The First Taste (Slip of the Tongue 2)

“I’m sorry that’s how it looks to you, but it’s not the case. I love Andrew. And even though I don’t know Bell very well yet, I’ll love her too. Because she’s a part of him.”

“Then I feel bad for you,” she says with what sounds like all the venom she can muster. “You’ll get left behind once we work this out.”

“What the hell is going on?” Andrew shouts from behind me as he runs over to us. He gets between us, blocking Shana from my view. “What are you doing here?”

“Andrew, babe,” she pleads.

“Nathan said you just pushed Amelia. What the fuck’s wrong with you?”

I put a hand on Andrew’s back. “It’s okay.”

He whips his head around, his jaw set. “It—is—not—okay.”

“I can handle her,” I say calmly.

He turns back to Shana. “Leave. Now. I told you already—stay away from Bell. Especially when I’m not around.”

“You don’t understand,” she murmurs so softly, I almost can’t hear. “She—Amelia—said vile things to me. That I wasn’t Bell’s mom anymore because she is now.” Her voice cracks, and anger rises up my chest at the outrageous accusation. “She said I should rot in hell for leaving my child.”

“She didn’t say that,” he says, “and you need to leave.”

“Can’t we go somewhere and talk alone?” she asks. “Just for a minute?”

“Un-uh. First, it’s my baby’s birthday. I’m not going to miss any more than I have standing here with you. Second, whatever you want to say, you can say in front of Amelia.” Andrew takes my hand, lacing our fingers together. “Don’t make me escort you out, Shana. People already have strong feelings about you in this town, and making a scene isn’t helping.”

She frowns, sliding her thumbnail between her front teeth as she looks behind him at the other guests. They’ve fallen quiet. I pray someone has taken Bell in the house, but I won’t dare turn my back on Shana again. “I’m not going away, Andrew.”

“Fine. If what you want is to get to know Bell, I’m not saying no. I’m saying it’ll take a lot of time and work before we even get to that part, especially when you pull stunts like this.”

She scowls, but I think inside, she must realize what Andrew’s offering is generous. I squeeze his hand for reassurance, and he glances at me. It can’t be easy to welcome her back into his life, no matter how hard he plans to make it on her.

“We’re done here,” he says. “Go out the back gate, Shana. When you’re ready to be an adult about this, call me. Don’t just show up.”

He pulls me away, leading me over to a table where Bell’s surrounded by colorfully wrapped presents.

“I was waiting for you,” she says, her lips tinted pink from frosting.

“Oh, yeah?” Andrew asks. “Then why are half of these unwrapped?”

“I left so many,” she cries defensively, pointing around the table.

Andrew laughs and leans down to kiss her on the back of her hair. He lingers there a moment, closing his eyes. Our hands are still interlaced, and I drag my thumb over his knuckles. “I’m sorry, baby,” he says to her. “Go ahead and open the rest.”

As she tears into another one, Sadie comes over. “I asked Bell what that lady said to her. She said she just wished her a happy birthday and was asking about presents.”

Andrew straightens up. “Good. I wouldn’t put it past Shana to walk right up to her and blurt out the truth.”

I shiver at the thought of Bell finding out about her mother that way, and Andrew lets go of my hand to put his arm around me. “Don’t worry,” he says to me. “We won’t let it happen.”

Bell opens her next present and squeals, “Look, Dad. Randy got me a pink inflatable pool for the backyard.”

“Great,” he says. “Randy can set it up, too.”

“What’d Shana want?” Sadie asks.

Andrew watches Bell. “What do you think?”

“She can’t just waltz back into your lives.” Sadie thins her lips. “Not just all of a sudden. Bell’s not ready.”

“Bell’s her daughter,” I say. They both look at me, but if I’m going to be part of this family, I have to be able to say what I think. “Yes, Shana’s in the wrong. But like she said, she’s not going away. Maybe she takes off again, but she’ll be back. Won’t she?”

Andrew sighs. “Definitely.”

“And Bell deserves to know about her mom,” I add, “even if it’s not an ideal situation.”

“We’ve already started discussing it,” Andrew says. “I know she has more questions.”

“Shana will have to prove herself,” I continue. “Could be years, but that’s up to her. When it happens, Bell will know she has all of our support. If Shana hurts her again, we’ll be there to make it better.”

Sadie sulks. “You guys are making it too easy on her. I didn’t even get a chance to bitch her out.”

Andrew slowly shakes his head. “If Shana sticks around, she’ll give you plenty of opportunities for that.”

“But I’m pregnant now,” Sadie points out. “I won’t have an excuse to overreact after the baby comes.”

Andrew smiles. “I appreciate the sentiment. But I’m done talking about Shana for the day.” He leans over and scoops a chunk of icing with his finger, popping it in his mouth.

“Andrew,” Sadie and I scold at the same time.

Bell looks up at us from a pile of shredded wrapping, empty cake plates, and toys. “Is that it?”

Andrew raises his eyebrows. “It is if you don’t show a little more gratitude.”

She frowns and turns back to the table. “Thank you for the presents,” she says to the kids around her, half of whom aren’t paying attention. “I love them.” Sheepishly, she returns her eyes to Andrew, imploring him.

“I think there might be one more,” he says. “Yo! Pico.”

Bell puts her hands in her lap, squirming on the bench. “I know what it is,” she says. “I just know it.”

Pico comes through the back gate wheeling a tricked-out pink metallic bike with tassels hanging from the handles and a white, woven basket on the front.

Bell gasps and maneuvers out from the picnic table to run over to Pico. “A bicycle.”

&n

bsp; Andrew and I walk over hand in hand. “This is a big-girl bike, Bell,” Andrew says. “It doesn’t have training wheels. We’ll have to teach you how to ride it.”

She bounces up and down, and then latches onto his leg. “Thank you, Daddy. It’s exactly how I wanted.”

“I know. It’s a custom bike.”

Her eyes light up. “Like yours.”

“Exactly.” He laughs. “Thank Randy and Pico too. They helped build it.”

“Thank you,” she says to them, then reaches up to Andrew.

He removes his arm from around my shoulder to pick her up. “You’re getting too big for this,” he says.

“No.” She frowns. “Not yet.”

“No. Not yet,” he agrees. “Give me an Eskimo kiss.”

She brushes her nose against his without the slightest concern that all her classmates are watching. She looks at me. “Do you know how to do it, Mila?”

My chest tightens. I’d given my own dad Eskimo kisses as a little girl. A surge of emotion makes my throat thick, so I just shake my head and pretend I don’t.

“I’ll teach you.” She leans over as Andrew supports her. “Come here.”

I meet her nose with mine. Her big blue eyes are open, trusting, and innocent, and I know in that moment—I’ll do whatever it takes to keep them that way. “Like this?” I ask.

“Yep. Just brush your nose against mine.”

I do as she says, and she giggles. “Your nose is a lot smaller than my dad’s.”

“Hey,” Andrew says, knitting his brows. “My nose is a normal size.”

“Okay, let me down,” she says, suddenly impatient. “I want to sit on the bike.”

Andrew puts her down and Pico holds the bike steady as she climbs on. Andrew throws his arm back around my neck and turns me into him. “You’re amazing.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You did everything. And I’ve repaid you with a string of bad dates, ending with my ex physically assaulting you.”

I smile a little. “Yet I’m still here. That says something.”

“It does. I’d go on a hundred bad dates if I knew they’d lead to you.”

I flush at the sincere, if slightly left-field, compliment.

He leans in to kiss me, but I pull back. “You’ve got frosting on your face.”