Page 67 of Selfless

I look over his little shirt she has him dressed in. It’s the same color of his gray skin that makes him look like he has tattoos. The one on his chest says I love my momma. And one on his back that says this pussy won’t bite. “You dress him every day?” I ask.

“Yes. I order him shirts and sweaters online.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want him to be cold,” she says like I should have known that.

“It’s summertime in New York.”

“But he still gets cold,” she argues as if the alien speaks to her.

I turn onto my side, and the cat takes off meowing at me. I look at her and smile. “What?” she asks as she eyes me skeptically.

“What are you doing next weekend?”

“Nothing that I know of. Why?”

“Good! We have a wedding to attend.”

She laughs. “Oh, we do? And you’re just telling me now?”

“I forgot,” I say, “until my father reminded me today.”

“Where is it?” she asks.

“The Hamptons.” She smiles. Then I drop the bomb. “My mom will be there...” Her smile falls. “And Vicki.”

“I’m not going,” she states, shaking her head.

“Yes, you are!” She goes to argue when I add, “You’re going, and that’s that.”

“When did you become so bossy?”

I lean and kiss her lips. “Since I got a girlfriend who wants to argue about everything.”

I place my hand on her chest and pull it away when I feel crumbs on her skin. “What is on you?”She looks down at it and touches it. “I think it’s the cinnamon from the Cinnamon Toast Crunch,” she says with a laugh.

I lean in and run my tongue along her chest bone. “Hmmm. Cinnamon tits,” I say, running my tongue along her nipple. “Best idea ever.” I push her down onto the bed, and she giggles as I lick her clean.

ASHLYN

The rest of the week flew by. I was busy at work going on like I wasn’t about to lose it. But Thomas and I couldn’t hide the fact we knew the end was coming fast. We both made call after call, trying to get interviews anywhere, but we couldn’t find anyone who was hiring. I had a few moments of panic but talked myself out of it by reminding myself that I had Ryder, the man I love, and that I was in New York. How bad can it be? I wouldn’t stop looking for a job, but I also wasn’t going to let it ruin me. And the thought of running back to Seattle was long gone. Ryder and Becca both needed me here.

Instead of worrying about my job, I’ve been trying to be the best girlfriend I can be. Which is very hard. Because in order to play the girlfriend part, the boyfriend needs to be around. He has been pretty MIA all week with work. Tuesday, he had to fly to California for the day and ended up having to stay the night. I went down to my apartment to spend the night with Becca like old times, but she was at Jaycent’s. It’s so weird how much things can change in a matter of a couple of months. And how much more they are gonna change next week when I’m jobless.

But finally, it’s the weekend, and this morning, we woke up, had sex, ate breakfast, and then did it again in the shower. I could tell Ryder was tense just from the night before. He tossed and turned all night long, and I knew it had to do with finding out about Maggie.

“Where is she?” Becca asks as tears run down her face while we all sit in Rosie’s living room.

“The nanny took her to the park. I didn’t want it to be too much for her. She will be back here soon for you to meet her,” Rosie tells her, her face also wet.

Becca nods as she sits on the couch next to her father. I sit over on the loveseat alone. Ryder and Jaycent both stand over by the fireplace. Ryder’s face is clear of emotion while Jaycent’s is beet red in anger. “You’re letting a nanny raise her?” Jaycent snaps.

“I didn’t want one.” Her eyes slide to Timothy’s for the briefest moment, and I feel like the nanny was non-negotiable. “But she does come in handy for things like this,” she adds softly.

“How could you keep this from your family for five years?” he demands, looking at his sister.

“I didn’t have a choice,” she tells him. “There are legal documents. Documents that Gwenda and I signed. If I said anything, I could lose her.”

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