Page 24 of My Boyfriend Marks Trees
What followed was the most domestic evening ever. Dinner, followed by a Christmas movie, story time, and when Greta closed her eyes…
Charly glanced shyly at him and said, “I’m not tired yet.”
Hell yeah.
Cuddle time.
Chapter 8
Charlotte spentthe day in a state of fugue. Not because she’d not slept well—she’d surprisingly fallen off quickly and deeply. The comfortable bed was only part of the reason. The bigger part? Ares, who had a way of making her feel protected and important. Add in the acceptance by his family and her sense of security only increased.
Seeing Greta in her glory—being the center of attention and basking in the happy vibe emitted by everyone—also helped. It had always bothered Charlotte to see the close bonds other kids got to enjoy: the pictures of family dinners and holidays, the grandparents who spent time with the young ones, building memories. Poor Greta had no one but Charlotte. No grandparents to spoil her, nor aunts or uncles, which meant no cousins, either. Barry might have been able to give her some extended family, only he chose abandonment. She’d always found his actions odd considering he was a man who boasted about how close he was to his brothers, not all of them blood.
Then again, knowing what she did now, it was probably for the best Greta never got to know that violent crew.
Ares couldn’t have been more different. Self-assured without crossing into arrogant. Generous, giving of himself andexpecting nothing in return. Genuinely good-natured. Close to his mom and sisters. Honest in how he felt.
All things that made him sound weak, and yet, he oozed strength, and when he strutted, she practically needed a fan to cool down.
As if he weren’t already too good to be true, he and Greta had formed a bond. From the moment he’d killed that bug in her kitchen, her daughter had chosen him to be her hero, and he had yet to disappoint. He didn’t ignore Greta when she spoke. He didn’t roll his eyes when she wanted to re-read a story or sang the same song a dozen times in a row. He showed patience, explained things to her. Essentially acted like a dad.
Seeing them together, Charlotte melted. This was the family life she’d always wanted, so why did it terrify her?
Because the last time she thought she’d found “the one,” he turned out to be a stranger. The act he’d won her over with, just that: a charade. The real Barry turned out to be an asshole. After Greta’s birth, the change had been most startling, from loving partner to verbally abusive and rude.“Jeezus, cover up. I can’t believe how much you let yourself go.”She was two weeks postpartum at the time. Months later, she still carried a few pounds, and when she tried to initiate intimacy, he’d recoiled with disgust.“You can’t seriously expect me to get it up with you looking like that.” Still, she’d stayed, hoping for the man she’d fallen in love with to return.
She waited in vain for things to get better, but they got worse. He started going out every night after work. When she’d dared to question his frequent outings, he barked,“I’ll be back when I feel like it. Don’t like it? Too bad.”
But the worst had been his accusations.“Whose kid is she?”
Her reply of“Yours,”led to, “Like fuck she is. Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?”It didn’t matter what Charlotte said.
“I swear, she’s yours. You’re the only man I’ve been with.”
“Lying whore,”was only one of the nasty names he used.
She’d literally only ever been with two men in her life. One in high school and Barry in college. Barry had mentally beaten her down, destroyed her confidence, and made her so suspicious of men she’d chosen to not date.Am I too fat? Am I that unattractive?
Logically, she knew Barry was being a dick. Men flirted with her, and while about thirty pounds heavier than in college, she thought she wore the weight well, her figure curvy in the right places. But a part of her had still heard the burning insults… until she met Ares.
He eyed her as if she were a delicious dessert he wanted to eat. He flirted. He came straight out and said he liked her. Kissed her and made sexy little growly sounds.
Before the fire that rendered her temporarily homeless, she’d been ready to throw caution to the wind and finally make herself vulnerable with a man. AKA, get naked. She trusted Ares to not be repugned. Trusted him to bring her pleasure, not pain. And while their plans the previous evening had been curtailed, tonight, once Greta went to bed, it would be just them in the house.
Just her, him, a bed, and six years of repressed desire.
She hoped she didn’t embarrass herself by either freezing up or coming too fast. Was there even a term for a woman who orgasmed prematurely? It might happen. When he kissed her before she left for work, the pleasure had her tightening so hard she’d almost climaxed in the driveway.
Pathetic.I’m pathetic.Sigh. And the day dragged. The only highlight—and torture—the regular updates from Ares. True to his word, he documented Greta’s adventure at the farm. Greta’s open-mouthed laughter as she fed rabbits of all sizes. The look of pure joy as she sat in a barn surrounded by goats—in pajamas! A sight that kind of made Charlotte jealous. She wouldn’t mindpetting a baby goat too. The baking she’d done with Bea, the pair of them in matching aprons. The picture of Greta walking hand-in-hand with Selene in the woods. Someone even captured a great shot of Ares holding Greta up in the air so she could snag a leaf that remained stubbornly stuck to a branch.
She wished she’d listened to Ares and called in sick.
The day couldn’t end soon enough. December twenty-second meant all kinds of last-minute shoppers, and the next few days would be even worse. Then she’d finally get one day off for Christmas before the Boxing Day madness began. Ugh. She really hoped the new job at the dental office worked out because if it did, then next year she’d actually get the week off between Christmas and New Year.
Finally, her shift ended, and she couldn’t escape fast enough. The drive to the farm proved simple enough, highway to country road to another country road. She parked behind Ares’ truck and noted the Jeep Selene drove was gone. They’d left for their cruise as planned.
Before Charlotte had her foot on the first porch step, the door opened, spilling warm light and delicious smells, as well as an excited kid.
“Mama, you’re home!” Greta held out her arms, and Charlotte scooped up her daughter for a hug.