Her red hair is styled in two curly ponytails, and in her hand is a pink princess fishing pole with a sparkly rubber lure on it and streamers off the end of the handle. I’m not sure she’s fishing, but she has something in the water.

  “That’s great, sweetie!” Alex calls from where he stands beside me, getting me started. “First you have to bait the hook.”

  He lifts an old coffee can full of soil, and my nose wrinkles. “What do I do with that?”

  It’s an overcast morning, and it’s warm as an armpit. The humidity must be 100 percent. I sprayed bug repellant on all of us, otherwise we’d be running a free blood bank out here.

  I had no idea when I said yes to fishing, it meant we’d have to be in the marsh before 6:00 a.m. Now I’m standing here in a tank top and jeans with my hair braided back, and sweat trickling down my neck and sides.

  “Reach inside and take out one of these guys.” He pulls a fat earthworm from a can, and my throat tightens. “Then you thread him on the hook.”

  Without even hesitating, he stabs the squirming piece of goo, and a thick stream of dark-red blood slides down his finger.

  Holding out my hands, I take a step back. “Whoa, whoa, time out. You didn’t say anything about mutilating worms.”

  “It’s not mutilating.” He holds out a fat one to me.

  “Oh, no.” My hand covers my mouth. “I’m going to be sick.”

  “What’s happening?” Pinky cries from her perch across the shallow pool. “Why is Mama Cass going to be sick?”

  “Also, I’m not so sure about that nickname.” I nod to where Pinky is watching us with her little face scrunched.

  Alex only snorts, but Pinky puts her fishing pole down like she’s about to run to me. “Stay there, baby!” I call, swallowing the knot in my throat. “Don’t come over here.”

  “I did not expect you to be so dramatic about this.” Alex slants his eyes at me, his mouth drawn in a disapproving line. “It’s just a worm.”

  “It’s disgusting, then you stabbed it, and it freaking bled everywhere. That’s just cruel.”

  “I’m pretty sure they don’t feel pain.”

  “I’m not.” He steps up behind me, and the warmth of his body eases my twisting stomach slightly.

  “Well, it’s done now. Time to cast.” He slides his hand up my arm, lifting the rod behind my shoulder. “Now, just draw it back like this and toss it. Press the button when it gets over your head. It’s very intuitive.”

  Following his direction, I cast the rod, sending the poor impaled earthworm sailing out into the brackish water.

  “Good one.” He smiles at me, speaking softly. “See, you’re a natural. Now dial it back until you hear a click.”

  “I had no idea fishing was so gruesome. So much gore, and these fish hooks? They’re just an accident waiting to happen. Didn’t you see There’s Something About Mary?”

  “Yes, and it scarred me for life when his dick got caught in his zipper. And the jizz in her hair…” He starts to laugh.

  “And the fishhook in the face.”

  Shaking his head, chuckles softly. “You change the oil in cars, change dirty diapers, cut matted turds off dog butts.”

  “That dog-butt thing only happened once.”

  “It’s still too many times.”

  “I’ve never brutally murdered a poor, unsuspecting worm.”

  “I’ll bait your hook for you. It can be our thing.” The warmth in his voice tingles in my stomach.

  I really love being with him this way, bantering… Pinky on the bridge pretending to fish, him taking care of me. We sit beside each other on the bank, and he casts his line so easily. I watch as the invisible strings wait in the quiet waters. It’s hot as fuck, but it’s peaceful with the bugs humming and the water lapping.

  “Do you really think we’ll catch anything?”

  “Maybe.” He nods to where Pinky is dancing around, misspelling words to the tune of “Fergalicious.” “If my daughter doesn’t scare everything away.”

  “She can’t watch Nemo after this. Fish are friends, not food, remember?”

  He shakes his head. “What do you suggest?”

  “I’ll think about it.” Instinctively, I lean over, and put my head on his shoulder.

  Last night he slept in my bed again, following another round of incredibly hot sex. I’ve never had so many orgasms with a man. He knows exactly how to eat my pussy.

  My lips press together, and I grin at my dirty thoughts.

  “Before my grandfather died, we’d come out here and fish almost every weekend.” His voice is thoughtful, and I lift my head to study his profile.

  “Just the two of you?”

  “Yeah. He loved making whiskey and overcast days.” He drops his chin in his hand and glances up at me from under his brow. “He taught me to wait for good things.”

  The tingle in my stomach spreads lower into my torso. “He seems like more of a dad to you.”

  Shifting in his seat, he gives his rod a little lift and turns the reel. “Dad never understood why I didn’t want to be a cop. I never understood why he and Aiden did.”

  I copy his movement with the rod, giving it a little lift and turning the reel to take up the slack. “So you didn’t get along with your dad?”

  “It’s not that we didn’t get along. We just never really understood each other. Not like Pop.”

  “He sounds really special.”

  “He’d have loved you.” Alex’s eyes hold mine, and it’s like we’re in our own place.

  I lean forward, forgetting Pinky, forgetting everything, ready to kiss him when my rod jerks violently in my hand, and I squeal. “Shit! Something’s banging on my line!”

  “It’s a fish.” He wraps his arms around me, grabbing the rod with both hands over mine. “Pull it back…” We pull my rod straight up. “And tighten the line.” I turn the crank on my reel.

  “Keep doing that.” He steps to the side, staying close as I repeat the movements again and again until I lift a fish, wiggling and flapping out of the water.

  “What do I do?” I hold the fish out of the water, swinging it around to where we’re standing and let it fall on the grass.

  Pinky squeals and claps from her little perch down below us, but when I see the large, silvery fish flipping all over the dry grass, I wave to her. “Stay right there for just a second, okay?”

  “I want to see it!” She’s running to the end of the boardwalk so she can circle around, up the bank to where we’re standing.

  “We’d better hurry.” My eyes are large when I meet Alex’s. “What do we do?”

  He walks over to where the fish is flopping in the dry grass and lifts the line. “That’s a good-sized one.” Reaching out, he places his hand smoothly over the head and fins, gripping it tightly, and slides the hook out like a pro.

  “I caught that.” Awe fills my tone.

  “I want to see! I want to see!” Pinky is charging through the grass to where we’re standing. “Look at it! It’s like those silver fish that do charades.”

  “It’s a bluegill. We need to take a picture of you holding it.”

  “We do?” My nose wrinkles. “I don’t think we do. We can just tell everybody what happened.”

  “You have to document it, or it’s just another fish story.” He cocks an eyebrow at me. “And who knows? You might never catch one again.”

  “Hold it up, Mama Cass!” Pinky jumps beside me, tugging on my arm.

  I bite my lip to keep from telling her not to call me that, and a laugh puffs through Alex’s lips. “Okay.” I step over to where he’s holding the fish that’s slightly larger than his palm. “How do I do this?”

  He holds my hand, positioning my fingers over the top and bottom fins so they don’t cut me. Pinky stands in front of me doing a little victory pose with her hands, and I hold my rod and reel as Alex takes the picture.

  Then I quickly dance over to the edge of the water to toss it back.

  “Wait!” Alex holds out his hand. “Fresh bluegill is delicious.”

  “You can’t eat it, Daddy! Fish are friends, not food!” Pinky stomps back to where she left her fishing pole, and I give him a “told you so” look.

  “We definitely have to find her a new movie to watch.”

  Curled up on the sofa that evening, after showers and a meal of chicken nuggets for Pinky and an unidentified, grilled, flaky white meat for Alex and me (also known as fish), I pull up the streaming service and navigate over to a show featuring lots of fancy, pink pigs.

  “The Muppet Show?” Pinky sits up beside me on the sofa, where I’m nestled into Alex’s side. “What’s that?”

  Turning my head, I look up at him, “I can’t believe you’ve never introduced your daughter to Miss Piggy.”

  “Miss Piggy!” Pinky bounces beside me, getting excited. “I want to meet her!”

  I put my arm around her, and she puts her head on my lap again.

  For the next hour we watch as frogs, bears, dogs, assorted monsters, and all the pigs dance, sing, and tell corny jokes alongside celebrities from decades past.

  And it still works.

  “I like your voice better,” Alex whispers close to my ear as Julie Andrews sings to Kermit about loving him since he was a tadpole.

  A little-girl snore rises from my lap, and I duck my head to keep from laughing. “I’ll carry her upstairs.”

  “I’ll wait here.”

  CHAPTER 21

  ALEX

  It was a perfect day.

  It started when I woke up this morning with Cass in my arms, threading my fingers in her soft hair as I watched the sky turn from dark purple to light blue. Her soft cheek was against my chest, her soft breath against my skin.

  Our fishing trip was educational.

  Even now, I can’t help a laugh at how squeamish she was. I did not expect it. I mean, sure the worms wiggle and bleed, and the fish have a slimy coating, but this is a woman who enjoys intimidating mechanics and isn’t afraid to get dirty.

  And she knows my daughter so well.

  I loved seeing Pinky in her denim cutoffs and her pink I’d rather be fishing tee. The pink rubber boots and sparkly princess rod and reel set were the icing on the cake.

  I have no idea where Cass found it all in two days, but my daughter couldn’t wait to get out on the water, which satisfied an urge I didn’t even know I had. It was like carrying on another tradition that meant so much to me, and even with her “Fish are friends, not food” motto, she asked when we were going again. Pop would be proud.

  Then tonight, sitting on the couch with Cass snuggled at my side, my arm around her and Pinky’s head in her lap…

  We’re only halfway through the month, and already I can’t imagine Cass not being here.

  A soft noise from above draws my attention, and I look up to see her on the stairs, beautiful as ever in a long, cream-colored dress, her dark hair hanging in a single braid over her shoulder.

  Rising to my feet, I go to the stairs. I climb them until I reach her, then I cup her face in my hands and kiss her the way I’ve been wanting to do all day.

  Her fingers wrap around my forearms, and she kisses me back. Her lips chase mine, and when our tongues curl, a soft whimper escapes her throat. It’s a noise that registers straight to my cock.

  Breaking the kiss, I lean down and lift her off her feet, carrying her down the remaining stairs, across the living room, and straight to my bedroom. I can’t go another minute without touching her body.

  Once we’re inside, I place her on her feet and lock the door. Her back is to the wall like the first time, and her beautiful breasts, bare beneath her thin dress, rise and fall with her pants.

  I think of that first night, the intensity. The pent up desire from wanting her for so long and finally being able to take her. This time is different. This time we know each other, and we know what we want.

  Walking past her, I reach behind my head and pull off my T-shirt, then I unfasten my jeans, shoving them to the floor and stepping out before sitting on the bed.

  My erection strains against my boxer briefs, and I watch her, not moving as her blue eyes devour me. She’s not shy anymore. Now the hunger in her eyes mirrors mine, and it turns me the fuck on.

  “Come to me.” It’s a low order, and what she does next makes me smile.

  She pushes off the wall, sliding her hands under the straps of her dress, slipping them off her shoulders and letting the garment fall to the floor. My breath hisses as I admire her body, naked except for a thin scrap of underwear.

  Dropping to her hands and knees, she crawls to where I’m sitting, making my dick harder with every move. When she reaches me, she glides her hands up my thighs, catching the waistband of my shorts and pulling. I lift my hips, allowing her to remove them.

  The minute they hit the floor, her mouth is on my cock. She licks all over the tip before sucking it into her mouth. My ass clenches, and I lean back as pleasure snakes up my thighs.

  “Fuck,” I groan deeply, and her hand slides over my wrist.

  Lifting my hand, she puts it on the back of her head as she deep-throats my dick. My hips lift off the bed, and I groan louder. She comes up, meeting my eyes and focusing on the tip, and I’m losing my ability to see.

  My hand is in her hair, not forcing her head, and I’m completely at her mercy. Whatever she wants from me, I’ll give her. She goes down again, and my mind blanks. My hand is on her shoulder, and my head drops back as indescribable pleasure rockets through my hips.

  I thrust involuntarily, ragged groans tearing through my chest. She moves faster, and I can’t hold back anymore.

  “I’m coming…” I gasp, and she slides her hands to my ass, lowering her mouth all the way as my cock begins to pulse.

  Gripping the side of her hair, I hold on as I come, as she holds my body, taking it all down her throat. When my vision finally returns, she moves her lips to my inner thigh, and the sensation makes me jump.

  “Fuck, Cass.” I cup her cheek. “You’ll make me come again.”

  A little laugh huffs from her lips, and she kisses my lower belly, tracing a line over the muscles in my hips.

  “I love this line. What’s it called?” It’s a sultry question.

  “I have no idea. You blew my mind.”

  Another little laugh, and she continues kissing my skin, tracing her lips higher as I lie back on the bed. When she reaches the center of my chest, I catch her by the arms and roll her onto her back.

  Her eyes are shining and warm, and her cheeks are flushed. She smiles, and her full lips are red and swollen from sucking my cock. She’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.

  Sliding my hand over the top of her head, I lean down to kiss her gently, pulling those full lips with mine. Tracing my lips down, I cup her breast, sliding my tongue over the hardening nipple as a sigh slips from her throat.

  “I dreamed of this body all through high school.” Kissing my way across her chest, I repeat the movements, licking and pulling her nipple with my teeth. “These perfect tits.”

  Her hands thread in the sides of my hair, and a laugh ripples through her chest. “Why were you dreaming of this body?”

  Lifting my head, I meet her eyes. “Your first is always special.”

  “Hmm, not always.” Her eyes slide away from mine, and I don’t like the sound of that.

  I’m surprised by my desire to beat the crap out of any man who didn’t treat her with the respect, the reverence she deserves.

  “In what way was it not special?” My tone reflects my irritation, and her eyebrows rise.

  She rolls onto her side facing me, and a little smile curls her lips. “You’re the first time I haven’t faked an orgasm. At least once.” Shaking her head, she looks down at her hand resting on the duvet. “Usually more than once.”

  Reaching out, I slide my hand from her shoulder, down to the curve of her waist, and over her hip. “It’s not hard to learn to please a woman. The info is out there.”

  “Too bad most men don’t share your attitude. Or at least not your interest.”

  “Lazy assholes.” I rise onto my elbow, placing my lips on the top of her shoulder and lightly following the path my hand just went. “They don’t know what they’re missing. The way your pussy clutches and squeezes my dick… it’s incredible.”

  Her shoulder rises, and I kiss the curve of her waist before tracing my lips over her hip and rolling her onto her back.

  “For instance, this right here…” I spread her thighs, putting my face directly above her pussy. “Is the quickest way to get there.”

  Sliding my finger under the front of her thong, I rub the back of it up and down over her clit, watching as her eyes heat and her tongue slides out to wet her bottom lip.

  “You are so fucking gorgeous when you come.” Tearing the fabric aside, I cover her with my mouth and slide my tongue over that hardened bud again and again.

  “Alex!” My name is a high-pitched moan on her lips, and her back arches off the bed.

  Shifting my position, I wrap my arms around her thighs, feasting on her soft skin, tugging at the hidden spot that makes her crazy.

  Her body rocks, and I continue to tease her with my tongue. I put my hand between her thighs and sink my thumb into her wetness. Her body moves faster, her inner muscles beginning to spasm.

  Looking up, I see the skin of her stomach tremble, and I lick her again, circling, focusing my efforts on that one place, the one that makes her…

  “Oh, fuck!” She breaks with a yell, her fingers curling in my hair, her back jerking off the bed.

  I don’t let up as her thighs tighten around my ears, and her wails grow more persistent. I don’t stop until she tells me she can’t take it anymore. Even then, I move my mouth to her stomach, holding her and hugging her as she shivers through the last of her orgasm.

  Rising higher, I wrap her in my arms, and she tucks her face against my chest. One slim arm circles my waist, and I swear, I could hold her like this forever.

  I could never let her go. I could tell her it doesn’t have to be a lie. It doesn’t have to be fake. We could make this situation real and permanent, a place we never have to leave.