Page 67 of Everlasting Love

“We’ll see.” I open Evan’s door and squat down to his height. “You have my number, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Use it. When you need something or to talk or whatever, give me a call.”

“Like you care,” he mumbles.

I gently grasp the back of his neck and tug his head up so I can see his face properly. Wyatt’s eyes stare at me, full of hurt and anger. “Idocare, Evan. Trust me, I do. Remember what I said … I’m trying to give you guys some space to work things out for yourselves, but if you want to talk or hang out or whatever, I’m your man.” I tug him forward and press my forehead to his. “And do me a favor. Stay out of trouble and look after your mom.”

He attempts to nod. “Okay. I’m sorry I let you down.”

I pull away a short distance and shake my head. “You let yourself down more than anyone else. This isn’t who you are.”

He swallows and his eyes glisten under the interior light of the car. “I know.”

I kiss his forehead and stand. “Take care and I’ll catch you in two weeks unless you need me before.”

“Thanks, Shane.”

I finish wipingdown the table while Violet makes each of us an ice cream cone for dessert. Silence falls over the room as we enjoy our sweet treat, and I tell them about soccer practice, leaving out the part about Evan knocking over one of his teammates. Jas has a million questions including if she can play soccer too, and I look at Violet for guidance.

“Maybe when you’re a little bigger we can look at playing soccer. Okay?”

She nods. “Okay.”

Jasmine takes a long lick of her cone to catch the drips, then turns to her mom. “Amber asked if Shane’s my daddy.” She looks up at me. “Are you my daddy now because you came into my classroom today?”

Vi sputters, so I reach over to calmly pat her on the back even though I’m anything but calm inside. “I’m not your daddy but I’d be happy to do daddy things with you whenever you need. Just get your mom to shoot me a message when I move back to my apartment. Okay?” My gut clenches at the idea of being separated from them.

She takes another lick of her cone as if she didn’t just rock my world. “Okay.”

How good would it be to be her daddy? The only problem is that I have no idea how to be someone’s daddy. Mine was a shitty role model, so I’d probably fuck it up. There’s no way I’d want to be responsible for disappointing the angel beside me.

I glance at Violet to find her eyes locked on me, a glassy sheen to them that has me turning my body toward her. “What’s wrong, Blue,” I murmur.

She shakes her head and looks down at her lap. “Nothing.”

There’s no way a woman looks close to crying and it’s for nothing. But I can’t imagine it’s easy when your daughter asks another man, other than her father, if he’s her daddy now. I’m intuitive enough to know that has to be difficult for a mom. Violet’s so damn strong to be able to walk away from the loser she was married to and take on the role of the sole parent. I have so much damn respect for her.

I dropmy Kindle onto the bed and rest my head against the headboard. I think I’ve read the last page at least five times, and I still have no clue what I’ve been reading. A smile spreads at the memory of Jas greeting me at the front door and asking if she could come to soccer with me next time. Then my smile drops when I remember the look on Vi’s face as she thanked me for making dinner. Like she didn’t expect me to follow through with my promise to cook dinner. And then how she looked when Jas asked if I was her daddy now.

After we cleaned up from dessert and Jasmine was bathed and in bed, I came in here to hide out like the coward I am. I didn’t want to risk being in close proximity with Violet without the buffer of Jasmine between us. I took things too far last night and she deserves more than a broken man.

I hear movement next door and close my eyes, picturing her in her panties and a camisole like the ones she was wearing last night. I rub my swiftly growing cock through the fabric of my sweats. Fuck. The way she fell apart beneath my touch. I hadn’t even been here for a single day, and I already crossed the line I swore I wouldn’t cross again. I just can’t seem to keep myself in check whenever she’s around.

A soft knock sounds at my door. Shit! She’ll easily see my semi in these pants. “Just a minute,” I call out and grab a long-sleeved T-shirt and do my best to rearrange my dick so it’s not so obvious. When I pull the door open, I’m not sure if I’m relieved or disappointed to find Vi still fully dressed in her yoga pants that hug her hips and ass like a second skin and a sweater that falls from one shoulder, exposing a pale green bra strap.

She holds up a bottle of wine and two glasses. “Feel like a nightcap?” Jesus. I could use a nightcap, but not wine. I can think of something else I’d prefer to taste. I flick my eyes from the wine to her face and trace her soft features. Her bright eyes study me, waiting for an answer. Her throat bobs and I want to trace it with my tongue. “Come on, Shane. One drink. It won’t hurt, I promise.” She winks, then spins on her heel toward the stairs and my eyes instantly drop to the curve of her ass. She shoots me a saucy smile and wink over her shoulder and I know I’m in fucking trouble but it doesn’t stop me from grabbing a black foil packet from the drawer next to my bed before I follow her downstairs. What can I say, I like to be prepared—old habits die hard.

When I step into the living room, the lights are low, soft music plays on the stereo, and she has a couple of candles burning. The room exudes seduction and so does the woman sitting on the couch. I should fucking turn around, go upstairs, and lock myself inside my bedroom like I planned. Instead, I walk toward the vixen and take the glass from her outstretched hand, then sit on the cushion beside hers. I feel like I’m having an out-of-body experience and I’m watching this all unfold from across the room because her willingly inviting me to join her is more than I fucking deserve.

She leans back against the couch, tucking one leg under the other, her knee touching my thigh. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she’s doing her best to look sexy, but Idoknow better andI know that Vi doesn’t think that way. This is just her. “You seemed a little tense when you got home from soccer.”

I blow out a breath and drop my head back on the couch. My hand automatically seeks out Vi’s thigh and I lock my eyes on the ceiling. “Evan’s been moody lately. He’s not the boy he was six months ago.”

“He’s almost a teenager, right?” She takes a sip of her wine.

“Yeah, but this is more than that. He was caught stealing.” She gasps. “An officer took him home to avoid the gas station owner pressing charges.”

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