Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 137131 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137131 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
I didn’t call her like I meant to. I never even made a final decision about this outing.
And Winnie’s still upstairs.
Fuck.
At least Colt hasn’t realized she’s not in the guest room. If I can just tell Rina to come back later before Winnie comes down, this whole mess might be averted.
But when I buzz her through and open the door, she breezes past me like she owns the place.
“Pancakes,” she says as a greeting, inhaling sharply. “You always were good at those.”
“What the hell are you doing here, Rina?”
“Visiting Colt, obviously. You know I’m not here for you. Didn’t he tell you we have plans?” She sails into the kitchen and I follow, gritting my teeth and hoping Winnie doesn’t choose this instant to pop in. “I want to take the boys out to the park to fly their drones.”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“Must I run everything past you to see my own son?”
My glare could melt through solid granite.
“I’m his dad,” I remind her, folding my arms.
In this space, I’m painfully aware of the fact that Winnie was here last night, cooking with me while our elbows touched. The lightest brushes were a soft breeze, bringing the storm that came later.
The air feels different in this kitchen with Rina today. Colder.
“When it involves our son, I have a right to know.”
“And I’m his mother. Are you saying you don’t trust me to look after him?”
“I’m saying you gave up your right to just skip through his life when you walked out.” Yes, my temper is off the rails. I suck in a low, slow breath. Hard to believe we were ever anything more than two strangers bristling with suspicion. Did I ever love her?
She sighs and shakes her head.
“You should’ve called me, Rina.”
“I told Colt to run it by you. I figured he did. He says he wants to go.”
Yeah, I know because he told me. And it wouldn’t have pissed me off so much if I hadn’t forgotten about it.
Predictably, Winnie chooses this very second to waltz in.
She’s cleaned up well, decked out in a green skirt paired with a white shirt that clings to her curves. Nothing inappropriate, but still hot as fuck.
Her hair is piled in a messy bun, and she beams like the morning.
At the arched entryway, she stops, staring at Rina like she’s seeing double.
Rina stares right back.
If these were two cats crossing paths, they’d be blowing up like furry balloons, if they weren’t already ripping and biting each other.
“Oh. Crap.” Winnie rips her gaze away from Rina to look at me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude.”
Rina gives a sickly smile I don’t believe for a second.
“I’m the one who’s intruding, believe me. I didn’t realize I’d interrupt your precious time playing house, Archer.”
“It’s not like that, Rina,” I bite off.
My vision goes red.
She’s too good at pushing my buttons.
“Oh, I think I know exactly what it is. No need to hide it. You’re a grown man and you can do what you want.” Her eyes flick between us both. The worst part is, she’s not wrong. Winnie looks healthily fucked and happy. “I just didn’t know you were bringing your girlfriend around Colt, Arch.”
“Rina, enough,” I spit.
Winnie forms up beside me and throws her arm around my shoulders.
It’s so unexpected I almost jump.
A gesture of support. Possessiveness.
Back off, she says with her pose. He’s mine.
I shouldn’t like it, but I do.
That’s when I know my mind is fully gone.
“Sorry,” Winnie says, her voice saccharine. “I didn’t mean to step on any toes. I didn’t know you guys needed to discuss it first? Does Archer need your permission to date?”
The fact that she’s just casually taken on the role of my girlfriend bowls me the fuck over.
I’m speechless.
My girlfriend.
My girlfriend.
I haven’t had a girlfriend since my divorce. This is new, and I have no idea what she’s doing.
None of this should be happening right now in any sane universe, but I’m not denying it. I don’t want to deny it, which is even more ludicrous.
“Oh.” Rina blinks, and fuck, why does it feel so good to see the woman who made me so miserable lost for words? “Well. It’s not… It’s not that you guys can’t be together. Around Colt, I mean.” She pulls herself up. “But you probably want some alone time, right? I’ll go say hi to Colt.”
It’s a good save, honestly.
I might have respected her for it if she wasn’t Rina. If I didn’t hate her guts.
Winnie tilts her head as she looks at me, waiting for me to make the next move. Although she’s stepped up with this little act, this is ultimately my son. My choice.
That alone is enough to make me want to kiss her until she forgets her own name.
“Rina, wait,” I say, because the wretched woman’s right about one thing—I desperately want some alone time with Winnie. Twice last night wasn’t enough. I’m painfully obsessed, and my whole cock burns just thinking about it. “You can go—as long as Colt checks in and you bring them back before it’s too late. I’ll text you the number for Evans’ mother.”