Mike looked at me before he nodded his head. Ally rolled up her window, and they slowly pulled away. I looked down at the woman I loved. The girl who was growing into such an angry, closed-off, uncertain woman. She bit her lower lip and shuffled
on her feet. Clearly waiting for me to make a move.
So I did.
“How are your feet?”
She shrugged. “Kind of sore.”
“Want to go inside and soak them?”
She sighed. “I’d actually really like that.”
“Sure. Yeah. Of course.”
I escorted her to the apartment and let her inside. I called out for Cecilia as I shut the door, but no sound was heard. My stomach dropped for a split second. Had the door been unlocked before I walked in?
“A date?” Rae asked.
I whipped my head over to her and found her holding up a note.
“It says here that your stepmom’s… on a date?”
I grinned. “Oh, damn. She must’ve accepted.”
Rae’s eyebrows rose. “She’s already dating?”
I walked over, taking the note from her. “I mean, I knew this one guy was into her. Kept coming around with flowers and shit. But I didn't think she’d actually do dinner with him.”
“Has the divorce been finalized?”
I nodded. “Yep. She got the official paperwork in the mail… two weeks ago?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
I paused. “I, uh… guess it slipped my mind.”
“Really, Clint? Something you and Cecilia have been battling against for months just slipped your mind?”
And when she scoffed, I felt like I’d taken three steps back.
She walked out of the kitchen and made her way to my bedroom. I didn’t even get the damn note settled down onto the counter before I heard my bath running. Rae kept murmuring to herself. I stood back to try and hear what she was saying. I couldn’t make it out, though. The damn water was running too loudly for me to hear.
“Clint, is it okay if I just take a bath?”
I stepped into the bathroom. “Of course. You can make yourself at home. You know that.”
“Do I, though?”
She shot me a look I couldn’t read. Which was pathetic, because she’d been giving me that look a lot. I watched her peel her clothes off, my hands aching to rush over her toned curves. I hadn’t held her naked body against mine in weeks. I felt my cock jumping to life as her clothes fell to the floor. I wanted her. I needed her. I’d do anything to get between those legs just for a few minutes.
Which is all it would take at this point.
Rae eased herself into the bath as steam slowly filled the room. The bubbles mounted around her body, shielding it from me as she sank into the tub. I went and closed the toilet before sitting down. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes as her arms fell into the water. She sighed with relief. Much like she used to do whenever she was in my arms at night.
Then silence wrapped around us.
“The divorce was finalized a couple of weeks ago. But Dad really gave us the runaround on it.”