Page 25 of All in December
“I do too.”
“Good,” he says, and I can hear the smile in his voice. “When can we plan something?”
“Well, I have Sam every night since I don’t share custody,” I start, knowing that’ll immediately make it harder for us to plan anything, but hoping that’s something Nash will be okay with. “He has a sitter for nights I have something,though. I could see when they’re available. What’s your schedule like?”
“That’s okay, we’ll make it work. We can also hang out with the kids, of course,” he says easily. “I’d just really like to get my hands on you alone sometime soon, too.” There’s a low chuckle in his voice that sends a shiver down my spine. “My ex and I do alternating weeks. So, I have my kids till Sunday night. If needed, she’d probably take them for a night if I gave her a heads up. We try to stick to the schedule, but we’re both pretty flexible and help each other out.”
I smile into the phone, oddly comforted by how relaxed he’s being about all of this. “That must be nice.”
“It is. Co-parenting’s a hell of a lot easier when you still get along with the other person.”
“Yeah,” I say softly. “That part sounds great.”
“What about you and Sam’s mom?” he asks, and I knew we’d have to talk about her eventually.
I shift on the bed, pulling the blanket over my legs even though I’m already warm. “She moved out of state. We were already barely holding things together before she left. She calls sometimes, and Sam talks to her on holidays or his birthday when she does, but… I’m pretty much it. My parents are still in Missouri, and her parents no longer talk to me either after the divorce.”
There’s a pause, and I don’t mean for the words to come out so heavy, but they are. They always are when I admit how much of this I carry on my own. But Nash doesn’t rush to fill the silence. He just lets it sit there for a second before saying, “That must be a lot.”
“Yeah.”
“I admire the hell out of you for it,” Nash acknowledges,and hearing those words from him makes my throat tight with emotion.
“Thanks. I don’t hear that much.”
“Well, get used to it. I want you to know how incredible you are.”
I breathe out a quiet laugh that’s filled with relief and gratitude, all tangled together.
“I’ve never…” I trail off, the words catching at the vulnerability of saying this out loud, but I do anyway, because I want to be honest with him. “I’ve never really had that with anyone. Someone to support me, I mean.”
“That breaks my heart, Cay,” he says. “How about lunch tomorrow? It’s not romantic, but we can go when the kids are at school… If you have time, of course.”
“I’m in. I’ll check my calendar in the morning, but I’m in.”
“Good,” he says. I can hear the grin in his voice. “I’ll make it the best lunch you’ve ever had.”
I laugh softly. “That’s a bold promise.”
“I meant what I said; I keep my promises.”
And I believe him.
We chat more about how our days went, and when we finally hang up, it’s much later than I meant to stay up. But I don’t regret a second of it.
CHAPTER 12
Nash
Igot to the restaurant ten minutes early because I couldn’t keep half-assing work I didn’t care about knowing I’d see Caleb today. After checking the time approximately a thousand times this morning, I decided to just leave the house and come to the restaurant Caleb and I had agreed to have lunch at.
It’s kind of ridiculous that I’m behaving this way. I’m thirty-six. I’ve been married, divorced, and attempted to date a handful of people over the years. I’ve tried the whole swipe right, small talk “so what do you do?” dance, but nothing has made my heart feel this uneven, hopeful, beating-out-of-my-chest feeling I’m experiencing right now knowing that Caleb will be here soon.
I’m even more excited after our phone call last night.
I don’t usually have phone sex, but I could hear in his voice how worked up he was and how much he desired that guidance to get him there.
Now all I want is to hear those grunts and moans in person, to see the look on his face as he falls apart for me.Caleb’s given off bottom energy since day one, and lucky for us both, I don’t mind taking the lead.
