The next morning Taylor pounded on her pillow one more time. It wasn’t enough so she did it again and then threw it against the wall.
How the hell did she let Reed kiss her last night?
Why had she let him do it?
Who was she kidding? There was no how or why about it. They were like two magnets being held apart all night long and then the minute they got close enough...snap! Their lips met and the rest was history.
It’d been over three years since she’d felt a man’s hands on her body, even through clothes. All she could be thankful for was the fact he didn’t comment on why she was sweaty. Or even why she was clingy because she was positive he might have had to pry her hands off of his shoulders. Talk about mortifying.
What was she going to say? “Sorry, you’re making me hot? You’re rock hard body and angelic face have been haunting my dreams and forcing me to wake up wet in more places than one?”
Nope, not happening. The last guy she made a similar comment to put a baby in her belly and took off.
So why was she lying in bed beating the crap out of her sheets and comforter? After all, the pillow was limply lying across the room wondering what the hell it’d done to her.
Because Reed Chapman thoroughly turned her on even though she wanted no part of it. And no part of him.
He was no better than Jack at the heart of it.
That was wrong and she felt guilty even thinking that.
Jack was an ass who lied and made her believe things were going to be completely different than they were.
Reed was as upfront as she’d been...for the most part.
She wasn’t stupid and knew he was hinting around and trying to find out why she couldn’t spend more time with him. She hadn’t lied when she said she had plans. She hadn’t really lied to him at all. She just wasn’t forthcoming.
Yep, nice exciting plans to clean her house, walk the dog who was currently lying at the end of the bed staring at her like she was nuts, and doing some laundry.
It felt like all she did was clean when she had a free moment. If she wasn’t being a mom, she was being a maid.
How the hell did her life turn into this? From a twenty-five-year-old woman partying with her friends to almost twenty-nine and wondering what to make for dinner that her daughter wouldn’t mind eating without a royal battle ensuing.
When her phone rang, she reached for it automatically on the nightstand only to see it was her mother calling. Just great. Another way to ruin her morning.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Taylor, how are you doing?”
“I’m good,” she said around a yawn. No use saying she was exhausted. Her mother would just remind her that she’d had it worse with six kids and working full time. One kid was a piece of cake. Not!
“How’s Angie doing?”
The fact that her mother asked that question second made up for all the lectures she’d gotten in the past three years. “She’s good. I hope. She’s with Jack this weekend. Or I should say probably with his parents.”
Her mother snorted on the other end. The lecture was on the horizon. “Aside from his money, what did you see in him?”
Taylor ground her teeth. “I’m not money hungry. His money had nothing to do with us being in a relationship. I didn’t even know he had money when we first met.”
Thankfully Taylor hadn’t been living at home at the time or her parents would have known she’d spent the night with Jack that first time they’d met in the club. That would have been just one more lecture she wasn’t in the mood for.
“I admit he’s a handsome young man. Even charming when he wants to be. Who would have known he had such little balls.”
That much needed laugh she’d been wishing for just let loose. Leave it to her mom to be so blunt. “Yeah, well, some men aren’t meant to be a father.”
“It’s just too bad you had to move so far away,” her mother said, like she needed the reminding. Her parents let her know how ticked off they were over the move, but it wasn’t like they were in any position to help her fight Jack. Nor would they have offered if they were. If she’d heard it once, she’d heard it a million times... “Take responsibility for your own actions.” That’s what she was doing.
“It’s done and over with. I’ve got a good job and a cute house. Angie is happy, so I couldn’t ask for more.”
“How about a man to help you out?” her mother said.
“No, thank you. I’m better off depending on myself only.” Thoughts of Reed didn’t just pop into her head. Liar.
“When do you think you can come down and visit with us? Your father’s birthday is in a few months and he’ll be sixty. He’d like to see you.”
She knew when her father’s birthday was. “I doubt I’ll be able to swing it, Mom. It’s too long to drive and the flight costs are too high. Not to mention I don’t get a lot of vacation time just yet. Not until I’ve been there six months. I’ll send my gift and make sure I call, but it’s the best I can do.”
More tsking and huffing sounds from the other end and finally her mother said, “Fine. I’ll let you go. Don’t wait weeks to call me, please.”
“Bye, Mom,” she said, not addressing that comment. She hadn’t called her mother once since she’d lived here. Her mother always called her and by the time they hung up she wanted to bang her head against the wall. She had enough things to drive her insane that daily, or even weekly lectures from family back home would only compound it.
Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she got up and let Mutt out, then walked to the kitchen to start her coffee. No sooner did she put her cup to her lips than her phone rang again.
This time it was Jack and her first thoughts were Angie. “What’s wrong?” she answered right away.
“Angie wants to come home.”
There was crying in the background and Taylor was ready to grab her keys and drive to get her daughter as if it were the last lap of the Indy 500. But she had to take a breath and find out the facts first. She uprooted her and Angie’s life to move here because of Jack’s parents and he was going to damn well be a father and not think he could send Angie home every time she said she wanted to return.
Did she wish her daughter was always with her? Yes, she did. But her lawyer told her not to do it. To document everything and every time Jack called to say he couldn’t get Angie or that he was bringing her back early. Maybe someday she could fight back and not have to live here, but until that time came, she was stuck.
“What’s going on?” she asked as calmly as she could. The tears were lessening in the background now. Or maybe it was wishful thinking on her part.
“She says her stomach hurts.”
“Did she stay with you last night or your parents?” she asked him even though he’d told her the answer yesterday. She never really believed much he said anymore.
“My parents are away. She stayed with me.”
His sarcastic tone wasn’t lost on her. “What did she eat?” she asked but knew she might regret it.
“Dinner. Then we watched a movie or something. Candy and popcorn.”
“What for dinner and how much candy and popcorn?”
“I don’t know,” Jack said. “I had work to do. I put the movie on and went into my office.”
“Jack! She’s not even three! You can’t leave her alone.” This was going in her little log for the lawyer.
“Give me a break. I had my office doors open and could see her on the couch the whole time. I sat with her when she had her hotdog and chips for dinner. I’m just not sure about the movie.”
Nice nutritional meal there. “Then why can’t you tell me how much she ate?” she countered with.
“I wasn’t measuring it. I put a bag of microwave popcorn out there and a couple of those movie-sized boxes of chocolates and gummies. She picked them out at the store and she knows what she likes.”
Yep, Angie had a sweet tooth. A big sweet tooth. “Did she eat it all?” Taylor asked, preparing herself for the answer.
“I didn’t check. I threw it out when I put her to bed. Most of it was gone.” There was a pause, then, “Oh shit. Damn it, not on the white couch.”
She could hear Angie gagging and figured her sugary night of snacks just made their way out. “I’m on the way,” she said and disconnected the call. Asshole.