Page 43 of Rafa's Convenient Wife

Dina had staked her own claim, connecting a series of rooms for a cozy space to share with Camila. For now, Lola and Beto remained in their childhood bedrooms near their mother. Lola because she enjoyed the view of the gardens, and Beto because he was only at the house a few times a month.

Jaime and Maddie had often used the guest wing when they visited, but they had been discussing remodeling before the accident.

When he entered his bedroom, he was surprised by the silence. This time of afternoon, he had expected to find Jasper cranky and refusing to nap which seemed to be his habit lately. There were no toys on the floor. No snack crumbs littering therug. No sippy cups or bottles on the couch. It was clean and tidy and eerily quiet.

“Sky?” He called out nervously. His heightened senses caught the sound of water. “Sky?”

“In here,” she yelled back. “I’m in the tub.”

“With Jasper?” Assuming his nephew had made some colossal mess and needed a pre-nap bath, he made his way toward the bathroom.

“No. Just me. Jasper is with your mother and Camila. He was still fussing a bit, and your mother decided to have a pediatrician make a house call. I made the mistake of yawning, and she sent me to bed!”

That sounded exactly like his mother.

When he reached the bathroom, he hesitated at the open door. Despite confessing their love only a few hours ago, their relationship remained fairly chaste. He hadn’t seen her naked, and she hadn’t invited him. Not wanting to push her boundaries when things were still so new between them, he remained outside the door.

“How did your meeting go?”

He heard the slight anxiety in her voice, and he wished he could soothe her fears. “We have a plan. Beverly isn’t going to get away with this.”

The sound of moving water echoed in the bathroom. It was easy for him to imagine her in the claw foot tub, soaking in hot water. Too easy, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other while trying to tame his raging lust.

“I don’t want to antagonize her, Rafa. We’ve already seen what she can do to hurt us.”

“We’re not going to antagonize her. We’re going to offer her money.”

“I don’t like that either. She’s going to get paid for being a mean, old bitch?”

“It’s that, or we go to court,” he warned gently. “Your feelings on that were pretty clear.”

“They were,” she agreed reluctantly. “Do you think paying her off will actually work? What’s to stop her from coming back again and again with her hand out for more?”

“The attorneys will handle that,” he promised. “Whatever she gets will come with strings that keep her tied up and out of our way.”

“As long as you’re sure Jasper will be safe, and she’ll leave us alone...”

“I’m sure.” He wasn’t actually sure. There was always a chance Beverly would do something even stupider. Right now, though, Sky didn’t need to hear that. She needed to know that he would protect her and Jasper. “We were thinking that going out for dinner as a family would be a positive step. Make a public show of family support. Would you be okay with that?”

She didn’t answer immediately. He held his breath while he waited.One, two, three, four, five, six, seven...

“Yes, I’ll be okay if you’re with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere unless it’s right beside you,” he vowed.

“Well, if you’re serious about staying close, maybe you could come in here and get me a towel? I forgot to grab one,” she admitted sheepishly.

He laughed and entered the bathroom to help his wife. “I keep thinking I should have a towel rack or some hooks installed closer to that tub, but I never use the bath.”

His breath arrested in his throat at the sight of Sky reclined in the tub. She had one foot up on the edge, her poppy red toenails bright in the sun, and she dragged a soapy hand along her calf toward her knee. The smell of something fresh and beachy hit his nose. He noticed the blue tinge to the water and something shimmery floating in the bubbles.

“Is that glitter?”

Sky glanced up at him with an apologetic smile. “Sorry. Camila offered me some of her bath bombs. I didn’t realize they were shimmery like this until after I’d tossed them into your tub.” As if worried he would be upset, she hurriedly added, “I’ll clean the tub when I’m done.”

“You won’t, and it’s your bathtub now,” he corrected.

“Well, if it’s my tub, I’m definitely going to clean it, Rafa. I can’t leave glittery bubble dust all over the place for your mom’s housekeepers.”

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