Page 105 of Bottle Shock
After lunch, Scottie got tied up with Maggie, touring the house and the grounds, while Carl trapped me in his shop to show me his boat. It’s late now, the sun is beginning to set, and we’re on the small beach near the dock gathered around a bonfire. I was hoping Andy—or Andrew, or whatever the fuck he wants to be called—would steer clear the remainder of our stay, but unfortunately he’s joined us, seated by his parents, directly across from my wife, and the fucker hasn’t taken his eyes off her this entire time.
“Stop.” Scottie nudges my arm, giggling. “You can’t kill him with your stare.”
“I can try,” I mutter, poking a stick into the sand.
She laughs again and then loops her arm through mine, cuddling up against me.
It feels so good to be like this. To touch each other when we want. To be in this secluded bubble where it’s just us. Ineed to figure out how to make it permanent. Because I may have said I only wanted to try this for the weekend, but what I really meant was I want to start this weekend and never stop.
I want this forever.
Her.
Us.
I want Lily to know. I want us all to be a family.
But just because I want it doesn’t mean she does.
It’s too soon to even have this conversation. I don’t know where her head is at, but I know I’m further ahead.
I’m not some immature twenty-something—I’ve lived life. I’ve done the bullshit, meaningless dating. When it comes to Scottie, I’m not fucking around.
But asking her to take on a step-parent role to a very curious and energetic little girl is a big ask. Scottie has dreams and goals and a full life, and I don’t know how to merge ours without asking her to give something up.
When she mentioned the theater director job, it was the first I’d heard of it. And now I’m wondering how true that was. If that’s something she actually wants, or something she said because it fit neatly in the moment.
Maybe it’s pointless to hope.
But right now, it’s all I have.
Scottie looks at me with a small smile and leans in to give me a soft kiss.
No reason behind it, just because she wanted to, and I’m left with a hammering heart, falling more in love with her every second that passes.
At some point she changed and is now wearing a cotton tank top and matching shorts with a thin cardigan over the top. You’d think with more of her covered up I wouldn’t be as wound up as I am, but I’m still one wrong move away from dragging her into the house and sinking my cock into her. The blowjob from this morning is barely holding me together.
“Want me to roast you a wiener?” Scottie whispers in my ear.
I snort, choking on a laugh. It’s never dull with her, that’s for sure.
“Interesting word choice,” I tell her, grinning like an idiot.
She bumps her shoulder into mine. “I’m just trying to make you laugh. You’re over there plotting murder.”
“Only a little.” I brush my thumb along her knee. “A casual amount of homicide.”
Her laugh is soft as she shakes her head like I’m ridiculous.
The fire crackles, sparks lifting into the purple-orange sky. The lake is calm, glassy, catching the colors of sunset. It’s quite the view, but the way Scottie’s eyes shine as she takes it in is a view I could stare at forever.
Unfortunately, Andrew-Fucking-Rolex clears his throat.
“So, Scottie,” he says, chin propped on his hand like he’s interviewing her. “My parents said you used to be an actress.”
She shifts beside me, sliding on a polite smile. “Yep.”
“I have a buddy who’s a big-time producer in L.A. I could connect you two. Get your foot back in the door.”
