Page 35 of Adored by the Grumpy Ghost (Mapletown Monster Mates #1)

Winston

N atalie and Lindsay leave shortly after they wake up.

They take Natalie’s car to the coffee shop for breakfast, and this is presumably where she will reveal my presence in the house, and our romantic situation.

Not that I know what she’ll say, or what label she’ll choose to apply to us.

We didn’t discuss it, and I didn’t want to push.

This scenario is precarious enough without forcing the relationship talk on Natalie when she’s fighting off an alcohol-fueled headache.

If it were up to me, Natalie would tell Lindsay that we’re madly in love and planning a future together in this house, so kindly fuck off back to Boston.

Last night was life-changing. Natalie’s mouth, so hot and tight around my cock, it ruined me.

Not for other women, as there will be no other women for me.

She ruined me for other women ages ago. It doesn’t matter how many centuries my soul remains tethered to this plane.

She is it. She ruined me for…life, perhaps?

Because I’m not sure I’ll be able to think of or do anything else until she wraps her soft lips around my cock again.

I had no answer for her when she revealed the flavor of my come. It’s bizarre, but I can’t say I’m upset. Natalie said it was her favorite flavor of ice cream, and if that’s how my dick tastes, she’ll be more tempted to gobble it on a regular basis, right?

My heart beats erratically when I hear two cars pulling into the driveway. They must’ve stopped by the bar to pick up Lindsay’s car. I hide in the study, knowing I’ll have to be summoned before I reveal myself, and I’d rather not be creepily waiting in the foyer when I make myself visible.

“Winston,” Natalie calls out. I hear her hang up her purse on the hook by the door, and suppress a groan of annoyance when I hear the plop and the jangle of a purse and keys being tossed on the floor. Lindsay's, no doubt. “Can you come down here for a minute, babe?”

I take a breath, stroll out of the study, and down the stairs. “Hello, Natalie. Ah, Lindsay, it’s such a pleasure to finally meet you.” When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I hold out my hand, offering my most winning and least sarcastic-looking smile.

She glares at me, then down at my hand. Eventually, she shakes it, touching me with as few fingers as she can get away with. “Hi.”

No smile. No pleasantries.

I try to see it from her side, and I suppose I would be wary of me too.

Remain friendly. Don’t be yourself.

“I’m not sure if Natalie told you, but I became close friends with your grandmother, Penelope. She was a wonderful woman. I’m sorry for your loss.”

Her gaze remains stony. “Yeah, she told me.” She blows a hair off her forehead, and when she notices Natalie looking at her expectantly, she forces a smile. “I also hear you and Natalie have gotten close as well.”

Natalie looks relieved as she comes to wrap her arms around my middle, but I’m not fooled. Once Natalie’s back is turned, Lindsay’s face twists into a scowl.

“Okay, I’m going to shower,” Natalie says, pushing up on her toes to kiss my cheek. “I feel disgusting.”

I pull her against me, my palm splaying over her lower back. “You are the opposite of disgusting.” I inhale the skin of her throat. “Delicious.”

She giggles while playfully pushing my chest.

“I’m so glad you two are finally meeting,” she says, ascending the stairs. “My two favorite people.”

“Yeah, it’ll be great for us to chat,” Lindsay replies. “Get to know each other.”

A lump forms in my throat once the bedroom door closes, and I hear the shower turn on. Lindsay crosses her arms over her chest, stomping toward the kitchen. I don’t ask where she’s going. I simply follow along, bracing for whatever she’s about to say.

She pours herself a tall glass of apple cider I made from scratch.

I rock back and forth on my heels, hating the silence, which is a new feeling for me.

Most of the time, deep in silence is where I’m happiest. That’s changed since Natalie’s arrival.

But this is different. Lindsay clearly doesn’t like me, doesn’t approve of our relationship, and I just want her to scold me and get it over with so I can go back to focusing on the woman I love and making her smile.

“Did Natalie tell you about the termites?” I ask, gesturing to the empty rectangle where the cabinets used to be.

She nods. “Yeah, she got the number for the pest control company in town. I called. They’re coming out tomorrow afternoon to give me an estimate.”

Her tone is chilly, her words clipped. I’d appreciate her unwillingness to engage in small talk if she weren’t such an important person to Natalie, and didn’t have such obvious disdain for me.

She sits at the counter, her different-colored eyes leaving me feeling unsettled as she steeples her fingers against her chin. “You know this is going to end badly, right?”

I focus on the loose thread inside my pocket, tugging it, wrapping it around the tip of my finger until it grows numb. “No, I don’t know that.”

Lindsay rolls her eyes. “Okay, let me spell it out for you. Has Nat mentioned Kyle at all?”

I nod. “She has. I know about her miscarriages, and that he wasn’t worthy of being within a twenty-mile radius of her, let alone date her.”

“And you know about her mom, I’m sure.”

I nod again. “Yes, I do.” For a moment, I feel confident. I know Natalie, and I’m acing this test Lindsay is giving me.

The sneer she gives me, however, tightens my stomach. “Look, Winston. It’s Winston, right?”

My jaw tics. The clarification is intentional, an attempt to make feel small. I need to let it go. “Yes.”

“Natalie is one of the kindest, most generous people I’ve ever known. I love her. Love her to bits, and the last thing I want to see is her getting caught up in another relationship with a guy who can’t give her what she deserves.”

That’s it? That’s where she thinks she’s got me? “I’m aware of how much Natalie deserves, and I plan to give her everything. She’s the only one who matters to me.”

“Aww, so sweet.” Sarcasm. “Kyle was great at spewing all kinds of sweet bullshit in Natalie’s ear, too. But do you know what he did after her second miscarriage?”

My stomach twists. That’s an answer I don’t have.

When I say nothing, she continues. “He convinced her that the reason for both miscarriages was because Natalie’s body wasn’t in good enough shape, that she wasn’t strong enough to carry their babies to term.

That it was her fault. He wanted to act as her personal trainer, forcing her to push her body to its physical limits while she was in the process of healing from one of the most traumatic events someone with a uterus can experience. ”

A shiver rips through me, and I don’t realize how tightly clenched my fist is until I feel something drip from between my fingers onto the floor.

Blood. This likely plays into the discomfort she experiences when I touch her belly.

Not the entire reason, but certainly part of it. It all makes so much sense now.

“He was a hockey player, and apparently, he was on track to be drafted into the NHL. When he got injured and his career prospects disappeared overnight, Natalie gave up everything to keep him emotionally afloat. She got into nursing school. Did you know that?”

I didn’t.

“She was so excited about it. I think she got through one semester, maybe two, before she dropped out. Kyle was too much of a ballsack to take himself to therapy, but had no problem destroying his girlfriend’s future so he didn’t have to be alone with his thoughts.

She took a job close to home that had more flexible hours, abandoning her dream. ”

If I could spew fire from the depths of my throat, I would.

“That bullshit happened before the miscarriages, and after…she still stuck by his side.” She pins me with a cruel glare. “Do you know what happened then?”

I shake my head.

“He dumped her for someone else. Younger. The new girlfriend was pregnant within three months.” Lindsay gets to her feet and comes around the kitchen island to stand in front of me.

“So forgive me if I’m a protective of her.

She’s been through too much shit to settle again.

Natalie puts everyone’s needs before her own.

It’s part of who she is, but she deserves to be taken care of for once.

Treated like a damn queen.” She jerks back to look at me.

“And you, no offense, seem like another black hole looking to suck her in.”

“How?” I ask, disgusted by the comparison. “I’ve treated her with nothing but care and respect. She means the world to me. I’m not Kyle.” Anger escalating, my voice raises. I know I should calm myself, but I can’t keep it in. My jaw tense, I spit, “You know nothing about me.”

This is a waste of time. I couldn’t give less of a fuck what Lindsay thinks of me.

She hasn’t been here. She hasn’t seen Natalie and I together.

We’re supposed to be together. I don’t care how trite the thought feels once it settles in my mind.

It’s the truth. There’s no one I have ever, or will ever, love more than Natalie.

I may not deserve her, but I have every intention of making her feel loved and supported and cherished every fucking moment she continues to exist.

I spin on my heel, ready to storm into the shower and wrap Natalie in the safety of my arms when Lindsay says, “You might think you’re different, but you’re not. Can you support her financially?”

Financially.

Well, I don’t technically have an income, but there are other things I provide for her. “I cook her meals,” I tell Lindsay.

“Who pays for the groceries?”

I open my mouth, but Lindsay interrupts before I can speak.

“Let’s say she rents the house from me, or, fuck, let’s say I just give her the house for free. Do you think she can afford the repairs, utility bills, and property taxes of this place on her own? On what? The tips she makes from the bar?”

The blood in my veins feels ice-cold.

“Can you give her a child? She may not have been ready to be a mom when she was with Kyle, but it’s been a dream of hers as long as I’ve known her.”

No. I can’t give her that. I didn’t even realize she wanted a child. Wouldn’t she have told me?

“What happens if Natalie is seriously injured or is diagnosed with a terminal illness? She told me you can’t even leave the fucking property.”

“That…is true,” I admit sheepishly. My throat is so dry I can barely speak. “I can’t leave.” I feel like such a fool. Why hadn’t I considered any of this before now? Were we truly so wrapped up in the lust we feel for each other that none of this crossed our minds?

“If you can’t leave, how do you expect to visit her in the hospital––god forbid she ever ends up there? Or take her to doctor’s appointments if she can’t drive herself?”

The tinny sound of Susanna’s voice plays in my head.

How do you expect to carry yourself like a member of high society when you can’t even hold a fork properly?

Why are you such a constant disappointment? It’s embarrassing. I don’t even like being seen with you in public.

Do you really think I pursued you because I loved you?

How could you delude yourself into thinking someone like me could love someone like you?

“I can’t,” I mutter quietly. To myself, to Susanna, and to Lindsay.

“I don’t know.” The room is starting to feel small, and my breaths are coming out in short, uneven puffs.

“I need to repair the fence. Tell Natalie I went to repair the fence.” I drop my phone on the counter in the kitchen, then storm outside without looking back.