He rests his hands on my waist, peppering my temple with kisses. "Back at you."
From the bedroom, the alarm on my phone blares again. "I have to hurry to pick up the kids." Tipping my head upward, I look at him expectantly, nearly burning with anticipation.
"No good-bye kiss for you today as punishment for teasing me since we woke up."
"Is that your last word?"
"Yeah, and I'm sticking to it come hell or high water."
"Famous last words, Bennett. Famous last words."
Chapter Nineteen
Christopher
At six o'clock, I finish throwing away the last of my boxes, and the apartment finally looks like it's lived in. Looking around the living room, I can proudly say Victoria did a great job making this place look like a home. There’s just one problem. It's huge, and I am one person. What the hell was I thinking when I bought this place?
I wanted to live in this building, and I wanted the top floor. The three penthouses were all huge, so it's not as if I had much of a choice, but standing inside now, it seems like a dumb choice. Demolishing the walls of the five bedrooms to merge them into two hasn't chipped away at the square feet. The space feels empty, especially after having had Victoria here, and it's too quiet. Lucas would have a field day. The living room alone is so huge, he could play soccer, which is an excellent reason to invite them over. Reaching for my phone, I'm about to message Victoria when I see she’s already sent me one.
Victoria: Talked to the kids! It went well.
“Well” wasn't exactly the word I was hoping for, but it'll do for now. I call her right away, pacing the living room.
"Hey, handsome," she answers.
"You never called me that before."
"Hmm, after recent events, an upgrade was in order."
"Recent events? Is this code for ‘I'm not alone’?"
"Exactly."
"I have an idea. Why don't you and the kids come over? We could watch a movie or something."
"Ah, we were about to ask you to come over here, if you don't have plans."
“Tell him to bring ice cream too,” Chloe yells in the background.
"I don't have plans. I can be at your house in about forty minutes. With ice cream."
"That's great, but no ice cream because we're eating enough junk food tonight as it is." Her background goes quiet, and I assume she went into another room. "I'm alone now."
"So how well did telling them go?"
"They like you a lot, so that helped. Sienna was already on top of things. Chloe asked what the specific difference between a friend and a boyfriend is. I…. Is it okay I said you're my boyfriend? I mean, we haven't officially—"
"Yes, Victoria. It's perfectly okay. I am your handsome boyfriend."
She laughs softly in response. "Yeah, so I explained the difference, and then she asked if it means she'll have a sister/cousin. So I had to give her and Lucas the birds and bees talk."
"It required giving them the birds and bees talk? Jesus!" I stop pacing, dragging my hand down my face.
"Yep. Pretty sure Lucas knew I was bullshitting."
"He's nine. Of course, he did."
"Anyway, all in all, I think neither of them should ask you about a wedding or something. And they can't wait to have you over. You can sleep here too, if you want."