Page 71 of A Temporary Forever

“Do I?” Mia looks at me with horror.

“Do you?” Caleb asks, intrigued.

“Mia is joining her hip-hop crew again,” I announce.

Mia’s eyes flick to Caleb, who smiles. “That’s wonderful. I can’t wait to watch you dance.”

And for the first time since I’ve met Mia, a wide smile stretches across her face. I bask in her happiness for a moment, but when I turn to Caleb, I freeze.

He’s glaring at me.

Chapter 20

Caleb

Celeste

I’m spending the night at the Park Avenue apartment.

Ithrow my phone across the office. It bounces off a bookshelf and lands on the wooden floor. It doesn’t break, which is a good thing, but it doesn’t alleviate my agitation.

Celeste spent Saturday with me and Mia, but left for some friend’s celebration this morning. It felt like a made-up excuse to get away from us—me. And I can’t blame her.

Though I nearly panicked at the idea of being alone with Mia, it turned out to be a good day.

Still a lot of awkwardness and missteps, butyesterday helped us to forge a path in the right direction. The annoying part is, we wouldn’t have gotten there if it weren’t for Celeste.

Watching her interact with Mia, witnessing how she stepped up and helped me with my daughter, and how easily Mia connected with her, was an eye-opener.

I freaked out after we had sex. I’ve never wanted a commitment, and I still don’t. They always turn into transactions, and I’m not interested in those.

But as I was falling asleep on Friday night, the idea ofmorewith Celeste lingered on my mind. I don’t know how to do more. I’ve never tried, and frankly, with Merged negotiations and Mia, I have enough on my plate.

This is not the time.

She seems determined to dissuade me, anyway. Like on Friday morning when she made the comment about her pussy being serviced. For half a day, I was pissed she’d been fucking someone behind my back all this time.

Only it wouldn’t have been behind my back. Half the day, I hated the asshole she was banging, and the other half, I was pissed at myself.

She doesn’t owe me anything. For all she knows, I’m hooking up with other women all the time. Only I’m not, and that cemented my foul mood for the second half of the day.

But then she surprised me with her wantonreading,and I couldn’t pretend the option wasn’t finally on the table.

I couldn’t have anticipated that she would become the first woman I’d want a second serving with. She bewitched me.

So in the morning, I created a boundary to help deal with my confusion. I couldn’t even look at her without wanting to pin her against the wall. Which would be the worst idea.

It was just sex.

As much as I keep repeating it, it doesn’t ring true. Especially in the light of the day we spent afterward. With my daughter. Like a family.

Fuck.

Only while I’m fighting my attraction, she goes to fuck someone else.

How dare she? When she suggested we share that condo—fuck, I don’t even remember when I was there the last time—I thought she was bluffing.

And then she tells me her pussy was well-serviced. Goddammit. When I made the roster, I was sure she would abandon the idea. But I guess whoever services her is worth the risk of getting caught.

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