Page 60 of Never Yours

What the fuck am I going to make for dinner?

I check the cabinets and find a pack of hamburger buns, so grilling it is. Taking out various spices and an egg, I prep patties for cheeseburgers when Ingrid gets home. As I’m putting them in the fridge, far away from Smitten, Darcy wakes from her nap over half an hour early. I get her changed—this time remembering the changing pad—but it’s the reminder I needed that I forgot to start the laundry when we got home.

It's about time for Darcy to have a bottle, so I warm one from the fridge. The cap with the nipple isn’t fitting properly, so I force it on, only for the entire bottle to spill on the counter. Bracing my hands on the edge of the counter, I hang my head in defeat and take a deep breath, then clean up the mess and prep another bottle.

Needing to get out of the cursed condo, once Darcy is done with her bottle, I take her and Smitten to the beach for a walk on the pier. When we reach the end, we look out onto the water and have a quick snack. Smitten tries to steal a fish a man caught, and thankfully, he is understanding. A little too understanding. While, yes, I have my hands full, I doubt Ingrid experiences this kind of grace regularly.

We take our time getting back to the condo, and I spot Ingrid’s car parked out front. To say I’m relieved is an understatement. Once inside, I spot Ingrid on the couch pumping. She looks up and parts her lips as if she’s about to say something, but her eyes widen.

“How was your day?” I set the keys on the counter and take a seat next to her, blowing out a long breath.

“Great… How was your day?”

“Fu—dge. It was… How the hell do you do this every day?” I recount everything that happened, and Ingrid laughs so hard she’s crying. “I don’t see how this is funny! Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.” Even though today was a mess, the chaos kept me present, and I wouldn’t change that for anything.

“I’m sorry. You did good, Cay.” She leans in and kisses me on the cheek. “Tomorrow will be easier, I promise.”

“I’m locking all our clothes in a safe while you’re at work.”

“No need,” she chuckles. “We wrapped early. They did the last scene this afternoon, and Amanda said she’ll video call me if she needs anything.” Her breast pump stops, and she replaces her pads into her bra, setting the pumped milk on the coffee table. Darcy reaches for her, so I quickly take the bottles and carefully cap them before placing them in the fridge. As I sit back down on the couch, she asks, “I was thinking… What do you think about moving back to Sapphire Lake?”

ingrid

. . .

Two Months Later

Sitting on our back porch, Darcy is snuggled against me as I rock her in the swing Pop installed last year. It feels like yesterday that I ran from New York to spend time with my best friend and her family, but with everything that’s happened, it also feels like decades.

The cool air coming off the lake makes the warm August weather bearable as I watch Smitten chase after a honeybee she’ll never catch. She’s such a good pup with Darcy, always making sure she’s happy.

Darcy wakes up from her short nap and watches Smitten leaping through the backyard. Her small giggle is all it takes before Smitten comes running toward us. “Easy, girl.” She comes to a screeching halt in front of us and sits. Darcy reaches for her and grabs her ears, Smitten licking Darcy’s bare legs. “Come on, no one wants slobber, Smitts!”

“What is this?” Caleb’s voice pulls Darcy’s and my attention, and she reaches for him. He’s holding up a journal—my journal.

“Shit! I mean, shoot. That, uh… that’s nothing,” I feign ignorance, but it’s taken Caleb hours to find it, even though I set it on the bed this morning… after one last letter.

“Sure as hell doesn’t look like nothing.” He cocks an eyebrow, and I do my best to smother a smile.

Stuffing a hand in his pocket, my eyes fall to his gray sweatpants. “Cay,” I warn.

“Yes, princess?”

“What are those?”

“Don’t change the subject,” he chuckles.

Not only is there the outline of his perfect cock, but a distinct bulge that’s conveniently the size of a jewelry box. He doesn’t think I notice, but he’s had it on him for months. “Tell you what, why don’t we go on the boat, and you can read the journal on the way to the dock.”

“This isn’t a journal, they are letters… to me.”

“So, you were snooping?” I tease.

“Obviously.”

We glare at each other in a small standoff. “Did you just ruin my grand gesture moment?”

“Maybe…”

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