Page 67 of Never Let You Go

“I’m not jealous,” Isaac says. “Just saying, Alexandra comes in—”

“Why d’you say her name like that?” I cut in.

“He’s totally jealous,” Justin says to me. “Teacher has a new pet.”

“Jesus H. Christ.”

“So. You’re doing it?” Justin asks me, ignoring Isaac.

“Doing what,” I ask Justin.

“The competition.”

I pull a long draw on my beer. Since Alexandra talked to me about it this morning, it’s been nagging me. She’s right. I’m at risk of losing the passion, of being only focused on my day-to-day. I need a challenge. A risk. Even if there’s no real consequence and it’s all for show.

I also want to prove to her I’m the best.

“I’ll do it,” I say, and the minute I do, I realize I have to win. I will win.

For her.

“Yessss!” Isaac punches the air and high-fives Justin. “Mission accomplished.” Then he stacks his cutlery and napkin on his empty plate and stands. “I gotta go.”

“Take some pie home,” I tell him, smirking.

“You gonna tell her?” is his answer.

My eyes flick her way. “Enough with the high school shit, Isaac. Time to get your ass home now.” We both stand, I give him a quick bro hug and a big slap on the back. “You need anything, you lemme know, yeah?”

“Yeah,” he sighs. We both hope his father won’t give him too much shit for being out tonight. “You gotta tell ’em. All of ’em,” he says, his hand motioning to the room.

Justin stands. “I’ll do it,” he says.

Once the applause, the cheers, the backslapping, and the hooting die down, I search for Alexandra’s face in the crowd.

She and her friends seem to have barely registered what happened in the rest of the room. They’re hunched together. There’s something in their world that’s way more interesting than me entering a fucking baking competition, and that’s fine by me.

Last thing I need is Alexandra clued into the fact that she made me do that.

Still, I make my way toward Alexandra’s table. My excuse is, Skye is sitting on her lap. I gotta check on her.

It didn’t escape me, all evening, how comfortable she is with Alexandra. My daughter feels at home around the woman I want, and all alarm bells go off. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Fuck if I know.

Then I remember what Skye told me on Alexandra’s first evening with us—that Alexandra didn’t want to marry me. That can only mean one thing. That Skye doesn’t see Alexandra as a threat.

I need to keep it that way.

I also need some adult fun, like Grace says.

I also know that drunk Alexandra wants me to kiss her. Sober Alexandra can’t be that far out.

Sober me also knows once I kiss her, I’ll want more. And I’m ready to bet she’ll want more too.

But for now, I need to know what’s so interesting on Alexandra’s phone. And Skye has given me the perfect excuse to creep up to her, smell her, maybe even feel her hair.

Fuck man, get a grip. Your daughter has a sixth sense about you and women.

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