Never to Keep (Accepting Fate #1) (21 page)

“I’m here to pick up Peyton,” he announced.

“Does Madison know? She asked me to bring Peyton home today.” Peyton already had her pizza toppings picked out for the night. I loved that she picked something different every day to suit her mood.

“It’ll be a pleasant surprise. Based on the way she kissed me the other day, she’ll be begging for more.” He was now number one on my hit list followed closely by the asshole who attacked Madison. I took a swig of water from the bottle I kept on my desk. I fought the urge to rub my chest as a smoldering burn slowly grew; I didn’t want Ethan to misinterpret the action. What an inconvenient time for my first case of acid reflux to suddenly occur.

I didn’t have any right to be upset with Madison over the alleged kiss. She wasn’t mine. I hadn’t and wouldn’t offer her any kind of commitment. I could only hope to thoroughly satisfy her, so she would keep coming back for more until it was time to move on. “She might need something bland to help her recover from the six orgasms I gave her Saturday night.” That might have been a slight exaggeration; despite what I’d told Madison, I hadn’t kept score. He didn’t need to know about our encounter the night before.

“I’ll have her call you to babysit while we ‘nap’ for a few hours,” he said.

Not going to happen, buddy. I can cock block with the best of them.
I kept my external composure intact. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of goading me into an emotional reaction.

“So, you plan to abandon Peyton all evening, so you can fuck an injured woman? Has it been so long since someone’s touched your
little
happy place that you’d ignore an innocent child to get laid?” Madison would never let that happen. “I know firsthand Madison has the most delectable pussy on the planet, but nothing is worth neglecting a kid.”

“You did the same,” he accused. It took every ounce of my willpower to keep from blackening his accusing eyes.

“For your information, Peyton was sound asleep. And I didn’t take advantage of Madison while she was in pain. If you remember, I said I gave
her
orgasms. Orgasms she begged for, by the way.” My tongue swept over my lips at the memory. “She’s absolutely delicious, don’t you think? I could spend all night camped out between her thighs.” I bet he’d never put her pleasure ahead of his own.

“I don’t want you anywhere near them outside of school hours.” His voice raised an octave as he continued to unravel.

“Peyton wants to stay and help me decorate the room. How about you go on over and get your rocks off? I’ll bring Pey home when we’re done.” I doubted Madison would fuck him if she knew Peyton could come home at any time. The woman didn’t have a child of her own, but she was the best mother I’d ever met—aside from my own, of course.

“You’ve spent all week with them. It’s my turn.”

“It’s only Wednesday.”
Dumbass.

“You’ve spent the past four days with them. Stay the fuck away from my girls.” I waited a few seconds to see if the bulging vein in his forehead would explode. I should quit poking him, since I wasn’t in the mood to clean up a bloody mess.
A couple more jabs won’t hurt.

“They aren’t your property. You aren’t Peyton’s father, and last time I checked Madison didn’t have a ring on her finger.” And there wouldn’t be a ring on her finger until long after I was out of the picture.

“I’m the closest thing Peyton has to a father and Madison has to a husband.” He leaned over the desk, putting his face a short inch away from mine. “I better not see your ugly face anywhere near their house again. I have connections to the school board and can make your life a living hell.”

“You’re resorting to name calling and idle threats? Are you sure you’re old enough to drive Peyton home?”

His face glowed ruby red. “You’ve been warned, Ramsay. Keep your distance.”

Yeah, like I would listen to that.

*

I parked in the hospital’s lot, hoping to maintain the element of surprise. The light of the late afternoon sun didn’t help, but there was no way I would wait until dark. I made my way through her backyard and around to the front of the house with two pizza boxes in hand. I didn’t bother knocking, since the door was unlocked.

I walked into the living room and was greeted by the back of Ethan’s head, which sported a freshly shorn tight fade, sticking up over the back of the couch.
Did he make Peyton sit around a barber shop instead of letting her decorate with me?
He took a swig from a bottle of domestic beer and kept his eyes trained on a televised baseball game.

“I thought you were spending time with
your
girls. Funny, I don’t see them anywhere.”

He spun around at the sound of my voice. “I thought I told you to stay the fuck away!”

“Where are they?” I asked. He pinched his lips together and glared. A crash echoed from the kitchen.

“Get out before they see you.” He tried to hide the fact that he was now more worried by my presence than angry.

“Let me get this straight…,” I paused for a beat to tamp down my anger, “she’s badly hurt, and you’re sitting on your ass while she cooks your dinner?”

“She insisted. I know how to pick my battles with her, remember? She’s been mine most of her life.” He smirked and casually went back to watching the game. He’d have to do better than that if he was trying to get me to lose it in front of the girls.

“Are there any battles you choose to fight? That’s probably why she’s not yours anymore.” I stormed into the kitchen while his sorry ass remained planted in front of the TV.

“Hey there, I wasn’t expecting you,” she said as she emptied a dustpan full of broken glass into the trashcan. One look at Madison’s smile was all it took to release the tension from my spine. I looked around the room and didn’t see Peyton.

“Are you okay? Did you get cut?”

“I’m fine, just clumsy today. What do you have there?” She admired the boxes in my hands.

“Put the hamburger back in the fridge. I brought dinner, so you wouldn’t have to cook.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead and leaned around her to set the pizza boxes on the counter.

“You’re spoiling us; this is the third day in a row. I’m going to need new pants if you keep this up much longer.” She still had quite a few pounds to go until her ass would be back to its former glory.

“I’ll buy you anything you need, although I wish you could walk around naked all day.” The rhythm of her giggle was almost as sexy as the lilt of her voice.

“You won’t be able to afford to buy anything if you keep bringing us pizza.” She gave me a grin and then shoved a corner piece in her mouth. “Not that I’m complaining,” she said around a mouthful of pepperoni goodness.

“Yay! Pizza!” Peyton scampered into the room and wrapped her arms tightly around my legs. “I was worried I’d have to eat hamburger macaroni,” she whispered conspiratorially before shuddering in mock horror.

“Can I help with the PK configuration tonight? I think I remember everything you taught me.” I looked forward to hanging out with Peyton in her natural habitat. She was absolutely adorable, as usual, and most of the time acted like she didn’t have a care in the world.

“Sure!”

“Kitchen or dining room?” I asked Madison. Peyton nodded her approval of my adherence to protocol.

“Dining room, since Ethan is here.” She didn’t look as happy about Ethan being here as he’d predicted.

“Aren’t you guys tired of pizza yet?” I asked.

“It’s been forever since we had it. We probably better switch it up soon for nutritional reasons, though.”

Peyton and I set the table while Madison cleaned up the kitchen. The beauty of the PK configuration was that it allowed plenty of elbow room while leaving enough space to spread out up to four sixteen-inch boxes. The truly amazing thing was that everyone, including Peyton, could reach all of the boxes without leaving their seat. I learned the value of this the night before when I mistakenly asked Peyton to hand me a couple of pieces of sausage and onion. Turns out Millers don’t stop eating to pass food—and it’s not a good idea to ask.

Peyton scowled at Ethan throughout dinner. He stayed plastered to Madison’s side, intentionally breaking the prescribed pizza night formation. Ethan’s seating chart violation ruined the tradition and irritated the shit out of the little girl to my right. I didn’t like for Peyton to be upset, but I didn’t mind that Ethan wasn’t in her good graces.

Sawyer

The four of us moved to the living room after dinner. Ethan clung to Madison, which left an attention-starved Peyton wide open for me. I’d nearly forgotten his presence during a lively discussion with Peyton about the top teams in college football. I was astounded by the sheer volume of stats and trivia she had committed to memory.

Madison randomly hollered, “Ohio State,” in our general direction because Ethan made it nearly impossible for her to join in. Peyton figured out that her interjections were not-so-random after all and used that to her advantage. In the course of an hour, Peyton got Madison to accidentally say things about Ohio State that any other fan would consider an act of treason.

“What’s the deal with Ohio State?” I asked when Ethan’s attention flickered to the television for a split second. Madison turned her entire body toward me in an attempt to break free from her human barnacle.

“Alma mater…makes them my home team.” She smiled warmly. I wondered if she was also thinking about our first conversation. “Who’s your favorite team?” she asked with a wink.

“Ohio State.” I’d learned my lesson that night at the bar: it’s always best to agree with the lady I’m trying to impress.

“Good boy. You’re going to make some girl very happy one day.” I let her comment go. I knew she was joking, and I wasn’t about to say anything in front of Ethan. He didn’t need to know that I didn’t plan to stick around for the long haul.

Ethan turned the channel to a stupid romantic comedy and dimmed the lamp beside him. I wanted to break the arm he wrapped around Madison’s shoulders. Apparently, he didn’t find it inappropriate to put the moves on her, even though a child was in the room.

I stood and stretched my arms over my head. I was extremely pleased to find Madison’s eyes trained on my exposed stomach. “C’mon, squirt, let’s go play Boggle.” I needed to get her innocent eyes away from the douchebag before he decided to go to second base in front of her.

“Actually, it’s bath time for everyone less than ten years old and dish washing time for everyone greater than or equal to twenty-seven.”

“You’re seriously going to make me do the dishes with Ramsay?” Ethan bitched.

“Actually, I’m only twenty-six. You’re on your own, buddy.” I patted Ethan’s shoulder in consolation. I bent over and picked up Peyton from the loveseat we’d shared all evening. I flipped the little girl, so she hung upside-down from my forearm by her knees. The adorable squeal that erupted from her tiny body nearly caused me to melt. If I wasn’t careful, she’d have me wrapped around her little finger in no time. Hell, she probably already did. I firmed up my grip on her legs and carried her up the stairs.

“Fine, I’ll do it for my best girl,” Ethan said as I started back down the steps a few minutes later. As soon as I walked into the living room, he pulled Madison into his body and grabbed her ass. “I’m glad you’ve been eating more. I love having something to hold on to back here.”

I needed to walk away before I beat the shit out of him. Unfortunately, Madison saw me before I could make a quiet escape. “I’m going to hit the head,” I tossed the words over my shoulder as I stormed down the short hall to the half-bath. At least he’d have no reason to maul her if I wasn’t there to antagonize.

I splashed cold water on my face to clear my head. A gust of wind hit my back as the door flew open unexpectedly. I looked up into the mirror and found Madison’s hungry gaze fixed on my ass. She continued into the room, pausing only long enough to lock the door quietly behind her. She came to a stop when her full breasts were pressed into my back. She laid her splayed palms on my sides and slid them around my body until her arms were wrapped around my waist.

“Everything okay?” I asked, barely above a whisper.

“You, sir, have been torturing me all night. I don’t think I’ve ever been so turned on in my life.”

“I find that hard to believe. You were pretty damned horny last night. Besides, I’ve barely touched you today. Are you sure you aren’t mistaking me for Ethan?”

“Trust me, there’s no mistake.” Her hands shifted lower and got to work on my belt buckle. “You have no idea how sexy it is to watch a big, strong, handsome man make my kid so happy. I think you deserve a reward.”

I spun around and sealed my lips to hers, cradling her head in my hands. Her hands moved up my chest and eventually tangled in my hair. I savored the contrast between the softness of her mouth and the fierceness of her desire. I had to make every moment count, since I didn’t know if it would be our last time. Ethan could convince her to go back to him. I knew I would leave her eventually, but I hadn’t given serious consideration to the thought of her leaving me until now.