Page 25 of Daddy By Design

Shocked, I patted her back. My arms throbbed with the contact. We were friendly, but we weren’t exactly cry on each other’s shoulders close. And definitely not hugging close. “What happened?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t stop crying.” She glanced down at my arms and gasped, stepping back. “Oh my gosh, what happened?” She dabbed her eyes with the back of her hand. The damage was definitely already done makeup-wise. Though I was pretty sure her raccoon eyes had started before she got to me.

“Had a little on-site accident with one of my properties. Long story.”

She laughed a little. “You aren’t having any luck with property damage.”

“Don’t remind me. I was just going to see Deb, actually.”

Amberly sniffled. “Davis is working on my bedroom and kitchen. The water just got everywhere.”

I sighed. “Great.”

“What happened?” She glanced at my arms, then she winced. “I mean, in your apartment.”

I wasn’t sure how much to fess up to, but in for a penny at this point. “I have a cat.”

“Ohhh.” She rubbed her nose and a little smile filtered through. “I bet its cute.”

I pulled out my phone and flashed my lock screen with Gizmo at his ultimate tuxedo cuteness.

“Aww.”

“Yeah.” I looked down at his fluffy sweet face, then I dropped my phone back into my purse. “Unfortunately, he’s addicted to running water. No matter what I do to try and cat-proof the handles of the faucets, he finds a way.”

“That’s not good.” She sniffed again and swallowed back a sob. “I have noticed our sinks have been slower to drain. I just thought it was me.”

“Right? Maybe it’s a bigger problem. Davis will be thrilled.”

She laughed. “How could you tell if he was anything other than pissy? He’s always grumpy.”

“We keep him hopping, I guess.” I rubbed her arm lightly. “But I don’t think these tears are for some ruined sheets.”

Her eyes filled again. “No. I thought Bobby was going to propose last night. He kept telling me he had a surprise for me for our anniversary. We’ve been together for four years. What else was I supposed to expect?”

Four years and they didn’t even live together? That seemed a little strange to me. Then again, I’d just vandalized a truck after a shitty two weeks of dating. Who was I to judge anything at this point?

“I’d say you were at the next step stage.”

“Beyond.” She tipped back her head. “I’m tired of crying. I’ve been crying since last night and all day today. I can’t seem to stop.”

“Because he didn’t ask you to marry him?”

“I kinda freaked out. His surprise was a sex toy. What kind of surprise is that after four years?” She gave a harsh laugh. “Then again, I might enjoy things a little more if I let him use the toy.”

My eyebrows shot up. Well, that was definitely a surprise present.

“I’m just being a bitch now. Bobby is a sweet guy—at least he is most of the time. Maybe too sweet, you know? He didn’t have a lot of confidence with the whole bedroom thing, but we did okay. Mostly.”

I pressed my lips together. Okay wasn’t how a woman should react about sex, but I knew what she meant. Sometimes it wasn’t the most important part. The companionship stayed when the sex faded.

Who was I kidding? I needed the hot sex for a complete relationship. Period.

“Anyway, I didn’t react very well to the toy. And I asked when we were going to do the ring thing, you know? I don’t want to wait forever, and he said he wasn’t ready.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah, exactly. How much more ready do you have to be after four years?” She cupped her boobs. “I’m wasting prime hot body time on that idiot?”