Page 35 of I Shouldn't Feel This Way

“Thanks.” She inspected the clothes and then looked at me. “You went to Harvard?”

“Yeah, it’s where I graduated from law school.”

“That’s awesome.”

“You could go to Harvard too, you know. Have you thought about applying there?”

“My grades are good, but I doubt I’d get in.”

“Why not?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m still kind of lost when it comes to college. I have no idea what program I want to get in to.”

“I can help you out. We’ll figure it out together. On the upside, you won’t have to worry about tuition or any other financial challenges. I’ve got you covered.”

I loved her smile. It was adorable.

After grabbing a pair of slacks, I stepped into the bathroom to change and brush my teeth. Today had certainly been interesting. I still wanted to beat that son of a bitch before I left the city. It felt like top priority on my bucket list.I couldn’t wait for the moment to personally deliver my fist to his mouth. But I guessed I would have to be patient for the time being. Besides, how could I stay angry when Aria was around? She influenced my emotions like no other and appeared to be the magical cure for my nicotine cravings. I’d been so close to lighting up tonight. In some ways, I was glad she interrupted my little love affair with cigarettes.

I took a moment to stare at my reflection in the mirror, worried that I might walk out of the bathroom while she was indecent. I was the kind of guy who took care of myself; skin, body, and overall appearance. I was about to look away when something caught my attention. Peering closer to the mirror, I feared that I would find a couple of thin stretched lines fading in near the corner of my eyes.

Those can’t be wrinkles. Fuck. No.I was disturbed by the thought of aging. Dorian Gray Syndrome perhaps? I blinked a few times and realized that my paranoia was getting the best of me.

It’s all in my mind.

With a heavy sigh, I opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed the tube of tooth paste. I knew I looked young for my age, but getting older gave me anxiety. The visible signs of aging was something I dreaded. Believe it or not, there are men out there who don’t like getting old just as much as women don’t. We live in a superficial society, surrounded by superficial people. If you go to a job interview with all the right credentials but looking like an unattractive, fat slob, they’re going to discriminate against you and hire the guy who’s got only some of the expected qualifications because he looks like a million bucks. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman. If you’re intelligent and you look good, chances are you’re going to go further in life compared to the average Joe and plain Jane. That’s just how society is. Don’t crucify me for it. I didn’t write the rules.

Grabbing the dental floss, I quickly flossed my teeth before stepping out of the bathroom. I was caught off guard when I saw my daughter. Aria was standing a few feet away from me, and she had changed into my clothes all right … except she wasn’t wearing my shorts.

“Um, your shorts are way too big and there’s no pull string.”

Strange, I thought there had been.

Struggling to respond, I seemed to have lost my voice. It was hard not to stare at her legs, but I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, so I forced my gaze up toward her face. “Don’t worry about it,” I said. “You’re getting under the covers anyway.” I walked past her, trying not to look back. My T-shirt was oversized for her, but it wasn’t long enough to cover her knees. If she’d raised her arms, I was sure I would have seen her panties.O-kay … not going there.

“Do you have any mouthwash?”

“Yeah, it’s in the cabinet underneath the sink.”

I felt relieved when she disappeared in the bathroom. But it didn’t take very long for her to return. Like a caring father, I had already pulled back the covers so she could quickly get under them and let me tuck her in.

“You must be exhausted,” I said. “Come get in bed.”

Now it was safe to lay beside her, though I didn’t get under the blanket. Instead, I propped a pillow behind me and reclined into it. Adding to my annoyance, I kept shifting around until I got comfortable. When I twisted my body toward hers, I noticed that she had pulled the covers down a bit so that her upper body was visible but everything from the waist down was under the sheets.Thank God.All right, I admit it—legs were my weakness. I loved every part of a woman’s body, but there was something about a nice pair of killer legs that made me so …

“Noah?”

I tuned out my thoughts and looked at her. “Yes, sweetheart?”

“Thank you for today. You know—for everything.”

It amazed me how she was so appreciative of everything that I did for her, even the little things, probably because she had been so deprived of materialistic luxuries growing up. In some ways, I could never forgive my mother for playing God with my life. But I knew that I couldn’t place all the blame on her, or on Emily, for that matter.

“Aria, I love spoiling you. Don’t think for a second that today was your last. You have many more shopping sprees to come.”

Her eyes lit up as she smiled and moved in closer, hugging my body. The smell of her strawberry vanilla shampoo enticed my senses. I glided my fingers through her glossy hair and kissed her on the head. “Close your eyes, angel. You need your sleep.”

“You feel so warm.” She purred, resting her head on my chest. “Can you tell me a story?”

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