Which only makes Jameson laugh harder.
There’s an amused glint in his eye when he walks over to us. “What are you two up to?”
Not wanting to disappoint Jameson, I stay in my robot character…which irks Preston.
Jameson loses it completely, though. Laughing so hard he clutches his belly.
After catching his breath, he pokes me again while looking at Preston, showing him it’s what you have to do to get me to move.
Preston plays along, jabbing me in the stomach. I move my arms bit by bit until I’m covering one of my eyes with my hand and the other is on Preston’s nose.
Preston tries not to crack a smile but fails miserably.
Getting a kick out of Preston’s reaction, Jameson decides to join in on the fun. Now Preston has two freezing robots to deal with.
“Oh, no. Not you, too.”
He pokes Jameson, but Jameson’s gaze locks with mine in solidarity.
We’ve got this.
Only we don’t, because Preston grumbles, “That’s it.” Before he proceeds to tickle Jameson.
My partner in crime folds like a cheap lawn chair, laughing so hard I’m afraid he’s going to have an asthma attack.
Preston must be thinking the same thing, because he stops and focuses on me.
I brace myself for the tickling…but it doesn’t come.
Instead, those lips curve into a sly smirk. “I know exactly how to get you to surrender.”
Cupping his hand around the back of my neck, he brings his mouth to mine. I try to resist, but the second he nibbles my bottom lip and traces it with the tip of his tongue…I’m a goner.
Damn him.
“Victory tastes good,” he murmurs against my lips before edging away.
I’m about to demand a rematch, but he glances at his watch. “Shit. We gotta go.” His gaze cuts to mine. “Becca wants me to have him back early so she can take him out to dinner tonight. Evidently, she wants him to meet her boyfriend.”
Otherwise known as her latest victim.
I keep that comment to myself, because Jameson’s here.
“Can I borrow your car?”
“Of course. Keys are on the table in the foyer.”
“Thanks.” There’s a sharp tug in my heart when Preston takes Jameson off the island and sets him down. “Come on, bud. Time to go home.”
I don’t want them to leave.
Preston swipes his backpack off the counter. “Say goodbye to Kit.”
I kneel so I’m eye level with him. “I had a lot of fun.”
Wish we could do it again.
The tug in my heart becomes a full-blown ache when he reaches over and touches a strand of my hair. “Pink.”
Preston rocks back on his heels.
“It’s my favorite color,” I explain.
Smiling, he turns his attention to Preston and they head out.
I follow them to the front door, my heart sinking a little more with every step they take.
Preston grabs Jameson’s car seat off the foyer floor. “I’ll be home in a little while.” Leaning down, he kisses my forehead. “Hopefully.”
“Bye, Jameson,” I whisper when the door opens.
Jameson gives me a little wave. “Bye, Pinky.”
Everything hurts as I watch them walk down the driveway hand in hand.
Don’t leave.
Chapter 49
Kit
“So how was it?” Breslin questions from her side of the couch.
We’re currently lying on opposite ends of it with heating pads on our stomachs because mother nature is a twat and periods are the devil.
“It was great. I was nervous it would be weird, but we ended up eating sandwiches on the kitchen island and playing the frozen robot game me and my dad used to play.”
Breslin gives my leg a small squeeze.
“When’s the next time you see him?” Juan questions from the floor, where he too has a heating pad on his tummy.
My stomach twists and it has nothing to do with cramps. “Never.”
It’s been a little over a week since I met Jameson, and just like I thought, Preston doesn’t want there to be an encore.
Jameson hasn’t said my name in front of Becca, but according to my husband, the more he sees me…the greater the likelihood.
Breslin and Juan exchange a sad glance.
“Why?”
“Preston thinks it’s tempting fate.”
Juan pops up. “Tempting fate how?”
“Because Becca, the giant thundercunt has forbidden Preston to have any contact with Kit. If he does, she’ll revoke his visits with Jameson,” Breslin explains.
Juan’s mouth falls open. “That’s…she can’t do that. I mean, you’re married and he’s—”
“Not his father,” I remind him. “Therefore, he has no rights.”
Which is completely erroneous because Preston really does take care of Jameson more than his own mother does.
Heck, she couldn’t even make time to take her son out to dinner like she wanted. Preston didn’t come home until after two that night because that’s when Becca walked in the door.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Preston said Jameson was really upset about it because he was looking forward to spending time with his mom.
He ended up taking him out to dinner to try and cheer him up.
I absolutely hate that Jameson is experiencing what every other person in Becca’s life has experienced.
Becca hurting adults is one thing. But hurting a child?
“That’s so fucked up,” Juan says, taking the thought right out of my head.
“Beyond fucked up,” Breslin mutters.
Juan lays back down. “At the risk of sounding dense, why don’t you guys tell Jameson not to say anything about the visits between you two? You said he doesn’t talk much anyway.” He inspects his nails. “Given Becca’s a shitty mom, it’s all the more reason he should be surrounded by people who care about him.”
Yeah, I tried that approach with Preston. It didn’t go well.
After he barked my head off that a child should never be forced to keep a secret for an adult, and he was disgusted that I would ever suggest such a thing…he stormed off and slept in his old room.
The next morning—after he was calmer—I explained that I honestly didn’t think of it that way and assured him I’d never do anything to cause Jameson distress. I was just desperate to figure out how I could be in Jameson’s life and make sure Preston’s visits weren’t taken away.
But alas, there isn’t a solution.
This situation freaking blows.
“It’s not right to ask Jameson to keep secrets.”
“Yeah, that’s a good point,” Juan says before he sighs. “Man, this sucks.”
“Tell me about it—”
I bring my finger to my lips when I hear the front door open. I’m not keeping anything from Preston, but it’s been a little tense since our blow out the other night and I really don’t want to have another fight.
On the bright side, he must feel somewhat bad for laying into me because when I asked him to go to the store, he didn’t protest.
Looking positively exasperated, he treks into the living room holding two grocery bags.