Page 33 of York

Why wasn’t he at work?

What did he do for work?

Clearly, he had a good job if he could afford to get us an apartment while living somewhere else. And dropping hundreds on toys and arcade games.

Did he work remotely? Or did he own a business?

I’d made a whole human being with this man, and I knew next to nothing about him other than he was patient, generous, rode a motorcycle, and could give me an unholy number of orgasms in a row.

I didn’t expect that last part to pop into my head. Nor did I anticipate how strongly my body would react to the sudden memory. It was breath-stealing realizing how hard desire pressed on me, begging to be noticed, to be satisfied.

Because, yeah, there were no men in my life once I knew Denali was on board. How could there be? The first few months of her life were a sleep-deprived, achy blur. Then it was all juggling work, motherhood, and trying to figure out our future. After that, it was survival, living life on the road and in motels, trying to keep us fed and clothed while we kept losing everything when we had to up and leave on a dime.

The last thing I needed during all of that was a man complicating things more.

Though, clearly, my body had been keeping score of how long it had been. And remembering how efficiently York could make it all better.

I did my best to shake those thoughts away as I helped Denali into a one-piece suit with long sleeves, so I had less area to worry about burning, added her sunscreen, grabbed a change of clothes, then got myself changed as well.

I did trust York, but pools were a whole different beast with kids. You couldn’t look away for a second. Which meant I was getting in the pool too.

My suit was also a one-piece, all black, with white straps and border. It was straight out of the ‘90s. Because it probably was. Like virtually everything I owned, it was thrifted. I added my own sunblock, tied up my hair, pulled on shorts and a T-shirt, then hauled Denali’s bag of toys she insisted on bringing with us.

When we got there, York was waiting in the driveway beside another man who was a little shorter, a little softer in his frame, with a round face, tanned skin, and a bright smile.

“Heya, princess,” he greeted Denali as she rushed out to say hello to him.

I lagged behind, grabbing the bags, only to have York lift them from my arms.

“This is Eddie. Eddie, Runa.” Clearly, Denali had already said hello.

“Hey, pretty mama. Heard a lot about you.”

“Give Eddie your keys.”

“What? No.”

York shot me a smile. “He’s going to take your car to the shop. Your brakes need work.” He mumbled something else under his breath that I couldn’t quite make out. “This is the perfect time to get them worked on.”

“You’re a mechanic?” I asked Eddie.

“Work at a repair and parts shop and everything,” Eddie said.

“I promise he will bring it back,” York said. “Better than he left with it, too.”

I was being overprotective about it. But it was my literal means to escape in case life went sideways again. That being said, things were stable. I could let it go for a few hours.

“Well, thank you, Eddie,” I said, passing him my keys. “And you,” I said to York, who shrugged that right off.

“You sure you got everything you need out of the car?” Eddie asked. “No stray stuffed animal under the seat?”

“Nope. We’re all set.”

With that, Eddie was off with our car, and we were following York around the back of the house where not only was there a built-in pool, but also a giant inflatable TV. It was too bright to see anything on it, but music played from a speaker somewhere.

“What’s that?” Denny asked, pointing toward a rock-enclosed area.

“That is where the tortoise lives. Tortoises are menaces. He broke out of every other enclosure until we used those big rocks.”