Page 23 of His Vivacious Angel
“Fuck, angel,” I groan under my breath, my cock twitching, barely resisting the urge to look down once more.
“Ha! Knew it.”
I count my lucky stars when Sebastian runs to me just then with a carton of apple juice so I can unwrap the plastic straw and poke it through, saving me from Autumn’s horrible teasing. Benjamin is an early crawler, and he makes his way from his activity mat to tap Autumn’s leg with his chubby palm, and she swiftly lifts him. Josephine skips back, wearing a new sundress and a poofy, white headband.
“That would be dinner,” I say when the timer on the oven goes off. It’s another stroke of luck, since I get to turn away from Autumn’s victorious posture.
“I’m starving,” Josephine says, taking Autumn’s hand and dragging her to the kitchen table.
Autumn gives Josephine an apologetic smile. “Sorry, honey, I have to get home. My family is expecting me for dinner.”
Josephine asks, “Ooh, can I come too?”
Autumn flicks her eyes above Josephine’s head to me.
After pulling the steaming dish of homemade enchiladas from the oven and setting it aside to cool, I squeeze Josephine’s shoulders. “Not tonight.”
“Why not?” Josephine asks with a pout.
“I’m sure Autumn is tired, and besides, I want to have dinner with my best girl.”
Strangely, Autumn looks as disappointed as Josephine.
Bending to give Josephine a one-armed hug, Autumnnarrows her eyes at me, daring me to object when she tells Josephine, “You can come next time.”
I barely manage to keep from groaning because Josephine immediately brightens and says, “Okay!”
Autumn kisses Benjamin’s cheek automatically before passing him to me and gathering all her shopping bags, save for one.
I grab the small bag she missed when I walk her to the door, and I dip my head. Lowering my voice, I tell Autumn, “You can’t promise her things like that without consulting me first.”
Autumn’s mouth tightens, like she wants to challenge me, but she must know I’m right. I lift a brow, waiting for her to acknowledge what I said as she lingers just inside the door. Her attention drifts to the kitchen table for a long, silent minute before bringing her gaze back to my face.
“Fine, I’ll run it by you next time,” she says sourly, then lifts her bags. “Don’t forget, you owe me. And you better not send me something ridiculous, like four dollars and seventeen cents.”
“As if you’d let me get away with it.” I regret not sending her money earlier. Three hundred dollars would have been a steal. I’m sure she’s blown right past that amount, if the wicked gleam glowing in her eyes is anything to go by. “Here, you forgot one,” I say, trying to hand her the last shopping bag.
Autumn cracks a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes when she looks wistfully toward the kitchen. “That one’s for you.”
“For me?” I peek inside the bag, finding two colorful ties that will clash with my suits, funny-patterned socks, and a white gold tie pin shaped like a sword. I’m touched, lost for words for how much these gifts mean to me, even if I’m theone who’s going to end up paying for them. I choke out, “Thank you.”
“See you tomorrow, BigDawg,” she says, breezing out the door.
I’m already dreading it, since this sarcastic yet sweet angel will more than likely disappear, and she’ll go right back to giving me hell at the office. I already miss this side of her.
“We need to talk,” I tell Autumn when she strides into the office right after me on Monday morning, and I quickly close the door.
She stows her purse in her desk drawer, then crosses her arms. “About what?”
I drop my laptop bag on my desk and shrug off my jacket to hang it on a hook. “About you and Josephine.”
With a ghost of a smile, she eyes the bright green tie and sword pin she had gifted me that I’ve chosen to wear. “What about her? Is she okay?”
A knot forms at the base of my throat as I sit on the edge of my desk and shake my head. “She told me last night she wishes you were her mom, and she cried herself to sleep.”
“Oh.” Autumn drops her arms to twist her hands together. “How was she this morning?”
“I could barely get her up and dressed for school, and she didn’t respond to Lainey when they saw each other.”
