Things We Never Got Over

“Daze, you need to stop gettin’ yourself so worked up over this custody thing.

“Or maybe,” he whispered against my lips, “I just want to know what it feels like to have your smart mouth wrapped around my cock.”

I held the phone up to my face and screamed into it.

I’d lost myself while trying to convince someone else that I was what he wanted. I’d forgotten who I was because I’d let someone else take over the definition.

One thing you gotta understand, Naomi. If there’s anything in this world you want, I’m gonna get it for you. No questions asked. You want it, it’s yours.

spend the rest of my life trying to be the kind of man who deserves you. So that’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna remember how fucking lucky I am, every single day. And I’m gonna do my best to be the best for you.

“I don’t deserve you,

You’re the one who has to live your life. Don’t apologize to other people for the decisions you make for yourself.”

“I want the wedding sooner rather than later. I’m not wasting another minute without making you my wife. You can have anything you want. A big church wedding. A backyard barbecue. A five-figure wedding dress. But I have one demand.”

Of course it was a demand and not a request. “What’s that?”

“I want daisies in your hair.”

I brought the heels of my hands to my eyes. “My parents are…”

“Movin’ to Knockemout.”

“How did you do this? How did you… Waylay gets to grow up with her grandparents right next door!” Every damn dream I’d ever had was coming true, and he was making it happen.

“One thing you gotta understand, Naomi. If there’s anything in this world you want, I’m gonna get it for you. No questions asked. You want it, it’s yours. So here.” He thrust a stack of papers at me.

Blindly, I held them up. They looked like some kind of legal contract. “What are these?”

“Flip to the signature page,” he instructed.

I followed the handy yellow tab and found my sister’s signature scrawled across the line.

The words “guardianship” and “parental rights” popped off the page.

“Oh my God,” I whispered.

“She signed over parental rights to you. It’s official. No more hearings or home visits. Way is ours.”

I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe. I could only cry silently.

“Damn it, baby. I hate when you do this,” Knox grumbled, gathering me up and dropping me in his lap.

I nodded, still crying as I wrapped my arms around him and held on tight.

“Now, it’s time for something I want.”

The man could have anything as far as I was concerned. Both my kidneys. My favorite purse. Anything at all.