Along Came Us (Man Enough)

by Nicole McLaughlin

  “Well, I don’t want to disappoint you, but a nerdy guy in a Zelda T-shirt and beanie sat here for almost four hours this morning.”

  “Damn,” he said, shaking his head. “He was probably writing the great American novel.”

  “Undoubtedly.”

  They stared at each other for a moment, both grinning like idiots.

  “I can’t stop thinking about you,” he finally said. “Every time I walk into my kitchen I picture you in it.”

  She laughed. “We made out in your mother’s kitchen.”

  He grimaced, then chuckled. “It’s not her kitchen. She hasn’t even visited again since I moved.”

  “Aw, that’s too bad.”

  “No, actually it’s fine. I visit her plenty. But please”—he swiped a hand in the air—“let’s not think about her now.”

  “Deal.” Lia agreed there’d been way too much thinking about mothers this week.

  Tyler reached out to grab one of her hands, his fingers intertwining with hers.

  “Be with me tonight, Lia. We can just hang. Or more. If you want.”

  “I’d like that. I just have a lot going on right now.”

  “Okay . . . you can do a lot. Just let me do it with you.”

  She cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. “You don’t even know what it is I have to do.”

  He shrugged and squeezed her hand. “Doesn’t matter. Although, I admit, if it can involve me finally giving you your turn first, I will be extremely happy.”

  Lia blushed. She was not against things moving forward, and if she didn’t quite yet trust him fully, she at least trusted him more than she ever had anyone else.

  “So? You game? Please say yes, because I have to go to a convention in Kansas City this weekend so I won’t be able to see you until Sunday.”

  She loved the idea that he was so eager to spend time with her that he couldn’t put it off for even two days. However, as much as she wanted to be with him, she didn’t have time to put off her talk with her brother any longer.

  “I need to spend some time with Caleb tonight, but maybe after. Would you want to come over?”

  “Yeah. Definitely. Why don’t I pick up some pizza or something?”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I want to.” He hesitated. “Is it okay with you? I know he’s aware we went out that one night, but does Caleb . . . know about us?”

  About us. She wanted him to clarify what “us” meant to him, but it was still so soon. They’d officially gone out once and just sort of spent time together since. She wasn’t even sure how to classify what “us” meant to her.

  “I think he has an idea. But, no, I haven’t discussed us with him. I don’t think I’d know what to say.”

  She hoped it wasn’t too obvious a statement, but she did want him to take the bait and give her an idea of what was going on in his head. The best thing to do would be to ask him, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready for that, and sitting in the coffee shop, on the clock, was not the time to start the conversation.

  “I’d say just keep it casual. We’re . . . hanging out. Just having fun.”

  “Yeah . . . that’s a good idea.” And her heart sank a bit in her chest. She couldn’t really say why.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “I’m not stupid. I knew you were seeing Tyler,” Caleb said as he helped Lia carry in her shopping bags.

  “I figured you might, but we hadn’t officially discussed it.”

  “You know I left the apartment on purpose that first night you went out.” He grinned as he held open the apartment door for her.

  Lia’s mouth dropped open. “You did?”

  “Well, I mean, I didn’t invite myself over to Cole’s house, but I kind of persuaded him to think of it himself.”

  “You sneaky little matchmaker.” Lia laughed.

  “So, did it work?”

  “He did not stay over, no.” Which wasn’t a lie, but not really the entire truth. “And would you really even want to know?”

  “Good point. So, what kind of pizza is he getting?”

  “No idea. I just told him you weren’t a fan of black olives or green peppers.”

  Caleb nodded as he unloaded the toilet paper and soap from her bag. Lia watched him silently for a moment. He was getting so tall, and his muscles had really developed since he’d been working out at the gym. Even more so recently. He was officially a young man, and in a little over a year he would be able to go to college, or just leave here if he wanted. That meant she only had a short time left to get him on the right path, support him, and show him how much potential he had. Bringing their mother home would upset the already precarious balance of their lives. She’d still have to work full time, which could possibly put him in a position to have to change her clothes, or help her to the bathroom. Lia just couldn’t do that to him.

  Moving away from her mom and brother after high school had been one of the hardest things Lia had ever done, but at the time she’d just needed to get away. She’d prayed every day that Caleb’s childhood hadn’t been as traumatic and painful as her own, and although he’d turned out okay, Lia knew it had been far from ideal. Their mother’s drinking worsened throughout Caleb’s early years and after Cash left she’d started using drugs on and off again, ultimately leading to her current situation. They’d suffered enough, and it was up to Lia to make sure they weren’t harmed any further.

  It was time to admit to herself that she’d known all along what to do about their mother. Best-case scenario, she’d land a killer job with an unbelievable salary. Worst case, she’d continue to work at Exquisite a couple of nights a week and hope to God nobody at her office job ever found out. If she could get an office job of course.

  When Caleb came back down the hall from putting away all the bathroom products, Lia cleared her throat. “Caleb. There’s something I need to discuss with you.”

  His eyes darted to hers as he opened a bag of mini donuts and popped one in his mouth. “Okay,” he muttered, mouth full.

  “First, close those. You’ll ruin your appetite for pizza.”

  “I doubt that.” But he folded the top of the bag down, then stared at her, waiting.

  “The other day I went to see Mom. Kelly told me she’s been causing trouble again.”

  “Her roommate?”

  Lia nodded. “The family complained.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Why can’t she just be nice?”

  “Debbie is a nonconformist. You know this.”

  “She can’t even move that well. How does she cause so much trouble?”

  “Her loud mouth, that’s how. You can hardly blame the roommates.”

  “I don’t. I blame her. So, what now?”

  “Well . . . they put her in a private room.”

  “That’s great. Why didn’t they do that before?”

  “Because it’s expensive. The government is paying her medical bills, but they are only willing to pay so much. The private room would be out of pocket for me.”

  “So, what are we going to do?”

  She loved him for saying “we.” For immediately being willing to step up. But she wanted his life to remain as normal as possible. “I’m going to have to work more.”

  “At the coffee shop?”

  “No . . .” She always hated lying about Exquisite.

  “Not at the bar!” Caleb sounded upset. Lia’s brow furrowed in confusion.

  “I know you don’t like me being gone so much—”

  “It’s not that. It’s just . . . I thought you were going to graduate soon and be able to work during the day. You said yourself you’d quit the bar.”

  “I know, but I make more money there. It’s the only way, or Mom will have to move in with us.”

  His mouth snapped shut, his jaw working hard. She assumed he’d be disappointed about this news, but he actually seemed . . . angry. “I’ll help take care of her if have to. You know that.”

  She was so touched by his
offer, and also deeply saddened. “I know you would. But I don’t want that for you.”

  Their conversation was cut short by the doorbell ringing.

  “I’ll get it.” Caleb walked out of the kitchen toward the front door. Lia sighed and closed her eyes. Sometimes she felt bitter that she was having to raise a teenage boy when she barely felt like an adult herself. But there really was no other kid like Caleb. He’d been born to a horrible man and a careless mother. And yet miraculously he was one of the best people Lia knew.

  At the sound of Tyler’s deep voice, she quickly tidied the table and picked up all the empty plastic bags. When she turned around from dropping them all in the recycling bin, he was grinning at her over three pizza boxes.

  “Did we really need an entire pizza each?” she asked.

  “I just wasn’t sure what to get so I got a little bit of everything.”

  Caleb immediately began to inspect the boxes, so Lia went to the cabinet and grabbed some plates. A warm presence came up behind her.

  “Need some help?”

  She glanced over her shoulder to find Tyler close. “Sure. Take these to the table?”

  He took the plates from her fingers and gave her a wink. When he was finished, he came back and helped her get drinks together. When Caleb took a seat facing away from them, Tyler surprised her by leaning in and placing a quick kiss on her lips before heading to the table himself.

  They ate and talked, mainly about Tyler’s fighting days because Caleb asked so many questions.

  “So, did you ever have any televised fights?” Caleb asked.

  “Yeah, several. But on ESPN and such. Never anything pay-per-view. I wasn’t that big of a deal.”

  “Only because you quit just when you were about to take off. Right?” Caleb argued.

  Tyler chuckled. “I guess so. But it’s okay.”

  “Do you regret quitting?” Lia asked.

  He paused before answering. “No. I missed it, but I’m grateful for my time in the military. I guess my only regret was the events that led me to joining the Army. I wish I would have been there for my brother more. He enlisted because he thought it might finally prove himself to our dad. And probably also to get away from the same man. I should have looked out for him better. Even though I was the younger brother, I was always stronger, more outspoken. John came to me a lot, and I should have stepped in where our dad failed him.”

  Lia was a little shocked he’d just shared so much in front of Caleb. But maybe he was used to sharing with the boys he mentored. It still saddened her though. “It’s not a sibling’s job to be a parent,” Lia said

  “You’re mine,” Caleb corrected.

  She looked at him, wanting to remind him how many times he’d gotten annoyed with her and said she was not his parent. But she wouldn’t say anything to ruin the nice moment they were having. She smiled. “I’m not quite the same as a parent. It’s a little different.”

  “Yeah, but . . . it’s the best I’ve got.”

  Her face fell a bit, and although she knew he hadn’t meant to hurt her, the words hadn’t quite been what she was looking for. Her eyes met Tyler’s and he gave her a classic Tyler wink.

  “I’ve told you before how lucky you are to have a sister like Lia. Better than some kids real parents.”

  Caleb looked confused. “I know that. She’s better than both of mine. That’s what I meant.”

  Tyler nodded. “Good. You can show her you’re grateful by working hard, staying out of trouble, and going to college.”

  “That’s my plan,” Caleb said. Picking up his plate, he rose from the table. “I’m gonna go play the PS4. You can play too, if you want,” he said to Tyler.

  “Maybe in a little while, man. Thanks.”

  “Thanks for dinner.”

  They were quiet as Caleb went into his room and shut the door. Finally, Lia spoke.

  “I don’t disagree with anything you said to Caleb. But you realize some people might argue that teaching a boy to fight isn’t encouraging him to stay out of trouble. Are you sure it’s not sending a mixed message?”

  Tyler gave Lia a long “haven’t we already discussed this” look. “I get your meaning, but there is a difference between looking for trouble and trouble finding you. The world isn’t black and white, it’s full of gray areas, and there’s nothing wrong with a man knowing how to defend himself.”

  She laid her napkin down and crossed her arms. “I like hearing about you fighting, but I am glad I never had to witness it.”

  Tyler laughed. “Sometimes I came out of a fight wondering if my face would ever go back to normal.”

  “I’d say it looks pretty good.”

  “Yeah? Good enough to make out with?”

  “Hush. My brother is down the hall.” She met his eyes. “But maybe a little. If you’re lucky.”

  “I’m feeling pretty lucky I’ll have you know.”

  She watched as he condensed the leftover pizza into one box and then closed the remaining empty ones.

  “So, uh . . . speaking of fighting. I wanted to run something by you. I was asked to judge an amateur fight in the L.A. area in a couple weeks. How would you like to go with me?”

  Lia’s lips parted in surprise. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah. It would be fun. You could see a real fight. Meet the fighters, see they’re just normal guys. Maybe meet my mom.”

  Lia’s eyes jerked up to his. “You want me to meet your mom?”

  “Well, I can hardly fly into L.A. without saying hi. She’d skin me alive.”

  Did she want to go on a trip with him? That was a lot of together time. Would they sleep in the same bed? How would she afford it? Better yet, how could she afford to miss work? It was so tempting, but just impossible with her two large payments coming due to the nursing home. “It does sound fun, but it’s kind of late to get out of work and I don’t really know if I could afford to miss an entire weekend.”

  She could tell by his furrowed brow that he was disappointed. “I understand. But I’ll pay for the trip, so no worries about that.”

  That was unexpected, but it still didn’t put money in her pocket. “That’s nice of you, but I just really shouldn’t. I make a good amount each weekend at my other job and well, . . . our financial situation recently became a little more intense.”

  Tyler’s eyes narrowed. “Is everything okay?”

  “Of course. Fine.”

  The stress of the past few days began to feel like a heavy weight on her, and for some reason having him act concerned and worried just made her feel all the more weary.

  “Lia, talk to me. I can see in your eyes that something’s going on.”

  She took a drink of her water, debating how much she wanted to tell him. It was almost too easy to talk to him. “I told you my mother was in a nursing home.” Tyler nodded and took her hand just like he always did. It was beginning to be one of her favorite things about spending time with him. Now a bit more comfortable, she filled him in on the details of the entire situation.

  “Damn. That’s a lot of money.”

  “Exactly. If I’d had that kind of money, we wouldn’t be living here. But I just don’t have a choice. We can’t take care of her ourselves. It’s not an option.”

  Tyler stared down at the table. “And she’s still pretty young, right? I mean, you could be paying this for . . .”

  “Decades.”

  “I’m sorry,” Tyler said. He tugged on her hand. “Come here.”

  He scooted his chair back, pulled her up out of hers and down onto his lap. She went willingly, desperate for the comfort of his arms. Crazy for her to realize this man had become a safety net of sorts for her. At least emotionally. She still knew it was up to her to take care of her and her brother.

  Tyler nuzzled into her neck, his lips grazing her pulse point. “You always smell so good.”

  A shiver ran down her back as his tongue slid over her ear. “That tickles.”

  His hand came up to her chin a
nd tugged her lips toward his.

  “I have pizza breath,” she said.

  “Good thing I do too.” He kissed her, and she kissed him back, deciding not to worry about the pizza breath, her stress, or the fact that her brother was just beyond a doorway. He knew they were seeing each other now, and that definitely meant kissing.

  Pulling back, Tyler touched her lower lip with his thumb. “Let’s put these leftovers in the refrigerator and then discuss what we can do about your mother.”

  Lia’s head jerked back. “It’s not your problem. We’ll be fine.”

  Tyler looked into her eyes. “I know it’s not my problem, but if it’s worrying you, I want to talk about it. There’s got to be a solution.”

  “There is one. I go to a job fair soon and I hope someone is willing to hire me. Then between that and picking up extra shifts at my serving job, I’ll make it work.”

  He was quiet for a moment. “How will I see you if you’re always working?”

  Touching his face, she felt a deep ache in her chest. How could she continue working at Exquisite and not tell him? Every day she fell for him a little more. Needed him a little more.

  “We’ll figure it out.”

  He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Okay.”

  After they put the pizza away and loaded the dishwasher, they sat down on the sofa to watch a movie. Lia snuggled in close to him, and the next thing she knew, she was waking up in his lap to the sound of hard rain falling outside. Focusing her eyes, she saw that the movie was repeating its title page loop. She recalled them starting a second movie after the first had ended, and then him rubbing her back as it got started. Obviously, that’s all it had taken to knock her out.

  Gently she pushed herself up and looked at Tyler. His head lay back on the cushion, his lips slightly parted. The quiet sound of his breathing made her smile. He looked so sweet and relaxed like that.

  She quietly stood up and walked into the kitchen to glance at the clock on the stove. It was almost two. Tiptoeing up to Caleb’s door, she leaned in to listen for any sound of life. Hearing nothing, and seeing no light leaking under the door, she went into her room and put on some pajamas. Quickly, she brushed her teeth and used the restroom before heading back to the living room. Tyler hadn’t moved a muscle.