Page 40 of What A Croc
Gripping my cell phone tightly, I debated if I should do what I came in here to do. What I had been dying to do for hours. Fuck, days. Ever since we had stepped off the plane, and been enveloped in big hugs from my parents.
Fucking call him already, my croc growled.You’re annoying me with this wishy washy, back and forth, bullshit. Call our mate!
Huffing out my own annoyed breath, I did just that. Rocking back and forth on my feet, while I waited for Robert to pick up. Glancing at my watch, I checked the time. It was Saturday afternoon, but I didn’t know what his plans for the day were.
“Hello,” his husky voice finally answered, sounding sleep rough and groggy.
“I miss you,” I blurted out, only to be met with silence. That wasn’t what I intended to say, but here we were. No pulling it back now, and it was the truth.
“Oh,” Robert breathed, sounding more awake now. “That’s…not what…I…oh.” His jaw cracked with what sounded like a yawn.
Frowning, I asked, “Did I wake you up?”
“Kind of.” There was the sound of rustling, and I could picture him straightening his blankets and sitting up in hisbed. “I needed to get up, or I won’t sleep tonight, but I was so tired. It was a long week.”
Sitting on the edge of my bed, I ran one hand over the blue and green plaid pattern of my old bedspread. “Kids are exhausting, and I only have one to deal with.”
He chuckled softly, “That they are. How’s your trip?”
Running a hand through my hair, I sighed. “Fine. My parents and Levi’s mom are happy to see Aiden.”
“I’m sure they’re happy to see you too.”
“Yeah, but we all know they really just want to see the grandkid.”
“I can understand that.” He cleared his throat. “And, J, I miss you too.”
The grin that lit up my face could have lit all of New York City by itself. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he breathed into the phone softly. “I didn’t think I would, but I do. You’ll be home Monday?”
“Monday afternoon. Robert, I–” I paused, my heart hammering in my chest with nerves.
When I was silent, Robert nudged me. “You what?”
“I want to tell Aiden about us,” I blurted out. Robert inhaled sharply, but before he could tell me all the reasons he had for me not telling my son about us, I continued on without stopping. “I know it’s early for us yet, but I’m serious about us. About you. We are something special. And I want to be honest with him that I’m dating someone. That I’m dating you. I don’t want to keep pawning him offon friends to watch and telling him I’m having dinner with friends. I want us to go out together sometimes, the three of us. I don’t want to hide you. I don’t want to hide us. But if you aren’t ready, or are uncomfortable, I understand.”
Silence crackled along the line again, and my heart was pounding so loudly in my ears I was afraid I might not even hear Robert when he did speak.
“I’m okay with you telling Aiden,” Robert finally broke the silence. “I…I think, yeah. I think I would like that. For us to do things together. The three of us.”
My alpha dad cleared his voice from the doorway, the sound deep and loud. My head whipped around, my eyes big, and I felt like a teenager, caught in his bedroom doing something he shouldn’t.
He held his hands out in a calming gesture, his lips quirked in a small smile. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt you. But Michelle just came in from outside with the kids and she’s a bit upset.”
Frowning, I put my hand over my phone. “About what?”
Levi’s mom was a lovely woman, most of the time. But she tended to get upset over small things that usually revolved around my parenting skills. Or what she perceived to be a lack of them. Granted, I hadn’t always been the most present after Levi died, but no one could deny that I loved my son more than anything on this earth.
Letting out a loud sigh, I told my dad I would be down in a few minutes.
Dad nodded, and once I heard his heavy footsteps echoing on the stairs, I pulled my hand away from my phone. “Sorry,” I apologized to Robert. “Two days here and I’m reduced to feeling like a teenager. I’m being summoned by Levi’s mother.”
“Should I send help?” Robert asked lightly, sounding much more awake than a few minutes ago.
“Possibly. I love her, I do, and she was a wonderful help to me after Levi passed. But sometimes she oversteps. I can’t imagine what I’ve managed to do since we got here. Can I call you tonight? I like hearing your voice,” I admitted. Texting was great, but hearing Robert in my ear made it seem like we weren’t thousands of miles apart.
“I’d like that.”
