33. Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Three

Anna

U gh.

I hear my name shouted across the house and shake my head.

Leaning into the bathroom vanity, I brace myself up on my arms. There are cramps so severe in my lower stomach that it feels like my insides are trying to barrel their way through my skin instead staying put.

But am I going to let that stop me from finishing this conversation with Aria?

Nope .

"So, I have this super cute pic of Rex with the twins." Aria's chuckle echoes over the AirPod jammed in my ear and it's like I can just feel the pride and love this woman has for her family through the phone. It makes that cramp going on in my stomach just a little bit harder to breathe through. "He's got one in each arm and they're both wearing band onesies."

I can hear the smile in her voice and cringe inwardly. "Aria, that sounds exactly like the last one you sent me." I snicker when I want to wince at the pain and pull in a deep breath.

"But Rex has his hair down in this one and both the babies have a handful."

"Ouch," I mumble.

"I tried to fucking warn him about that." Aria laughs, and I wince, forcing a smile anyway.

God, is this ache going to let up any time soon?

"Sounds perfect, then," I say through clenched teeth and double over the sink until I'm resting my head on my forearms against the cool surface. "Thanks for offering to send them to me."

"Of course," she chimes, way too chipper and happy for me. "Anything I can do to make your job easier, I'm here for it. Can't be all that great being confined to that small of a space with Toby, of all people."

I huff. "It's something alright."

"Yeah," she drawls over the line, going silent for a moment before asking in a tone completely different than the last. "How is he?" It's quieter, more reserved.

She sounds worried.

"He's … coping, I guess."

It's the only answer I can come up with considering I don't know how much she really knows about the man, and it's not my place to tell the world his secrets.

"Good," she breathes. "I was hopeful that spending some time with you would help him out."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well…" Aria snickers. "You're not the one to cave and give in to his stupid sh—eet."

I laugh at her coverup of the foul language and immediately regret it. "You literally dropped two f-bombs since we've been on the phone already."

"I'm trying, okay!" She giggles. "It doesn't help when everyone else around me doesn't seem to care that my kid's first words might be fuck ."

Snorting, I force myself upright with another wince as a knock sounds against the bedroom door. "Send me those pics and go back to your babies. I'm sorry to bug you."

"Pssh, don't worry about it. Rex is pulling diaper duty because I took the call. I got as long as you need."

"Oh," I mutter. "That's not necess—"

"So how are you, Anna? Anyone ever ask you that?"

I'm too caught up by the question to react at first. The echo of Toby's fist rings from the bedroom, once again distracting me from a reply.

I'm not one of the girls. We don't chat like this.

"Really, that's not necessa—"

"Anna." Aria's tone sounds every bit of the mom she is. "You've done nothing but work and deal with Toby's bullshit for weeks now. You gotta be starved for contact from another human."

"Uhhh …"

"Besides, I'm starved for human contact that isn't Rex. I love the man, I do. But I need some girl time."

I snort. "I haven't had that since I was a teenager."

"Honey," Aria chides over the line. "We're going to fix that the night you get back. You're one of us now. Until then, answer my question."

I can't help the laugh that bursts past my lips. "Fine, just give me a moment."

"The longer this call takes, the better. Take your time."

I tap the mute button on my phone and stride across the room with my hand to my stomach. I answer the door with a flourish that Toby ignores.

Because the man barges in before I can even get the panel all the way back, his hands grasping my face, his lips crashing against mine.

His tongue dives between my lips, his feet moving us backward into the room.

"Toby, wait," I manage to breathe out when we come up for air, his lips trailing down my jaw.

"Done waiting, Mama." Toby nips at my neck, his breath hot against my skin, his hands migrating to my loose hair he fists and tugs on.

A mewl inches its way up my throat and it takes everything in me to hold it back. " Jeffers ," I say like a demand, my voice too thick, my breath too … breathy. "Stop."

He listens.

In fact, Toby freezes.

Tongue against my neck and all.

I roll my eyes and plant my hands on his pecs, pressing just enough that he pulls back to look at me.

If I were a weaker woman, I'd dive headfirst into those amber pools staring at me with a pinched brow and concern etched into his features.

"Five-day hiatus."

"Why?"

"I said so."

He rolls his eyes, and I feel nerves battle the cramps going on in my lower belly.

I've had the man inside me, say filthy things to me, do filthy things to me. So, why can't I just say that we've been here long enough that I've started menstruating?

It's normal. It's natural.

It's … gross.

"I need a better reason than I said so ."

I can feel the heat taking over my face. Why is this so hard? "Fine." I square my shoulders and step back from him, my hands planted on his pec to keep him at a distance.

"Anna, you back yet?"

My shoulders fall, the voice in my ear stealing all of my courage and reminding me I still have another completely different conversation to finish.

"I just can't," I tell Toby and reach up to press against the little sensor on my earpiece that unmutes the device. "Yeah, I'm back."

I don't look at him when I return to the bathroom, the woman in my ear chattering on about a girls' night plan she came up with while she was waiting.

We should start creating distance—

I should start creating distance. There's no way that Toby Jeffers will be willing to keep any of this up once we get back home.

I'll be lucky if he keeps his sobriety.

And that is more important than any tryst going on between him and I.

"There's this new coffee place I've been dying to try," Aria says into the phone. "I hear they have amazing hot chocolate there. How's that sound?"

My smile is weak when I answer.

"That sounds perfect."