Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“Well, that’s good at least—for him.”
He winked. “Wouldn’t want to set a bad example for my son.”
“More!” Christian cried as he pointed to request another slice.
“You got it, buddy.” Atticus reached for another piece of pizza, repeating the process of soaking up the grease with a napkin.
I smiled. “Is the pizza good, Christian?”
He nodded happily.
“Good.”
Atticus again kissed the top of his head. “Thank you for having us.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
His eyes lingered on mine, and I sensed a hunger in them. Good thing Christian was here as a buffer. I’d missed Atticus so much and wouldn’t mind a repeat of California one bit.
“You look so beautiful,” he said. “I missed you tremendously.”
“I missed you, too.”
After Christian finished eating, we brought him into the living room and put on a kid’s show Atticus was able to find with my basic cable. Christian chose a spot on the floor as his gaze locked on the television.
“Giselle limits his TV watching, so whenever he comes to my place, he’s glued to the screen like this. He’ll be good here in this spot for a while.” I felt Atticus’s hand on my waist. “Come here for a minute. I want to ask you something.”
Atticus led me around the couch, which blocked Christian’s view from the floor. Before I could blink, Atticus pulled me in for a kiss. I whimpered at the shock, gradually melting into his arms. He groaned into my mouth, causing a rush of desire to travel from my head to my toes.
“Fuck. I’ve been dying to do that since the moment I walked in the door,” he muttered, kissing me harder.
He pulled back, glanced over the couch, and wrapped his hands around my face as he returned his mouth to mine.
Feeling a bit too turned on, considering the circumstances, I stepped away. “We’d better stop before he sees us.”
“Him seeing me kiss the woman I love wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.” Atticus rubbed his thumb along my cheek. “I want him to get to know you as the most important woman in my life. But it’s not gonna happen overnight.” He exhaled. “Listen, I need to clarify something in case it’s not completely clear…”
I swallowed. “Okay.”
“Delirious Jones goes on tour soon, and I’m afraid that’s gonna create a huge divide between you and me again. But I need you to know that the days of me being stupid and messing around on tours are over. That was only ever a vain attempt to get over you. Now that you’re back in my life, I don’t ever want to be with anyone else, and I’m not going to be.” He looked into my eyes. “I need you to believe me. I know we’re taking things slow, but I want you to understand me when I say I have no plans to undo any of the progress we’ve made.” He looked at me a moment, but I said nothing. “What are you thinking right now?” he asked.
I sighed. “If it were easy for us to pick up where we left off before everything happened, that would be too good to be true. I do think we need to take some time before we jump back into anything. While you’re away, I need to continue working on my own stuff.” I looked over the couch at Christian. “Meeting this beautiful boy was only part of the process. Just like you’ve been seeking therapy, I need to do the same. I’ve talked about it, but never actually went. I owe it to you to work out any lingering fears because I would never want to become a part of his life only to disappear.”
Atticus nodded, seeming relieved at my answer. “I think that’s a good idea. I’m convinced everyone should be in therapy.”
“Well, especially people as fucked up as us.” I winked.
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “Hey, how’s Mimi? I’ve spoken to her on the phone, but obviously that’s different than being there.”
“She’s okay. Her health and mobility aren’t getting any better, but things are stable. She really likes Fiona, so that’s been a blessing.”
He shook his head. “When I left Monksville, I promised myself I would visit her the next time I came to New York. But this trip, I’m on borrowed time, so getting out to New Jersey before I have to head back to L.A. would be impossible.”
“Next time.” I smiled. “She doesn’t know you’re here. And it’s more important that you spend time with Christian. Anyway, Mimi’s showed me the videos you’ve been sending to Fiona’s phone for her. She loves getting to see your face every week.”
“Well, I regret those years of no contact with her so much. An occasional phone call and those videos are the least I can do.”
Christian suddenly appeared at our side. He handed Atticus a piece of candy. “Open, please.”