Page 34 of Smooth As Whiskey

I was at the stove making dinner at Irish’s house.

Maisie was helping me pour the spices into the sauce.

And each time we did so, we made sounds to go with them.

I was laughing while she was giggling.

Neither one of us heard the front door open when she looked up at me and asked, “Sutton?”

I lifted a brow and looked at her, “Yeah, pretty girl?”

“Some kids get new parents when their old parents don’t want them, don’t they?”

I nodded, “Yeah, sometimes. Why do you ask?”

“Because since she didn’t want me, and I know you want me, and I want you, think you can become my mommy?”

I didn’t know what to say.

I’m honored.

I would love to.

I love you.

I was about to tell her that I didn’t know because Irish had made it clear where I stood in his life... when he cleared his throat and said so nonchalantly, I was flabbergasted, “Sounds good to me. People co-parent all the time, right?”

How many more daggers could my heart take?

Then I ignored Irish, pain lacing my entire body, looked at Maisie, hid the hurt as best I could, and said, “I’d be honored to be your Mommy. Pretty girl.”

She smiled wide, then flung herself in my arms. Oh, this sweet, sweet girl.

Oh, but the fuckery that was my life wasn’t fucking over with... yet.

Chapter 10

Irish

I saw the hurt on Sutton’s face when she tried to hide it, I truly did.

But I was still thinking about things.

Why did she want me?

That had been running through my head almost every single minute of every single day ever since she told me what she did.

But even though I couldn’t figure out the situation between me and Sutton, I could do it for my daughter, and I would.

Even if I never claimed Sutton, she would always be Maisie’s mother.

There was no one else on this earth that I had met in my thirty years of life who could do it better than she did.

We all gathered around the dining room table as I helped Sutton carry everything to the table.

I had just sat down when my phone rang.

I sighed, then pulled it out, and when I saw it was Cynnamin’s name, I glared.

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