Part 23 (1/2)
”I'd rather drink from you than some random cow. Think about it. You're the one that stopped eating meat after a similar realization.”
”Okay, but despite that, you do realize the average person would find your drinking breast milk very bizarre.”
”No. Bizarre would be if I stood in line while you were feeding her and asked to go next.”
That actually made me chuckle. ”True, but what's gonna happen when you start dating someone? You think she's going to accept you drinking another woman's breast milk? Or even that you had in the past?”
”I'll worry about that when I have to.”
It felt like a good opportunity to pry. ”So, you're not seeing anyone?”
He glanced at me from over his mug with amus.e.m.e.nt in his eyes. ”I'm pretty sure you know the answer to that, Amelia. If I'm not here, then I'm at Sandy's, and then I come home. When would I be seeing said person?”
”I know. I guess I'm just confused.”
He slammed the ceramic mug down on the granite. ”Okay. Explain why you're confused.”
”You're obviously extremely attractive. You're a musician on top of that. You have women literally throwing themselves at you. It's been a month since you broke up with Jade. I keep expecting you to walk in here with someone. That's all.”
”You think I'm a manwh.o.r.e when I'm single...”
”I've only experienced you with a girlfriend, so I don't really know.”
He placed his hands on the table and leaned into me. What he said next gave me the chills. ”I love to f.u.c.k. LOVE it. More than anything.” Those words went straight to my loins. He sat back and crossed his arms. ”But the more experience I have, the more I realize that you have to be careful out there. I don't sleep around anymore like I used to.”
I decided to mess with him. ”That's interesting that you say that because I was thinking that casual s.e.x may be my only option.”
He nearly spit out his coffee. ”Oh really?”
”Yeah. You actually helped with that realization.”
”Did I, now? I'd like to hear this.”
”Think about it. Like you were saying...any man that's going to end up with me has to be in it for the long haul. It takes a really long time to figure that stuff out, right? I can't be celibate forever while I wait to see if Mr. Right wants to be a father to my daughter. I, too, like to f.u.c.k.”
His eyes widened. ”I see.”
”Although in recent years, I haven't slept around, it might be better for me at this point in my life to just have meaningless s.e.x with a trusted person who's on the same page. He'd have to be clean of course, have all the proper tests.”
”Are you serious right now?”
”I'm dead serious.”
I was starting to become a little convinced of my own argument. It did make some sense.
He mocked, ”And where exactly are you gonna find this man who is just looking for casual f.u.c.king but also happens to be a clean, respectable person that you can bring around your daughter? Oh, and this guy is apparently not sleeping with anyone else at the same time? Yeah. That makes sense.”
”I wouldn't be bringing any man around Bea unless it was serious. So, he wouldn't be getting to know my daughter.”
”Where would you be meeting up with said man then?”
”Hotels.”
”Who's going to be watching Bea when you're f.u.c.king this guy in a motel?”
I snorted. ”You?”
”Please tell me you're kidding. Because I'm about to f.u.c.king lose it.”
”Want the honest truth?”
”Yes.”
”For the most part I am kidding. But I do think that I may need to find someone to satisfy my needs at some point, someone who I can trust but who understands that it wouldn't be anything more than s.e.x.”
He gritted his teeth. ”Someone like Roger next door...”
”Maybe...”
His face turned red in anger as he got up and put his mug in the sink. ”That's just great, Amelia. Just f.u.c.king great.”
That was the last thing he said before stomping up the stairs to start his work day.
He never came down that afternoon.
Justin was mad...and jealous as h.e.l.l. It hadn't even been subtle.
I'd told him I was giving him the honest truth; that really wasn't the case. Because the real truth was that there was only one man I'd dreamt of f.u.c.king in a hotel-and that was him.
Justin still seemed moody that night. He was flipping through the channels at lightning speed without even really paying attention. When my phone vibrated on the coffee table, he picked it up and looked down at the caller I.D.
A look of shock washed over his face as he handed me the phone. ”It's Adam.”
s.h.i.+t.
I'd left Adam a voice message the other day, asking if he was interested in coming down to Newport to meet Bea. Seeing him was the last thing I wanted, but I felt that I owed it to my daughter to at least attempt to establish a relations.h.i.+p between them.
Justin watched me like a hawk as I answered.
”h.e.l.lo?”
Adam's voice sounded a bit m.u.f.fled. ”Hey.”
”I'm a.s.suming you got my voicemail.”
There was some static; he must have been driving. ”Yeah. Ashlyn's away. I can come down this weekend. When is a good time?”
He can only come down because Ashlyn is away? Real nice.