And after we both cl**axed, when all four of my limbs were wrapped around him and he was kissing me softly while gliding in and out of me, I realized that Joe Callahan just made love to me. For the first time, he didn’t f**k me, he made love to me.

Honestly, I couldn’t say which was better, they were both fantastic, but it was a beautiful and welcome, albeit confusing change.

I didn’t think he had it in him and it made matters far, far worse knowing he did.

“I’ve gotta get home,” I whispered against his mouth.

“I know,” he whispered back.

I ran a hand through his hair and down his scarred cheek, my fingers halting there but my thumb gliding along his lower lip.

“You’re scary beautiful,” I told him, unable to stop myself and his eyes went intense but he shook his head.

Then he said, “You’re just beautiful, buddy.”

Oh God.

My hand tensed against his face and I breathed, “Joe.”

“Go home, Vi.”

“Joe –”

He kissed me quiet then muttered, “Get to your girls.”

I had no choice so I said, “Okay.”

He pulled out of me, rolled off and I rolled out of bed.

I yanked on my underwear, pulled on his tee from the night before (I was stealing that too, he wouldn’t miss it, he had a million of them), grabbed my dress, my shoes, went back to the bed, leaned in and kissed him.

“Come home safe,” I whispered.

“Later,” he replied.

Then I forced myself to walk calmly out of his room.

* * * * *

Mike had called every day since our date. He didn’t say much, he was either busy at work and couldn’t talk long or he had his kids with him.

But what he said was nice.

Wednesday late afternoon, he called to say he had to cancel because he had to work. He didn’t seem happy about it.

I didn’t know what to feel.

Relieved, a little. Disappointed, definitely. Confused, absolutely.

* * * * *

Joe didn’t call at all.

* * * * *

But the person who hung up did.

They called every day then hung up.

It was when they called and Keira answered then they hung up that I got worried because Keira told me that wasn’t the first time and because Kate told me she’d had several hang ups too.

So I called Colt and told him about the hang ups and he said he’d look into it.

Daniel Hart had never called and hung up. He didn’t seem the type. And, for that reason, this scared me. There was no logic in being scared. It could be some kid from Kate and Keira’s school. Maybe Keira had an admirer who didn’t have the courage to say hello. Or maybe it was some idiot kid who thought it was funny.

But I got a bad feeling about it.

* * * * *

So I didn’t need to be freaked out by what Daniel Hart would do next and hang up calls from psychos or maybe stupid kids.

And I didn’t need to be dating a nice, handsome guy who made me laugh and laughed with me and who was good kisser, like Mike, while being Joe’s booty call.

I was a mother. I needed to set an example. And I needed to get my shit together.

Therefore, Joe being gone and not around to get under my skin, I decided Joe had to go.

It was brilliant and I loved it, even fighting with him, I loved it, as crazy as that made me. He scared me but he also made me feel alive and I’d never met anyone like him and even with Tim, I’d never felt that alive.

Tim was about contentment and happiness. We had our ups and downs, we fought, but mostly life was even and good. I believed in him, our life, our family and he believed in all that too and he never gave me any reason to doubt that he did. The girls and me, we were his world and he let us know it.

It was steady, strong and beautiful. It wasn’t the wicked ride on a roller coaster that was Joe.

But those roller coasters were always the best ride in the park.

Even so, I knew it wasn’t right for me and it wasn’t right for my daughters.

So he had to go.

* * * * *

I lay in bed with my hand curled around my phone and decided I needed to make the call to end things with Joe.

I lifted the phone, slid it open and scrolled down to “Joe’s Cell”, took a deep breath that hitched in the middle, closed my eyes tight, opened them and hit go.

I put the phone to my ear.

It rang twice then Joe said, “Yo.”

“Hey.”

“Buddy.”

I closed my eyes tight again.

I really liked it when he called me “buddy”, maybe even better than when he called me “baby”.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Um…” I could say no more. I wanted to… no, I didn’t want to, I needed to… but I couldn’t.

There was a hesitation then, softly, “Baby.”

Nope, I was wrong. I liked “baby” more.

“Somethin’ happen?” he asked, voice still soft.

“What?”

“He get to you?”

“Who?”

“Hart.”

Damn, he was worried about me.

“I don’t know,” I told him. “We’re getting hang ups.”

“Shit,” he muttered. “You tell Colt?”

“Yeah.”

“He didn’t tell me.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll call him,” Joe said then he asked, “What’d Colt say?”

“He said he’d look into it.”

“That all?”

“He didn’t go into specifics of what lookin’ into it would mean.”

“I’ll get specifics,” Joe stated firmly.

Yes, he was worried about me.

Okay, yeah, I liked him. Shit.

“The girls gettin’ the calls?” Joe asked.

“Yeah.”

“Shit,” he clipped, sounding pissed now. “They freaked?”

“I think they’re a bit worried, this is new, it’s never happened before.”

“Not Hart’s style.”

“That’s what makes it weird and scary.”

There was a pause then he said quietly, “You’ll be all right, buddy.”

“No alternative.”

He laughed shortly before saying, “Right.”

I didn’t reply.

Surprisingly, Joe did. “That why you called?”

No, it wasn’t.

“Yeah,” I lied because I chickened out. I’d do it later, in a note I’d put in his mailbox before Kate, Keira and I went on vacation (not that I had money for us to go on vacation but maybe I could sell a kidney or something). “You’re probably busy, I should let you go.”