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“Because you look like you smell like a chum bucket.
“You smell so bad that I threw up in my mouth a little as you were hugging me just now.”
“Say it, Tess. Lie to me and say you’re not aching to sit on my dick. My queen on her throne.”
“I’d love you any size or shape, Tess. Top half, bottom half, front half…even a side view would be fine. You’re gorgeous in profile.”
“Either you can go get the baby, and not get arrested because you work here, or I’ll do it and definitely get arrested,” he shouts. “I’m fine with either outcome. But someone is getting my friend his baby, Tanya. I assume we’re flipping for it?” The asshole actually reaches into his pocket and fishes out a quarter.
Curling forward, I inch her up my chest a little and kiss her downy head. As soon as my lips touch her body, I break. The guys say nothing as I fall perfectly apart, hands clutching to my daughter as I cry for her mother.
“You are Rachel Fucking Price. You walk through life boldly doing whatever the fuck you want, damn the consequences. You swirled into our lives like a destructive storm of chaos, all legs and sharp attitude. You swept us up and spun us out. You hooked us body and fucking soul.”
“But—you mean—you don’t know?” Mom blinks, glancing in confusion from me to Dad. “You don’t know who the father is?”
“I mean, we’ve narrowed it down to three suspects,” I reply with another forced laugh. But I’m really not appreciating their tone right now…or the way they’re looking at me. “My guess is Colonel Mustard in the conservatory with the candlestick.”
“Standing by my side,” Mars replies solemnly. “Showing me every day how to be the father our child deserves. A father who leads with kindness and honesty. A father who is loyal. A father willing to admit when he’s wrong and be willing to change.”
“Jake tells me to be patient, and I am being patient, Mars. I’ll keep waiting. I’ll keep pretending it’s enough because I know you’re not ready and maybe you never will be. But I’m gonna keep waiting, Mars. And maybe someday you’ll look at me the way you look at Rachel, and then I’ll know I don’t have to wait anymore. Because we could be so good together, Mars.”
Rachel is the slow beating of my heart, essential to living. Jake is the breath of fresh air in my lungs. But Caleb? He’s become my second set of ribs. He’s our protector, our center. He keeps us safe. He keeps us whole.
“Are you in love with me, Mars?” He closes his eyes and lets out a breath. “So much it hurts.”
“Is that what you need from me?” He breaks our kiss, and we press our foreheads together, breathing in sync. “Rachel gets my heart, Jake gets my calm, and you get everything else? You want to step inside my bones and wear me as a second skin? You want to possess me, body and soul?”
