“I can’t let something like this happen again. I’ve given her several chances before, and it goes well for a few weeks, a couple months, then the effort becomes too much. She doesn’t pay attention to what or how well Emmy eats. She skips baths to get her to go to sleep because she let her stay up too late. Then Emmy is cranky and Steph is short-tempered and they end up arguing about stupid stuff. I want better for Emmy, but those things aren’t reasons that a court would take Emmy from her.” He raked his fingers over his head. “We keep ending up in this bad place, where I’m acting like the parent to both of them. I thought the move would be good for Steph. A fresh start. She could create a whole new life here. But she’s making all the wrong choices.”
“Do you believe she can make a significant change for Emmy’s sake?”
No, he answered easily. “I’m so tired of doing this.” He let his head fall back, then sucked in a breath and looked at Trinity again. “I’ll talk to my lawyer, ask him how I move forward with getting full custody. Her inexcusable actions tonight actually help me.” And if he could settle this without getting Department of Public Health and Human Services involved, all the better for Emmy.
“I don’t want to push you to do something you’re not ready to do. I’m just playing devil’s advocate for you so maybe you see things in a new perspective.”
“Oh, I’m looking at them from Emmy’s point of view. She told me during her bath that she was really scared when the can in the microwave started sparking. She didn’t know what to do. Luckily, I had her mom put a speed dial for me with my picture on her phone. All Emmy had to do was tap it to get me.”
“You were just a phone call away. I’m sure that made her feel better.”
“She shouldn’t have been left alone in the first place. She’s four.” It still made his heart ache and the anger flare to think of her all alone and scared. What if she hadn’t had the phone and Steph hadn’t come home for hours?
Trinity held his arm. “Let’s go read her books and set this aside for tonight.”
They walked down the hall and stood in Emmy’s doorway. She’d fallen asleep with the books spread out beside her and her favorite stuffed bunny under her arm.
“She had one hell of a day.” Jon went to the side of the bed, kissed Emmy on the forehead, picked up the books and set them on the bookshelf, then returned to Trinity at the door.
She gave him another soft, sweet smile. “You had a hard day, too.”
He locked eyes with her and closed the distance between them. “Ending my day with you . . .” He didn’t have words to express how much it meant to have her here, supporting him, that the drama and chaos in his life hadn’t driven her away. “I really appreciate how you make everything better.”
She placed her warm hand on his cheek.
He leaned into her sweet touch and savored the feel of her skin against his.
“I’m sorry Steph put you and Emmy through that tonight. You both deserve better.”
“Amazing is standing right in front of me.” He slipped his hand into her hair and drew her in for a soft kiss that had her body melting against his, warming him up from the inside out. He touched his forehead to hers and stared into her smoldering eyes. “I’m really glad you’re here.”
She kissed him again with the same sultry slowness.
The connection between them felt like a tangible thing, growing and strengthening with each passing day and every moment shared.
Reluctantly, he ended the kiss, took her hand, and drew her down the hall to the kitchen. She’d made dinner and he couldn’t wait to share it with her and a little more time alone together. He wanted to look at her beautiful face across the table, feel her presence surround him, and wallow in the peace she always brought with her.
She took her seat at the table. He pulled the two plates of nachos out of the oven. They were warm, the food a little on the dry side but still edible when he set the plates on the table. He pulled the sour cream and two beers from the fridge, grabbed a spoon, and joined Trinity at the table. He sat next to her and she immediately reached out and squeezed his thigh, then spooned sour cream onto her nachos like they did this all the time.
He cracked open her beer, then his. He held his up. She did the same.
“To you. Beautiful inside and out.”
Her soft cheeks pinkened and she tapped her bottle to his. “Thank you, Jon.”
He loved that she took the compliment and let the happy feeling it gave her shine in her eyes and smile.
They both sipped the cold beer and settled into the quiet kitchen and good meal.
She picked up a meaty, cheesy chip and stuffed it into her mouth, leaving a dollop of sour cream on her lip.
He brushed his thumb over it, then sucked it off, and smiled at her. “Mmm.”
“Eat yours.”
“I like watching you.”
She gave him a sexy smile and stuffed the next chip she picked up into his mouth. He chewed and smiled at her, feeling the weight of the day disappear.
“I’m sorry another date didn’t go as planned.”
She locked eyes with him. “I don’t know. This is pretty good.”
“Only because of you.” He let his gaze travel down and up her. Every part of him turned hot and desperate for her. “You wore another killer dress.”
“I wanted to see you look at me just like that again.”
He’d barely touched his food because all he wanted to do was soak her up.
She abandoned hers and turned to him. “It’s a long drive back to town.”
Disappointment hit him hard and fast.
“Maybe I should stay here tonight.”
Surprise and excitement rushed through him, making his eyes go wide. “Are you sure?” He hoped he wasn’t dreaming.
She leaned in until their lips were inches apart. “If you want me t—”
He cut her off with a searing kiss to let her know just how much he wanted her in his bed. “Make my night. Stay.”
She stood and he followed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body to his. In her high heels, their bodies perfectly aligned. “Sounds like you’re going to make my night.”
He swept his hands up her sides and around her back. She kissed him with a demand and urgency that told him she wanted this as much as he did. He backed her out of the kitchen and down the hall, still kissing her, needing to get her into his room and his bed. Now.
Just to be safe, and so they’d have no distractions, he let her loose, closed his bedroom door, and flipped the lock. In the dark, he could barely see her face, but he caught the raised eyebrow.
“Emmy sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night and sneaks into bed with me.”
Trinity hooked her hand at his neck and drew him close again. “That’s sweet.”
Yeah, he loved it. But . . . “Tonight I want to be alone with you.”
“Nice.”
“You might not think that of me if you knew what I was thinking about doing to you right now.”
She gave him a sexy, seductive smile. “Should I pick a safe word?”
He pressed his hand to her beautiful face and brushed his thumb across her soft cheek. “I take instruction very well. Yes. More. Don’t stop.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you don’t ever want to say no.”