Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 131459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Teddy gave a shiver.
And kept talking.
“I had the smell of grease and cheese so deeply bonded to the fibers of my sweater, I couldn’t get it out. I had to throw that sweater away. Four hundred dollars of merino wool, probably some homeless person is wearing it, and he’s hungry for pizza and he doesn’t know why.”
Mika sucked her lips between her teeth, and Tom knew what that meant.
She was trying not to laugh.
He understood the feeling.
Teddy was on a roll, however, and as such, didn’t stop.
“I bought her Christmas and birthday presents. She was junior attendant at my wedding, Mika. And you know I love her because she stole the damned show and I let her. At…my wedding.”
“Teddy—”
“So, excuse me for feeling like I might have some say in the man you bring into her life.”
He’d been gaining traction.
And then he said that.
Tom wanted to let them have privacy, but he had no idea how to extricate himself without turning their attention to him, and in their state, he didn’t want their attention.
Not even Mika’s.
Because before, she was ticked.
Now, she was ready to rumble.
And she rumbled.
“I love you, Teddy, and I love how you love my daughter. I love how you care for her and cared for her for most of her life. But you do not get a say in who I become involved with. You also do not get to be upset, and instead of using your words and speaking to me like we’re both adults, you confront that very man I’m involved with. That is so not okay, I can’t even fathom how to explain how not okay it is, because you should already know.”
“Has it occurred to you that I love you too? I care about you deeply. I consider you my dearest friend. And yet Nora is in Arizona, mixing drinks for Mr. Tennis Star”—he flung a hand in Tom’s direction—“and soaking up the sun, and I’m in New York, getting texts about your food orders.”
And the truth comes out.
“Again, use your words,” Mika retorted.
“You use yours,” Teddy struck back. “To call me and tell me you had a man in your life.”
“I didn’t keep Tom a secret,” she shot back.
“And I didn’t get to taste le Poire Surprise de Nora,” he sniped.
“Okay—” Tom began.
They both looked to him.
Yes, he didn’t want either of their attention.
But he had it, and this was ridiculous.
All of it.
“You stay out of it,” Teddy ordered Tom.
“You do not tell my boyfriend what to do,” Mika bit off to Teddy.
“You two do realize you’re fighting over how much you love each other and Cadence, don’t you?” Tom asked.
Teddy’s perfect beard bulged at the jaw.
Mika snapped her mouth shut.
“I’m going to leave you to it,” he declared and moved to Mika. He kissed her temple and said, “It’s not a lot. It’s everything. And I mean that in the best way imaginable.” He turned to Teddy and said, “I’m new, but I care for them both too. Very much. And I’d like for you to like me, and give me some reason, no matter how thin, to like you too. Because you mean something to both of them, and it’ll be awkward as fuck if you don’t.”
With that, he left the room, climbed the stairs and went to the kitchen.
Mika’s kitchen was like the rest of the house. Overstuffed. There was a crazily designed black and white tile floor. Some busy wallpaper that had a backdrop of black. Teal cabinets. The countertops were covered with everything a cook would need, and more. There were plants and cookbooks shoved in nooks and crannies.
And now it was a mess because brunch was clearly not going to be French toast fingers, but instead, a much grander affair.
“Are they having it out?” Cadence asked, like this was not the first time what was going on downstairs happened.
“Yes,” he answered.
“Teddy’s being a snot because you’re threatening his territory.”
“Yes,” Tom repeated, his lips twitching.
“Mom’s not super hip when Teddy acts like a snot.”
“Nope,” Tom agreed.
“It gets worse before it gets better,” she warned. “Teddy doesn’t like to admit when he’s wrong or show he cares. He’ll go home, complain about all of us to Faunus, his husband. Then Faun will tell him to sort himself out because Faun doesn’t like it when Teddy acts like a snot either. Then he’ll come back, and he’ll act like nothing has happened.” She pointed at Tom with a whisk. “Just so you know, like us, you’re going to have to learn to pretend Teddy didn’t act like a snot. We’ve found it’s the best way forward.”
He chuckled and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms on his chest. “I can probably do that.”
“Sometimes it’s hard,” she told the bowl she was now beating something in with the whisk.
“What’s for breakfast?” Tom asked to move them away from this subject.