“I missed yow.” He squeezes me tighter, and I chuckle.
Around him, I don’t have to be so serious. He doesn’t know the dark side of me, and I love that fact. I want him to know me as dad, not Nightmare.
“Missed you, too, kid.” I squeeze him back, and he acts like I squish him, sticking his tongue out and rolling his eyes back.
Bethany’s smile grows. “Thanks for being here. I should be off around six thirty when the last girl clocks on for the dinner shift.”
“No rush. We’re going to hang out and maybe eat some ice cream. I brought the Monster Truck movie Maverick asked for. Besides, you should just quit.”
She laughs, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, right. Maybe someday in a far-off land when fairies pay my bills, then I’ll quit and eat ice cream with y’all.” She winks, and I smirk. Little does she know, but her ass will be quitting whether she likes it or not. She’ll find out when she gets home, and all her shit’s packed and loaded on the trailer outside.
“I’ll be back later; you two have fun, and Night, call if you need anything.”
“I will.”
“Ummm…we wiw. Love you, Momma”
“Love you, buddy.” She blows him a kiss and grabs her purse.
She’s off to work, and it’s just me and little man left at the kitchen table. I may as well not waste any time. Turning to him, I grin. “So…you like puppies, Maverick?”
You can’t rush something you
want to last forever.
- Love Quotes
I pull up to the apartment, noticing a truck parked across a few spots with a trailer attached. The bed and the trailer are packed full of what looks to be my couch amongst other belongings. Weird cause I could’ve sworn our building was full, and it’s even stranger that it looks like my furniture secured under the bungee cords and rope.
If Nightmare replaced my furniture, I’m going to be pissed. That takes a lot of nerve coming to someone’s house and getting rid of their things.
Getting out of my car, I approach the vehicle on my way to my front door, paying closer attention. Yep, there’s my ugly yellow lamp that’s normally on the table beside my bed. But what in the hell is it doing out here, packed up? Did something happen? Oh, God, was there a water leak or something?
Fuck! My heart begins to beat quicker as I jog to the front door. It’s locked, so I find the right key and burst in, drawing Maverick and Nightmare’s gaze and a…puppy?
“Hey, what’s going on?” I ask in a rush, closing the door. The dog runs at me, tail wagging like crazy. “Whose dog?” Bending down, I scratch behind his little floppy ears, because, duh, it’s a puppy, and they’re adorable.
“It’s Maverick’s,” Night replies and Maverick nods his head crazily, a huge smile overtaking his face.
“But we can’t have dogs here.”
“Not my problem.” The broody bastard shrugs, and I bite my tongue from calling him a dick.
I’m going to be the horrible mommy by taking the damn puppy away from my child. Not like I wouldn’t give my son a dog or cat, but they’ll kick us out of here, and a place to live is far more important. Not to mention dog food and vet bills—a luxury I can’t fathom right now.
“We need to talk,” I huff and glance around, noticing my furniture is indeed not here. “Did something happen? Why is everything outside?”
“We packed, Momma!” Mav yells and jumps up, coming to bother the puppy.
“I see that, but why. What happened?” I grin. It's completely fake and forced. I know none of this was my son’s idea, and I won’t take it out onhim. Nightmare is in an entirely different boat though.
“You’re moving.” Nightmare shrugs, like I should already know this.
“Ummm…no, we’re not.” My eyebrows rise.
“Pretty sure I told you before; you’re coming to my place.”
“And we get a puppy!” Maverick cheers, making me cringe.