Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
I just can’t give them to her. With a little girl in my room at night and us both keeping busy during the day, Mia and I haven’t connected again, and maybe not being able to drag her back into my bed really is for the best.
“Can I lick the bowl?” Bailey’s voice travels to me, and I force myself to stop overthinking and step into the room.
“Hi, girls.” I come up to the counter. Mia is putting the cupcakes into the oven while Bailey is, as she requested, running her fingers through the bowl and feasting on the remaining batter.
“Daddy!”
“Those cupcakes look good,” I say as Mia slides the final tin into the oven.
She turns back to me and grins. “It’s Bailey approved. Chocolate cupcake and confetti frosting.”
“Yum.” He actually wasn’t so sure about the confetti. He figured it was too rich for his taste.
“Taste.” Bailey holds out a finger for me to lick, but it is a wet finger that was in her mouth numerous times. “Umm, I think I’ll take a pass.”
Mia chuckles. She picks a clean part of the bowl that Bailey hasn’t yet tackled and swipes her finger into the batter. She slides it into her mouth and moans in delight, inadvertently meeting my gaze as her lips cup the frosting-coated finger.
My cock twitches at the sexy sound that escapes her lips, not to mention the visual of her sucking off her finger, something she’s yet to do to me. I am grateful the counter between us blocks my firm package from being noticed. Her gaze locks on me, sudden awareness in the mossy depths. I want nothing more than to say to hell with what is for the best and drag her off to my bedroom so she can suck on my cock the same way.
“Isn’t it good?” Bailey asks Mia.
She jerks her stare away from me, and I swallow a rough cough.
“I think your friends are going to love the cupcakes,” Mia says in a husky voice. “Let me set a timer.” She turns away to focus on her task, but the awareness between us remains.
* * *
Mia
After dropping the cupcakes off at Bailey’s school, I return home to a blue car turning into the driveway. Since it is blocking my ability to pull into the garage, I park on the street and exit the vehicle, walking toward the car.
A man climbs out of the driver’s side and meets me halfway down the drive.
“Mia Atwood?” he asks.
I don’t recognize him at all, which makes me nervous, especially after what happened at the grocery store.
“You’ve been served,” he says, handing me the manila envelope I didn’t notice in his hand.
“What is this?” I ask.
“Information’s inside. Have a good day.”
“But—”
He doesn’t wait for me to speak, merely returns to his car, climbs in, and turns on the ignition. I step aside so he can pull out of the driveway, turning my attention to the ominous-looking envelope.
Could this have to do with Austin’s custody case? I open the folded flap and pull out the blue-backed page, scanning the contents, a sickening feeling settling in the pit of my stomach with every word I read.
The State of New York versus Parker Alexander. Retrial for embezzlement among other crimes. I swallow hard, nausea filling me. I don’t understand, thought my ex-employer was in jail. I flip the envelope in my hand and a business card falls out. A glance tells me it is the same district attorney I dealt with during the last trial.
I head inside, glad Austin is at his weekly meeting in the office. I don’t need him to see me shaken up before I have all the details.
A quick call to Kate Collins, the district attorney, answers my questions, and I don’t like what I learn. Parker was released from jail when his conviction was overturned due to a technicality the DA doesn’t bother to explain, and I really didn’t care why. The end result is the same. He is out and the state is retrying him. Because I moved to Connecticut and there was no reason for her to leave a forwarding address, as the case was concluded, it took Kate time to find me and let me know I’ll be needed at another trial.
I am not happy.
I don’t want my life, my job, or Austin and Bailey’s life disrupted by me having to go to New York to testify.
I sigh and am about to head to my room when the home telephone rings. I answer.
“Rhodes residence.”
“Hello, is Mr. Rhodes home?” an efficient female voice asks.
“No, can I take a message?” I tuck the phone between my ear and shoulder and grab a piece of paper and pen.
“It’s the Lakewood Elementary School.”
“This is Mia Atwood, Bailey’s nanny. Is everything okay?”
“Oh, Ms. Atwood. I see you’re on the approved list to pick up Bailey. We seem to have an issue. There’s a woman here claiming to be Bailey’s mother and she’s insisting she see her daughter. She wants to remove her from the premises but she’s not on our list.”