day at the park with Charlie, Cass, and Nick.
At first, I was annoyed. Charlie’s admission that the two of them were just friends flipped a switch inside of me. I endured a very dirty dream that involved Nick going down on me and then taking me over the kitchen table. I woke up trembling and had to rub myself until I came, but my mini-orgasm was unfulfilling.
After I cleaned myself up and got Cass ready for the day, I started feeling guilty. Charlie probably wants to be with Nick but he’s off sleeping with a bunch of other girls while she pretends to not have feelings for him. When I got to the park and saw him smiling at me, I wanted to hit him for a multitude of reasons—my weak orgasm, being hot as sin, hurting Charlie. Also, being hot as sin. Or did I mention that already? My hormones need to stay in their own lane.
“You say that now, but what happens after the girl keeps you up five consecutive nights because her gums hurt and you can’t do anything about it?”
“Is that why you have circles under your eyes?”
Self-consciously, I swipe a knuckle across my cheekbone. “Thank you for pointing that out and no, I get these from the strain of serving all you Mustangs.”
He flops onto his back carelessly, his head landing only inches away from my knee. A little to the left and he would’ve ended up in my lap. His silky hair flops over one eyebrow, begging for me to brush it aside. I curl my fingers into my palms. If there was ever a boy that I shouldn’t be touching, it’s this one, and not just because I know what dogs pro players can be but because I need a friend, too. I didn’t realize it until Charlie admitted she was lonely. The longing in her voice echoed mine. I haven’t had a real friend in forever. When I had Cassidy, I lost touch with my high school friends. They were studying trig and discussing Hamlet while I was learning how to breastfeed. They were applying to colleges while I was filling out forms for food stamps. I don’t think Charlie would like it if I started crushing on her man. And Nick is her man in my book.
“I hope you’re treating Charlie right, Nick,” I say for my benefit as much as his.
“I drove her here,” he says, as if that’s such a big deal.
I slap his shoulder. “That’s not enough. Buy her flowers. Send her chocolates. Book her a spa day. Tell her you—” The words lodge in my throat, but I push them out anyway—“tell her you love her.”
“She knows I love her. We grew up together,” he says in the voice of a man who is taking his woman for granted.
Irritated, I press him. “Women need to hear those words otherwise you’re going to lose her?”
“Lose her? I couldn’t if I tried. I moved all the way down to Texas and she still followed me.” He says all of this with a slight lilt to his voice, as if Charlotte’s devotion is all a joke.
He shifts slightly and the blanket curls underneath his large frame. Is it my imagination or has he moved closer to me? I send a panicked glance toward Charlie, who merely smiles and waves as if she doesn’t care that her boyfriend’s head is nearly in my lap. I give him a little shove and move backward.
He grunts in protest. “What’s that for?”
“Your head was almost on my leg.” I jab a finger toward my knee, plus, he deserves a little knock in his head for his careless attitude toward Charlie.
“So?”
“So. Your love is watching us.” I jerk my chin toward Charlie, who is now pushing Cassidy on the swing.