Page 99 of The Refiner

I miss the smell of your formaldehyde.

I can’t hold back the burst of laughter. “I’m not that old, Keys,” I shout out into the open, grabbing another note.

Piper once asked me how far I was willing to go to get what I wanted.

Funny, Piper asked me the same thing.

I didn’t know then, but I know now.

I can’t grab the notes fast enough. I don’t even know if I’m reading them in the right order. All I know is I have to read every single one as fast as I can. I need her answer.

I’m willing to go all the way.

I need you. I need you so much that I’m scared—scared that I’ll end up in jail when other women look at you. But I’m going to work hard to control my crazy.

Because I love you, Dr. Potter.

I love your bossiness.

I love your cock.

But most of all, I love your baby—okay, fine. I love you most of all too. Let’s call it a tie between you both.

Trauma might have brought us together, but love kept us together. I see that now.

Let me love you, old man. I promise I can.

I drop the notes to the ground and pull out my phone, dialing her number. She answers on the first ring.

“Dr. Potter.”

There’s something playful in her voice—a stark difference to mine. “One.”

There’s a pause. “Why are you counting?” At least she has enough self-preservation to seem concerned that I’m no longer in a playful mood.

“I’m counting because if you don’t show yourself by the time I get to five, Tatum won’t be the only one I take over my knee.”

She chokes out a laugh, but it’s the garage door opening that grabs my attention.

“Someone isn’t being all that merry and bright this holiday season.”

The garage door lifts slowly.

First revealing her legs. Second her hips. And lastly the smirk on her face.

I’m on her in seconds, yanking her body into mine and threading my fingers through her hair. A breath escapes her like she can finally relax.

“Your notes,” I start, needing her to confirm what the notes implied.

Her hands go to my face, cupping my cheeks as she holds my gaze. “I want to come home, Astor. Will you let me, even though I needed time to realize my stupidity?”

Pressing my forehead against hers, I breathe her in for the first time in a month. “It’s not stupid to give yourself time.”

“No,” she corrects, “it was stupid not to realize that even a day without you and Tatum is too long.”

At least we agree there.

I press my lips to hers. “What aboutGameTales? Are we buying a helicopter?”

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