I sat in a chair, exhaling loudly.
"How about you, my big, handsome warrior?" she simpered at me, plopping into my lap and sending a shooting pain straight from my thigh to my right temple. "Are you okay?" I was worse for wear to be truthful, and her putting all of her weight on my broken leg wasn't helping any either.
"Fine," I said, disgruntled. I wiped the blood from my lip onto my jeans, but the punk tagged me pretty good, with some freaking class ring as big as the Astrodome, and it wouldn't stop bleeding.
Noticing it, she got to her feet. "I'll get you something for that."
Relief flooded me as the pain in my leg released its grip, I called out angrily, "I don't need anything."
She returned with a wet kitchen rag with coffee cup designs on it. "Bullshit, Kyle. Let me help you."
"Stop babying me." I pushed the towel away even as she attempted to dab it on the cut, mostly because her "help" hurt, and it had stopped bleeding.
"Come on, baby," she cooed, brushing her lips against my swollen ones. "Let me make it feel better."
I bit her lower lip, peering into her sparking eyes, then brought her into a deeper kiss. Pain burned through me like hellfire, but that thrill I always got when we kissed ringed the edges, making it strangely pleasant and arousing. I coaxed her in deeper still, knowing I tested the limits of my restraint with the kids rooms away. Why was it so easy for her to fill me with such an overwhelming need to fill myself with her, to touch her skin, revel in her scent, taste her warmth and desire?
She pulled away, and I smiled at her. The way she looked back told me both of us were anticipating finishing that kiss after the kids went to bed. Then she brushed the hair from my face, kissing my forehead absentmindedly. She looked at me with sincerity. "Thank you for sticking up for Ryan."
"Yeah," a young voice said. We both turned our heads to see Ryan standing in the hall, his hands in his pockets, smiling. "Thanks, man."
I smiled in return. "Anytime, Ry. But I only tried to keep things fair for you, one-on-one. You really put the hurt on that kid, though. Maybe you have a career in hockey."
He smiled and shrugged, turning to shuffle away with a happy grin on his face.
Chapter 10
Samantha
It was a week until school let out for the summer, and while Danielle looked forward to seeing Tucker again in the Dells, I was worried about how long Kyle would stay before he got bored, or whatever, and went away. I knew what guys were like. Even wedding vows didn't keep Bill from screwing around on me. And here I'd gone and broken my number one rule of dating: Make sure the guy is way more into you, than you are into him. When Kyle left, it would hurt more than anything my ex ever did to me.
But at the moment, those worries were far from my mind, and, unbeknownst to me, an even bigger concern stood right outside the door to the kitchen in the school parking lot. Dani was in the middle of telling me a story from her phone conversation with Tucker the night before. We were laughing as we came out the door, but our smiles froze on our lips when we caught sight of him leaning against my Trailblazer. I walked ahead of Dani so she literally bumped right into me when I stopped in my tracks. She lifted her head and was the first to say it.
"Bill," she hissed.
If there was anyone in the world who hated my ex-husband more than I, it was Dani. I confided in her and told her all of the evil things he said and did during the course of our breakup. Caught in the act, instead of apologizing, he bragged about his cheating, supplying me with lurid details I didn't need to hear. It was a miracle I didn't kill him. But he was the father of Ryan, Jake and Elise, the three people most important to me in the world. My father and I didn't have a very good relationship, and I'd be damned if I'd take that away from my kids.
Dani, however, didn't have that to keep her from hating the man. And the funny thing is, Dani didn't hate anyone. But she loved me like a sister and despised Bill for what he did to me. And what he still was doing, as he constantly tried to run my life. I reminded him ad infinitum we were DIVORCED.
Dani eyed him like the snake in the grass he was. He may be able to fool a whole bunch of people—appearances were very important to him after all—but she knew the true Bill.
"Do you want me to stay?" she asked in a low voice.
"No. Whatever he wants, I can handle it." I said it loud enough for him to hear it. I wasn't taking any of his bull today.
She didn't move. "Are you sure?" She practically snarled. If she were a dog, the hair would be raised on her neck. Maybe it was. Hard telling with that mane.
I turned away from him to look her fully in the eye. "Yes, Dani. I've got this. You go on home and take that nap you were talking about."
"I don't need to take a nap."
I smiled at this. Dani's nap was sacred. In her words, it provided a "bookmark" separating her lunch lady part of the day from her mommy part of the day. "Hon, we may go out later, and I don't want to have to deal with you if you haven't taken your nap."
Even this didn't break the fixed stare she leveled on Bill. "Okay. But I'll have my phone with me if you need anything."
"Fine." I gave her a little shove, and she moved toward her car.
"Hey," Bill had the nerve to say to her.
Out of respect for my wishes, she reluctantly gave a slight nod in his direction, but that was all he got from her. I waited until she backed out and pulled away to speak.
"What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to talk to you away from the kids."
I moved forward, intending to barrel right past him. But he grabbed my elbow, gripping it hard. I looked from his hand on my elbow to him, and he let up but didn't release it.
"You need to stop seeing this Kyle guy."
Damn! One of the kids narced me out. Probably Elise. She's got loose lips.
I yanked my elbow out of his grasp. "What's it to you?"
"What's it to me?" he blustered. "I-I don't want my kids exposed to whatever kinky sex you're into."
I smiled. "Oh, and I guess you're the moral compass everyone should follow. Give me a break." I sought to put my keys in the door, and it pissed me off my hands shook.
"That again? How long are you going to keep throwing that in my face?"
"Forever," I spat. It's not like he ever said he was sorry for it or apologized.
"Ahh!" he gestured. He was Italian. They were big into gesturing. I looked at him. When I met him in high school he looked like an athlete, with long, dark, wavy hair. Now he was portly, at best, wore his hair in a crew cut and had gray at the temples. I was only eighteen when we married. Ryan's age. I would have done anything to get away from my house and my dad, including bed the devil, which it turned out I did.
I got the door open a few inches, and he slammed it shut with his big meaty hand, stepping behind me. He nuzzled my hair and growled, "He'll cheat on you. You know he will. Little stud muffin referee. He can bring a different girl home every night he's on the road, and you wouldn't know the difference."
I could feel his arousal against my ass, and it sickened me. He'd offered me extra money when times were tight if I'd do him. No way was I that desperate. I lifted my shoulder and pushed him off, and Alex and Max chose that time to walk out the door. They had nearly the same reaction to Bill Dani did.
"Everything okay?" Max bit off.
Bill stepped away a tad, and I used the room to spin around and shove him again. "Fine. Bill was leaving."
He gritted his teeth, looked at Max, who had her arms crossed and a scowl on her face, then leaned in. "I'll make you sorry for him, Samantha. I swear it." He crossed behind the Trailblazer in a stare-down with Max, his stupid dress shoes ringing against the pavement. To add to the ridiculousness of his behavior he peeled out. I exhaled.
Alex and Max hurried over to me. "Are you okay?"
"Yes. Fine," I snapped, my nerves still jumping.
Alex put a hand on my arm. "What did he say to you? He looked pissed as hell."
"
Yeah," Max added. "What crawled up his ass?"
"He's mad about... Kyle."
They both nodded. "Ahh."
Alex patted my arm. "I thought so. What are you going to do about it?"
"Nothing. He's full of hot air." But I wondered. His voice didn't even sound like his when he said he'd make me sorry. "Listen. I'm going home. It's been a long day and I need a drink." So what if it was only one o'clock. "Thank you guys, for trying to help."
Max put her hand on my shoulder. "Any time, honey."
"Yeah. And if he gives you any more shit, you let us know, 'cause me and Maxi will pound him." She smacked her fist into her hand, smiling, trying to lighten the moment.
"Ya know, you'd look a lot more threatening without those palm tree earrings."
"It's almost break. I had to wear them." We exchanged a hug and got into our cars. I pretended to be texting someone, but the truth was I was still shaky.
The bastard came to my school to ruin my day. And damned if I wasn't letting him do it.
Tucker
We were sitting on the tailgate of our Cherokee at the Chula Vista resort and water park in the Wisconsin Dells waiting for Danielle and Tabitha to arrive. I sweated it big time, but tried not to let the kids know. Dani acted so strangely that last morning in Iowa City. I wasn't sure where we stood. But our phone calls between seemed pretty normal. I knew I'd be able to tell in minutes by her reaction to seeing me. Was she simply going through with it because we planned it? Or was I imagining a problem between us? Maybe in Iowa she was only anxious about saying goodbye.
When they pulled in, I jumped to my feet.
"Easy, Dad," Zoe said out of the corner of her mouth, a teasing smile dancing on her lips.
So much for playing it cool.
Danielle got out, apologizing for being late, and my heart skipped a beat. She wore a white, orange, and red floral bikini top with a long matching skirt tied around her waist. Her tanned stomach and sexy bellybutton were revealed, and suddenly the air thinned. Piled on her head, her hair tumbled in a wild profusion of curls, and her smile could have lit the night sky. Then, this little angel came around from the other side of Dani's Fiat, totally captivating me the moment I set eyes on her.
I squatted and smiled. "You must be Tabitha." It was true. She had Dani's startling blue eyes and flawless skin, and on top of those, these beautiful, loose, blonde curls framing her face, dominated by her adorable, dimpled smile. She grabbed Dani's hand and partly hid behind her skirt, her gaze locked on mine.
"Um-hum." She chewed on her fingers and I noticed, wedged between her elbow and her body, a well-loved stuffed animal of an unrecognizable species peeked out.
"Who's this?" I tugged lightly on the beast's worn paw, which sported several felt claws.
"This is Beverly." Tabitha held her out to me with a smile and I took it, trying to identify what sort of creature I dealt with. "And she's a good traveler. Isn't she, Mommy?" She looked up, and Dani laughed. It was a wonderful laugh, like tinkling bells, and I guessed Tabitha caused it to appear often. She continued. "She doesn't chew loud or burp, or anything. But she did have to make quite a few potty-stops," she added with a giggle.
Dani blushed. "We blamed some of our potty-stops on Beverly," she explained in a loud whisper to me and the kids, smiling at us all in turn.
To my surprise, Zoe squatted next to me and put a hand on the animal, too. "Is Beverly your... beaver, Tabitha?" She squinted at Dani, and Dani nodded with a smile.
"Uh-huh. She likes tea parties."
"Does she?" Zoe said with exaggerated excitement. "Well, we'll have to have a tea party later, then, won't we?" I handed Beverly to her and straightened, gazing into Dani's eyes, my heart warming.
"You're pretty," Tabitha said to Zoe, thus winning a friend for life. There's nothing better she could say to my self-conscious teenage daughter who spent half the morning telling me she looked "fat" in her swimming suit despite her slender physique.
"Can I see Beverly?" Scott asked, wanting to get in on the action. Happily, Tabitha retrieved the beleaguered Beverly from her new friend and handed it, with reverence, to Scottie.
He smiled at Tabby. "Wow. She's cool."
"Scott, Zoe, I'd like you to meet Danielle," I said, with a hint of pride. After all, I could tell she had impressed Zoe already.
Dani shook their hands. "Everyone calls me Dani." She looked around at our little group. "Well," she said with her hands on her hips, "anyone here ready for the water slides?"
An emphatic cheer rose. Zoe and Scott took Tabitha's hands and led her toward the gate. I grabbed Dani's hand, and pulled her toward me so I could whisper in her ear. "You look great."
"So do you." She exhaled, her shoulders relaxing, and smiled. "I'll be right there. I've got to get our towels out," she yelled to the kids. They nodded, but continued walking, talking to Tabby. When she opened the trunk, I ducked behind it with her and stole a kiss.
My voice came out husky. "I've missed you."
"I know. Me, too."
"Let's go get wet," I said with a smile.
I took the bag from her and tore off after the kids, dragging her behind me, laughing. It was cloudy and a little breezy, so we decided to stay in the indoor part and tackle the outside slides in the morning. When we entered the huge building, the familiar smell of chlorine hit us, promising water up the nose in the very near future. Double glass doors led into the pool area, and a wall of humidity and noise hit us on the other side. Slides began indoors, then passed through walls, took a turn outside, and came back in, slithering out of the building like huge snakes. Visitors had to smile as the adrenaline pumped. Oldsters like me felt years younger, like a kid again.
Reaching the slides, Tabby gazed up warily. I bent in front of her. "How 'bout you and I go on the first one together?"
"No fair," Scott wailed. "I wanted to go with her."
"There's time for me to go with everyone," Tabby said wisely, her little voice making the grown-up statement comical.
"Let me warn you," Dani said in a whisper. "She's timid now. But when she gets going, she's fearless."
I threw her a wink. "My kinda gal." Tabby slipped her little hand in mine and completely won me over. I looked down at her. "I like your swim suit." She wore a pink two-piece with daisies on it.
She smiled proudly. "Mommy picked it out. I like yours, too."
I laughed. "Oh, thanks." I wore red and orange trunks with huge, white tropical flowers on it. Strangely enough, it was practically an exact match to Dani's. About halfway up the winding staircase, Tabby slowed. I followed her and noticed how much more difficult it was for her short legs to manage than mine. "Hey," I suggested, "do you want a ride the rest of the way?"
"Sure." She turned around on the steps and threw her arms around my neck.
I scooped her into my arms. Expecting more weight, I had to regain my balance and adjust the tension in my arms to keep from crushing her. She didn't seem to notice and snuggled right in. I'd forgotten how wonderful it felt to hold someone so small.
"Mommy told me she likes you," Tabby shared confidentially.
"She did?" I smiled. "Well, don't tell anybody, but..." I looked around with exaggerated caution, and she took an excited intake of breath before I whispered in her ear. "I like her, too."
Tabitha giggled, then cupped her hand around my ear, making me wince with her loud whisper, "Mommy told me she might kiss you."
A ripple of pleasure danced over me. "She did?" I repeated. We reached the top of the platform, but I didn't put her down, preferring to carry her through the winding rope pathway then hold her in the short line.
She nodded. "She asked me if it was okay with me if she kissed you."
I didn't think about this before. Tabitha hadn't seen her mom with other men, so maybe she would have some reservations. "What did you tell her?" I asked tentatively.
"I said, 'we'll see.' She tells me that a lot."
I chuckled, but worried about what her answer
would be. Was I on trial here? I didn't have much time to think about it as, swiftly, our turn came. I helped Tabby into the front hole of our double inner-tube and clumsily maneuvered into the back.
"Hold on tight, sweetheart. Okay?"
"Okay."
It occurred to me maybe she was too little for the ride. Did the ride-operator even look at her? I turned to ask him as he pushed our tube forward into the gaping mouth of the slide. As we flew through the murky light of the enclosed tunnel, Tabitha's high-pitched screams filled the air. In a panic, I reached for her.
"Tabitha, are you okay?" The shrieks reverberating off the walls all around me drowned out my voice. Then, abruptly we were pitched out into a wider, brighter, circular room the water carried us around and around in, ever closer to the center. In there I could tell Tabitha's cries were not of sheer terror, but of terror and delight. I laughed, relaxing into the inner tube, as the water spun us around and we flew, backwards, through a hole in the center. We rocketed down a short, steep slope before we plunged into a big pool two other slides emptied into. When we hit the pool, our mismatched weights caused us to flip, sending Tabby flying into the air. I broke the surface, frantically searching around for Dani's little girl, fighting the water out of my eyes to see better. She surfaced like a bobber and I looked into the wide-eyed, sputtering face of a girl who was about to cry. Unexpectedly, I remembered what I learned when Scott and Zoe were this age—don't act scared yourself, and they won't be frightened either. "Wow," I exclaimed enthusiastically, while fishing her out into my arms. "Wasn't that awesome?"
She hesitated, wavering as she debated the issue, then the sunshine broke out over her face. "Awesome," she repeated, to my immense relief, squeezing me. I waded across and set her on the stairs so she could climb out, and followed after her, dragging the raft. My gaze searched for Dani hungrily, but when I rose out of the water, Tabby grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the steps. "Again," she demanded. She was surprisingly strong for such a tiny thing.
Damned If I Do Page 10
