Page 54 of Find Me in the Rain

He backs us up until my shoulders find the wall, and his hand rounds my thigh, his fingertips trailing up my bare skin.

A finger hitches the lace on my hip. He leans in and nibbles on my earlobe. Warm pulses throb between my legs.

“If we don’t leave in the next minute or two, I’m gonna rip your panties off and fuck you against this wall. I don’t give a fuck who hears.”

His lips graze my jaw as I decide if I’ll let him. But dear God, we have already done way too much in a public place. Regardless of it being in a private, closed-off room, it still feels wrong. But somehow oh-so right.

I nod my head, not completely sure what I’m agreeing to.

Suddenly, my phone goes off, blaring my ringtone into the room. I fumble away from Alec, the wordgracefulcut from my vocab.

I grab my phone, and Charlotte’s name is illuminated on the screen.

I answer immediately, knowing it will only be about Jack and her calling means she couldn’t fix it herself. “Char, what’s wrong?”

I hear incoherent mumbling on the other line, and my mom senses tingle.

“Charlotte.”

“Lu, I don’t know. He’s been running a fever and asking for you. And after a point of me saying you’ll be home soon, he freaked out and started throwing the tantrum of all tantrums. I have no idea how to get him to stop.”

My heart aches for my boy in pain. “Hand him the phone,” I order Charlotte.

I hear rustling and then eventually Jack’s small voice. “Mommy?”

I sit back down in my chair. “Hey, buddy. I’m coming home right now, okay? Just take a deep breath, and I’ll be right there, okay?”

I haven’t looked back to Alec yet. I don’t want to see the disappointment on his face. ButIdon’t come first. My son does, and he always will.

Jack sniffles. “Okay, Mom. I love you.”

“I love you too, baby.” I smile into the phone.

Not a second later, he says what I was waiting for, “Even in the rain?”

I finish it. “Even in the storm.”

I click the phone off and slide it into my purse before I’m ready to face Alec.

But he makes the first move. “Is-is he okay?”

When I look up to him, my heart twists, feeling overwhelmed with emotion. His eyes are full of sadness, racked with concern.

Nodding, I say, “Yeah, it’s probably just a cold.”

When I stand up, he snakes his hand around my waist.

“The car should be up front.” He smiles. “Probably has been for a while. Come on. Let’s go check on him.”

I follow him to the limo, climbing in behind him. When his hand lands on my knee, it suddenly hits me.

Let’s? He wants to come with?

I’m torn. I didn’t really even consider the fact that he would offer to join me with Jack tonight. But I don’t know if I’m ready for that. But he was also kept out of Jack’s life for so many years already. I don’t want to make Jack or him miss out on more.

Ugh.

Alec pokes my forehead. “What’s going on in there?”