“I’m going to talk to my lawyer about how he thinks I should bring things up to Mike.”

“Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? Mike got an apartment without talking to you, introduced his girlfriend to the girls without talking to you, and now you’re going to talk to your lawyer about how you should talk to the father of your kids about something that affects you all?” I’m unable to hide my disgust. “Honest to God, you and Mike need to learn how to communicate with each other, because the girls are getting older, and there’s going to be things that come up with them that will require the two of you to be on the same page without using someone as a go-between.”

“You think I don’t know that?” she asks, sounding angry.

“I’m not saying you don’t know it, Cece. I’m asking what you’re going to do to change the way things are right now, because Mike isn’t going to be the one to address the issues, since he doesn’t have any issues to address. For him, everything is perfect. He’s living life like he always did, while everything for you has changed completely.”

“I wish things were as easy as you’re making them seem they are.”

“And I wish you’d understand that you’re making this harder than it needs to be. The conversation you need to have with him doesn’t have to be ugly or confrontational. It just has to be honest. Mike might not know what he’s doing is hurting the girls and making things more difficult for you, because you’ve never said anything to him. He might not think it’s a big deal that he only sees the girls one day a week, because he talks to them every night and is available if they call. You won’t know how he will react until you talk to him, and after that, if he doesn’t say he’s willing to work on things, then you talk to your lawyer. But I have a feeling you might be surprised by his reaction. Both of you love the girls, and both of you want what’s best for them. The two of you just need to learn how to talk to each other about stuff before it boils over.”

“I’ll talk to him,” she agrees quietly. “I’ll see if he can meet me tomorrow evening when he gets off work.”

“I think that would be good,” I say, relief evident in my voice.

“Are we okay?”

“Almost.” I let out a breath. “I’m sorry for bringing things up in front of Talon’s family. It was rude, and I should have had better control,” I say, not sure when I will be ready to face Talon’s mom or the rest of his family after my outburst and behavior.

“It’s fine, and they all agreed with you and wanted to go after you to make sure you were okay, but we knew you would be with Talon and he’d take care of you.”

“They had my back?”

“Oh yeah… well, I mean, Sophie and November gathered around me to make sure I was okay, even though I could tell they didn’t agree with me at all, but April, Nalia, and Willow were just as outraged as you were and nicely let me have it.” I listen to her take a deep breath. “I know it’s not my place, but I have to tell you that you better not mess up what you and Talon have, because I promise you will regret it. It’s not just that he’s such a good guy, and there aren’t very many out there anymore; it’s also that he has the family he does.”

“I’m not going to mess up what he and I have, and I know exactly how lucky I am that he decided to pursue me.” I smile. “I’m just glad he was as determined as he was.”

“I’m happy for you.” She reaches for my hand then pulls me into a hug. “I love you.”

“I love you too, and you should know that no matter what happens, I will always be here for you and the girls.”

“I know.” She gives me a squeeze then lets me go. “Now that we’ve talked, I’m going to bed, since I need to get up early.”

“What time do you have to get up?”

“I’m setting my alarm for 6:30. That way I can shower before I need to leave the house.”

“Just think, if Mike were dropping them off, you wouldn’t have to get up so early, and we could go out to breakfast, which we haven’t done in forever.”

“I know, I know, and like I said, I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” I can’t see her roll her eyes, but I can hear her sigh.

“Night.” I laugh.

“Yeah, night.”

I listen to her pad off down the hall then fill up my glass once more and head for the bedroom. Not wanting to make any noise, I open the door slowly so it doesn’t squeak like it sometimes does, finding my endeavor pointless, because Talon is up in bed with light coming in from the bathroom. “Honey, you really need to get some bedside tables and lamps. And not to overwhelm you, but maybe you could even add a few pictures to make it feel more like a bedroom and less like a prison cell.”

“A prison cell?” He chuckles, and I grin at him, noticing the kittens and Soma are gone, so he probably woke when they wanted out, which means he probably heard me talking to Cece. I set my glass on the only surface in the room, which is the dresser, before going to the bed when he wiggles his fingers at me. “We can go shopping for shit when you move in here with me.”

“When I move in with you?” I pause with one knee on the bed.

“Yeah, when you move in.” He reaches for me then hauls me across the mattress to him before rolling me to my back. Once he’s pinned me with his leg between mine, his warm palm moves up my bare thigh.

“Talon,” I whisper.

“I know it’s not going to be tomorrow, baby, but when it happens, you’re free to change whatever you want to make this our home.” My throat burns as I look into his eyes. I’ve never been a crier, but I swear since I met this man, I’ve shed more tears than I have in my whole life. The only difference is they are always tears of happiness. To hide the sudden rush of emotions I’m feeling, I lift my neck and nip his bottom lip. “My shirt’s wet. Help me get it off.” I feel him smile against my lips then moan when he moves his hand between my legs, cupping my sex through the thin material of my panties.

“Funny, this is the only place that feels wet to me.”

“That’s strange,” I whimper as he slides my panties to the side and his middle finger rolls over my clit, causing my back to arch off the bed.

“Talon.” I bite my lip and latch onto his bicep, digging my nails into his skin as he sinks two fingers inside me.

“What, baby?”

I don’t answer him. Honestly, I couldn’t answer him even if I wanted to, not with his thumb moving in tight, quick circles over my clit while he taps against my G-spot with two fingers, drawing me closer and closer to an orgasm that is building at a blinding speed. My breath catches, and I come, seeing stars as I clamp my thighs around his arm, holding it hostage before going limp.

“You okay?” he asks, nipping my bottom lip.

“No.” I slip my hand down the front of his boxers and wrap my hand around him, sliding up then down once and listening to him groan. He moves my hand away, and I lick my lips as he takes off his boxers. I wiggle out of my panties before sitting up on my knees and taking off my shirt.

He kneels before me, and I rest my palms against his warm skin, wondering how it’s possible something so hard can still be so soft. I moan as his hands wrap around my thighs then whimper as I fall back to the bed and his thighs settle between mine. I wrap my legs around his hips as he kisses me and move my hands up and down the smooth skin of his back as his cock nudges my entrance.