Page 90 of The Coldest: Stay Dangerous Part 2

My back hits the seat. My lips haven’t stopped tingling.

His promise settles in as the car begins to move.

“One year.”

Part Three

The Coldest

(Beginning of Kismet)

Wyn

I peel Auty off me and pad out of the room to the guest bathroom. My bladder is about to explode, but I couldn’t move until Auty was asleep.

I’ve been back in Kenton for about six hours. Five and a half of them were spent listening to Auty catch me up on everything I’ve missed in the last year, before she tired herself out and fell asleep.

Patience and Turkey left us alone. Deucey, thankfully, was asleep when I got here, or I know I would have just had to pee on myself.

After emptying my bladder and washing my hands, I tiptoe to the back, where the nursery is.

My eyes stretch, as all my teeth show. “You knew I was coming, huh?”

Rue Bea is standing in her crib, eyes as wide as mine as she peers at me. She’s so chunky, chunkier than Deucey was. One of her socks is off, and her hair is sticking up in two different places.

I walk up to her crib, keeping the lights dim. Her eyes track me, and when I’m close enough, she lets go of the crib, opening and closing her little fists in the air.

I pick her up, pressing her close to me. “Hi, niecey pooh.”

She lays her head on my shoulder before fisting my shirt. I rock her gently, taking the slowest steps I can as I look at every nook and cranny in her nursery.

It’s like a rainbow threw up in here. Rue Bea is painted in a loud pink on the wall behind her crib. I’m sure when she gets older, she’ll want to paint over that.

“Don’t tell your brother this, but I always wanted a niece. I can’t wait to make you a diva in training.” My cheek leans on her head briefly before I stop at her changing station.

“Oh great. You’ll change her.”

I turn around and frown at Patience. “Um, no.”

Patience shakes her head, but she comes and grabs her child from me. She’s dressed in an athletic set, her hair barely pulled back in a bun.

“Are you about to work out?”

“Uh huh. A light jog around the neighborhood.” She places Rue on the table and glances at me. “If you wanna come, you got five minutes to change.”

Not knowing anything else but morning workouts for the past year, I hightail it back to the guest room, where my luggage is, and pull out some leggings and a shorts bra. After brushing my teeth quickly, I rush to the living room, where I saw a beanie hanging off the couch. I know my hair needs some product, but I’ll deal with it later.

Patience grins, deep dimples denting her cheeks as she fiddles with her wired earplugs. “Ready?”

“Yup.”

She stops by her front door to really take me in. Instinctively, I cover my nipples. They’re always hard from my very expensive boob job courtesy of Set, but I still don't wanna give Patience any ideas.

It would be just my luck she tells Auty I liked her checking me out.

But Patience just nods appreciatively. “You look good, Wynter. You’ve put on a lot of muscle. Let’s see if you got some endurance, too.”

I scoff at endurance. Six hours, and I miss that lunatic already. My stomach caves in, and my hands itch to call him. He’d be up at this hour, too. Mars wouldn’t let him sleep in.