“I’m serious. Okay, maybe for some girls it’s about money or fame or how insanely hot you are, but the vast majority are risking heartbreak in hope of being the one to capture yours.”

He runs his thumb along my jaw, tilting my chin up. “What about you? Did Victor break your heart?”

I shake my head. “No, but sometimes I think he broke my ability to trust.”

The words are out before I can stop them. Regret, sadness, pity, so many emotions cross his face and I feel like the world’s biggest Debbie Downer. With his hands still on my face, I crawl into his lap. I’m not dumb enough to believe that I’m the one that’s going to steal Joel’s heart, but I stand by my theory because smiling and laughing, and just hanging out with him, feels almost as good.

“When I’m with you, I feel a little more hopeful that I can move past it,” I say so quietly that I’m not sure he hears me at first.

I feel his chest rise and fall and he whispers back, “Me too, Kitty.”

27

JOEL

My insides hurt and my lips are chapped. I kissed Kitty senseless for the better part of two hours and then made her come with my fingers. I’ve got the worst case of blue balls in the history of mankind. I’m starting to think there’s something wrong with me. If she were anyone else, I would have fucked her on the couch or in the bathroom. I’m ninety-nine percent sure the kid would have slept through it, but that one percent fucked with me and I didn’t feel right about it with Christian sleeping in the other room. It’s a wonder parents ever have sex at all.

I slept on the couch instead of catching a ride back to my place which is where I am when Christian sneaks into the living room and climbs on to the couch with me. A peek at the clock tells me it’s five o’clock on the dot. I’m tired as shit, but I don’t have the heart to send him away.

“Morning, little man. Your mom still sleeping?”

He nods. “I’m hungry.”

“Me too.” I sit up. “What do you usually have for breakfast?”

“On Sundays we have pancakes.”

“Pancakes, huh?” I rub the back of my neck. “That might be a little too advanced for me. How about some cereal?”

I open a few cabinets until I locate the cereal boxes and pull out Cheerios and Lucky Charms.

His eyes widen. “I can have Lucky Charms?”

Shit. Is it okay for him to have that much sugar at five a.m.? I don’t have any clue. “Does your mom let you have Lucky Charms?”

He bites his lip and hesitates before answering. “Only once a week.”

“And did you already have them this week?”

He shrugs.

“Looks like Cheerios it is.” I locate two bowls, two spoons, and the milk and Christian and I sit together at the dining room table eating our cereal. It sort of reminds me of any other morning eating breakfast with the guys, except Christian watches me carefully and mimics every movement. When I lift the empty bowl to my mouth to drink the milk, he does the same and nearly spills the entire bowl on himself.