Committed (Betrothed 4)

But it made me uncomfortable anyway.

I wasn’t jealous… I just didn’t like it.

Or did me not liking it mean I was jealous?

I didn’t want to be with Sofia, so I didn’t know how that could be true.

I took her call. “Yeah?”

It was obvious in the background that she was driving. “What did we talk about?”

“It’s not personal, I just—”

She hung up.

I heard the line go dead then stared at the phone incredulously.

She called again.

When I answered, she spoke immediately. “Let’s try this again.”

I was annoyed with her pissy attitude, but I didn’t antagonize her. “Hello, Sofia.”

“Ahh…much better.”

My eyebrows furrowed at her condescension, but I was also intrigued she didn’t let me push her around.

“I’m in the neighborhood, so I wanted to see if I could pick up Andrew. If you want another day with him or whatever, that’s fine. But I thought I’d ask.”

“Yeah, you can come get him.”

“Great. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“He and I—”

She hung up.

I set the phone down hard and noticed that Andrew had turned to stare at me. He held my gaze for a while before he reached for my phone.

“Yes, that was your mother. I hope you’ll be a better conversationalist than she is.”

This time, Sofia let herself inside my bedroom. Like last time, she was oblivious to my rock-hard chest and my chiseled abs. She used to melt into a puddle at the sight of my tanned skin, but now she seemed completely indifferent to it.

All she cared about was Andrew.

She walked over to him in the car seat on the bed because I’d already packed him up to go. “Oh my god, did you get cuter in three days?” She picked him up then brought him into her chest. Just as she had been a few days ago, she was dressed in a tight dress with heels, her hair a curtain of silk. Her eyes were smoky, and her lips were red as a ripe apple. She cradled him against her breast and gently bounced him from side to side. “I missed you so much, baby. I missed hearing you cry in the middle of the night. I even missed changing your diapers.” She kissed his forehead and ignored me because all she cared about was him.

When she was done getting reacquainted with him, she put him back in the car seat. “I was so afraid you were gonna forget me.” She grabbed the bag and put it over her shoulder.

“He definitely didn’t forget you.” I put my hands in my pockets as I watched my ex-wife dote on our son. “When you called a while ago, he recognized your voice.”

“You did?” She turned back to Andrew and gently tickled his stomach. “You didn’t forget your momma, huh?” She leaned down and smothered him in more kisses. When she was satisfied with his affection, she stood up to leave. “Was he good?”

“I took him to work every day, and he was great.”

Her eyes lit up in flames. “You did what?”

“The bank.” She should have assumed I wouldn’t take him to the factory or anywhere else dangerous.

“Oh, thank god.”

“Give me more credit than that.”

Her look turned cold. “I’ll give you credit when you deserve it.”

My eyes narrowed. “You’ve been hostile lately.”

“You get what you give.” She grabbed Andrew and made her way to the door.

As much as I hated myself for doing it, I glanced down to her ass.

“Let me know when you want him again.” She opened the door.

I came up behind her. “I can carry that for you.” She had two flights of stairs to manage with the car seat along with the baby, which was a burden.

“I don’t need you to carry anything for me.” With her head held high, she strutted in her heels like she was walking on air.

I watched her ass shake from side to side. Her behavior was so different from how it was the last time we spoke that it was disconcerting. I found myself confused…even a little annoyed. “Sofia.” I walked after her before she reached the landing.

She turned back around. “Yes?” She cocked her head slightly and gave me a spiteful look. “Annoying, isn’t it?”

I ignored the way she got back at me for answering the phone like that all the time. “Are you fucking Damien?”

She stepped back slightly like I’d pushed her in the chest, seeming truly surprised by the question. That either meant she was surprised Damien said anything to me, or nothing was going on at all. “I can’t believe you just asked me that.”

I stepped closer to her. “And I can’t believe you haven’t answered the question.”

She put one hand on her hip and looked at me with nothing but disgust. “You made it clear you don’t want to be with me. So how dare you stick your nose in my personal life. You told me you didn’t love me anymore. You watched me break down in sobs. Who I let inside me is none of your fucking business.” She grabbed the rail and started to descend the stairs without looking back.