“Please tell me you didn't flirt with the Incredible Hulk’s woman.”I grumbled in pain after touching my split lip and seeing a drop of blood on my finger.“Fuck.”“Jacob?” I turned my attention to Vivienne, who kept unmoving from the front door with her eyes fix behind me where Kane disappeared, “Who the hell is that mastodont of a man who thinks he owns this house? Should I take my daughter and run? Call the police? Pull out my dart gun?”“No, baby. Don't do any of that,” I sighed, and was grateful when she came over to me with her hand outstretched to help me up. “Kane is harmless.”Vivienne snorted.“Says the man who ended up on the ground thanks to the harmless Kane.”“I promise you it's all right,” I insisted, pulling her to me once I was on my feet. “Why don't you stay with Taylor until Silvia gets here? I know you’ll feel better that way.”“Who’s that guy, Jacob?”I couldn't help the look of embarrassment that showed on my face.“Hmm, he’s my best friend.”“Your best friend,”
“I'm so sorry, Taylor,” Kane said with concern, seeing my daughter retching to the side of the pen where we stood. “It’s okay,” Taylor murmured, still with her hands on her knees and her eyes fixed on the grass. “You didn't know I'd end up throwing up.” “What’s happening?” George asked, approaching us, “Why is Taylor throwing up?” “Kane thought it would be safer for me to sit on his shoulders instead of the fence to watch Mom working with the goats,” Taylor explained, straightening up with pale face and unsteady voice. “But it was weird being so high up and with Kane moving from one side to the other…it didn't feel good.” “I'm so sorry, honey,” The tall man said again, crouching down beside her. “I figured that after living here, you'd be used to riding horses and stuff.” “This isn't that kind of place,” I explained, climbing over the fence so I could look at his face once he straightened up. “People aren't allowed to use animals in that way, and Taylor never thought about riding
“Are you sure you're okay?” This wasn't the first time I'd asked him the same thing in the last week.“I'm fine,” It wasn't the first time he’d answered me that either.It had been nine days exactly since Kane returned to Main Port, and two days after his parting, the nightmares started.Or rather, they returned.I’d never witnessed someone wake up so abruptly from a nightmare, and after that first time, the nightmares had become a constant in the last week.As Jacob had told me, the nightmares had been a recurring thing after the accident, but he refused to tell me what they were about, so I didn't understand what had happened in the last days to make the nightmares come back.“You haven't been sleeping, baby,” I murmured, moving slowly to him, but as always when I brought it up, Jacob moved away from me with a blank face.“I told you I'm fine,” He blurted out with more force than necessary. “I just wanted to know how your morning was. I know some puppies from the litter that arrived
“Are you sure you want to do this?”“I've never been as sure of anything as I am right now, babe,” I answered, not taking my eyes off the work the boy in front of us was doing.“Taylor is going to love it,” Vivienne sighed, letting her head fall onto my shoulder. “Though I don't think she'll be too surprised when she sees your present.”“But then she'll know I'm dead serious about her mother.”“Baby, you had another one of your surprised conversations with the girl. You told her you loved me, I think she knows how serious you feel towards me. And Jacob, enough with the presents. Half the things you've bought her are unnecessary.”“Hey, Peter's had her too long with him. Everything makes me think of her.”I couldn't stop my reply from coming out in the form of a complaint, but it was the truth.Peter had taken Taylor to Portland to visit both her maternal and paternal grandparents, and I never imagined how much I would miss the little girl.I’d grown used to having both Taylor and Vivi
“How do I look?”“Baby, I already told you, I want to eat you whole.”“I'm nervous Jacob. Why am I so nervous?”I couldn't help but laugh as I walked over to hug her.“Because your family and mine are finally meeting, my love.”“That's stupid. They already know each other. They are friends. My parents know more about your parents’ oral hygiene than you do. Your Dad helped mine to have all those offices across the country.”“But they never thought their children would end up together,” I murmured against her neck as my hands began to caress her ass through the green dress she was wearing. “Hmm, tell me you're wearing underwear, please.”“Are you crazy? I can't wear underwear with this dress without it showing, so don't let me bend for anything in the world.”I groaned in pain knowing that we didn't have time to take advantage of the situation.“Vivienne, why do you have to let me know such things when our guests are about to arrive?”“Well, maybe five minutes in the pantry will do the
“Hmm, I'm not understanding anything.”“This is your punishment.”Jacob looked intensely at the expanses of lights I was offering to him and then looked back at me blankly.“You did see the employees decorated the house, right? There's even a fucking Santa on the ceiling peeking out of a fake chimney next to the real chimney, Vivienne. There are so many lights, the damn house can be seen from space.”“Yes, but only in the front.”“What?”“They only decorated the front,” I said once more.“Did you hear what I just said?” An exasperated Jacob let out, “Vivienne...”“You kept information about this damned place from me, Jacob Simon,” I interrupted, my tone harsher than normal. “There's a fucking lawsuit against The Eden. The lives of dozens of cows are at stake in this lawsuit, and you kept it a secret.”He looked at me frustrated.“I hate it when you say my full name,” He said, messing his hair. “It's not that important, Vivienne. We’re gonna win. Those animals will have better lives on
This was stupid.My balls were freezing and I was pretty sure there were two sets of eyes on my ass at the moment.I knew Vivienne would be upset when she found out about the lawsuit, but I thought she'd put it aside after realizing that Peter would be spending a lot of time at the shelter.So here I was, six feet off the ground, in the dead of winter, putting up Christmas lights that would serve no purpose unless we're crazy enough to want to be outside in this freezing cold.I didn't want to be outside. I wanted to be in the comfort of my own home, drinking hot chocolate like the pair were doing behind my back and watching some Christmas movie with my girls.I couldn't believe my luck.“Shouldn’t you be working?” I snapped when Peter made his comment, which I knew had nothing to do with Christmas decorations and everything to do with me being used as a sexual object.“It's Saturday, Coleman. And we're celebrating Christmas and all that shit... That light looks a little crooked. Vivi
“How come you haven't seen her yet?”“I'm still in the waiting room,” I replied to my mother through the phone.“So, Taylor's still under observation?” Mom insisted, “Silvia told me something else.”“Taylor is already in her room, Mom. But I… You know.”The heavy silence that followed was broken by my mother's long sigh.“My love, do you need me there? I know we promised you we'd leave first thing in the morning, but I think you're in need of a little knock on your head to straighten your mind. Are you sure the cold didn't cause any damage up there?”I couldn't help but laugh at that.“I'm fine, mom. And I don't want you traveling this late.” I looked up the hallway that would take me to Taylor's room if I only decided to act once and for all, but the fear gripping my body forced me to sit still where was. “I don’t want to bother.”“Jacob Simon Coleman. You saved that little girl from a certain death. You risked your life for the daughter of the woman you adore, and you think you're g