by Aria Grace
The neighbor's door opened.
“Sorry about that,” I said. “We're usually better about keeping him in the yard.”
Asher and I walked across the yard, hopefully, the guy wouldn’t be too upset. Now was as good a time as any to introduce ourselves.
The owner of the house exited the house. I looked up and down the body of the man who stepped out. Muscular. Gorgeous. Straight out of my fantasies.
“Mr. G! Dad! Dad!” Asher patted my leg. “That's my teacher! That's him right there. Mr. G, do you live here?”
Devon smiled. His eyes lit up as he looked at my son. “Yeah, I do. Is that your house?” he gestured to our home.
“Yeah, we just moved last week.”
“That's pretty cool,” Devon said. “And this here's your dog?” He bent down and scratched Spot behind the ears.
“Yeah. We're getting his fence installed tomorrow. Hopefully, he won't wander into your yard after that,” I chimed in.
“I don't mind,” Devon said as he continued to pet the dog.
Spot tilted his head and leaned into the touch. I could relate. Devon’s hands were magical.
“Buddy, why don't you go ahead and take Spot home?” I said.
“All right. Come on, Spot!” Asher called. “Mr. G, why don't you come over for dinner tonight?”
“Oh, buddy. I can't do that,” Mr. G. said. “I'm sure you and your dad—”
“Please! It'll be lots of fun,” Asher pleaded.
I forced to smile. “It's nothing special. Just homemade mac and cheese. But you're welcome to come. I understand if it's too weird.”
“Why would it be weird? Is it because he's my teacher?” Asher asked.
Devon let out a sigh. “No, buddy. It won't be weird. I'd love to come over for dinner.”
“Awesome.” Asher took off toward home. “See you in a bit.”
“So… neighbors,” Devon said.
I nodded. “Neighbors. And you're my son's kindergarten teacher. You're like one of those bad pennies that keep turning it up.”
Devon scowl and I backtracked. “Sorry! That came out wrong. That's not what I meant.” I ran a hand through my hair. “It’s just weird. But, it will be nice to have you for dinner. I missed the teacher meet and greet.”
Devon’s smile returned and it made my heart skip a beat. “Thanks. Shall we?”
“Yeah, we better catch up to Asher, else there won’t be any dinner left of the two of us.”
32
Devon
If someone had told me a week ago that I would be sitting in Harley's living room having a bowl of ice cream after we had just shared a dinner of delicious macaroni and cheese, I would have told them they were crazy. I didn’t make a habit of sharing meals with my student’s parents, but for Asher, I’d make an exception. When the kid has asked if I wanted to come over, my response had been instantaneous. I wanted to spend time with this family. This kid and his dad intrigued me.
Throughout dinner, Asher told stories about his adventures in dinosaur hunting and talked about how he and his dad created dinosaur experiments. He could name more dinosaurs than I even knew existed.
It was clear that I had been completely wrong about Harley. He was a good dad.
Though I wasn't supposed to pick favorites, Asher was soon becoming one of my favorite children in class.
“You all finished with your ice cream?” Harley asked.
I sat on the couch. Apparently, on Fridays, they broke the no food in the living room rule and had ice cream. Harley held out his hand, expecting me to give him my bowl. Our gazes met, and it was as if time stood still and I remembered exactly what it was that had drawn me to him that night at the bar.
Harley had an air about him. He was radiant.
“Are you two having a moment?” Asher jumped onto the couch next to me. “Because it looks like you're having a moment. Like in The Lady and The Tramp when they're having that spaghetti dinner.”
I tore my gaze from Harley. “No, Asher. I just got lost in thought for a minute.”
“Thinking about my dad? He doesn't have a boyfriend, you know.”
“Asher that's enough,” Harley said. He took the bowl from me and went to the kitchen. When he came back his cheeks had flushed a little pink.
“All right, Asher, I think it's best we say goodnight to Mr. G and let him get home.”
“But I want to play some more.”
“Sorry dude, it’s bedtime. You know that.”
“Can we hang out with you again this weekend, Mr. G? We can be friends outside of school, I promise it won't be weird.”
I had to chuckle because that was the exact phrase his dad and I had used about our relationship.
“Yeah, I know it won't be weird, Asher.”
“I'm sure Mr. G. has plenty of weekend plans,” Harley said.
“Actually this weekend I don't. But I'm sure you two do,” I said.
“No. This weekend dad says we’re supposed to just chill,” Asher said in his best mock Harley voice.
“Hey, that's my plan too.”
“We could all chill together!” Asher said.
“Okay, that's enough of that. Asher, why don't you get upstairs and get your teeth brushed. I will say goodnight to Mr. G.”
“Okay,” Asher got up and left the room.
Harley smiled and I smiled back, we shared a short laugh about the five-year old’s antics.
“Sorry about that,” he said.
“It's no big deal. He's a good kid.”
“He is.” We stood together awkwardly for a moment. “This won't be weird though, right?” he asked.
I laughed. “I'm not sure. It's getting weirder by the moment. Having your son in my class and now you're my neighbor, I shouldn’t but all I want to do is kiss you…”
Harley bit his lip and looked away. “We can’t. I – I don’t do relationships.”
Ouch. Shot down. “Right. Of course. I get it. It’ll be fine.”
“Right. Totally fine.”
33
Harley
I don’t do relationships.
Ugh. I kicked myself for the hundredth time at having said that. It had been two weeks since Devon had dinner at my house and Asher still hadn’t stopped talking about it. Each day he came home with new stories about Mr. G. Each day I got to watch Mr. G. from afar while I waited to pick up my son from school, and I had to admit I had a crush.
Was it technically a crush if I’d already slept with the man? Who was I kidding? I was way beyond crush at this point. I was smitten.
He waved to me from the entrance of the school as he handed Asher his backpack. His smile made the butterflies in my stomach dance. That had been happening a lot more lately.
“Hey Harley,” Joel said as he approached my car.
“Hey, Joel, what’s up?” I peered around Joel, so I could catch sight of Devon as he waved goodbye to each child from his class individually.
“Are you checking out Devon?”
My gaze snapped back to Joel. “What? No!”
“It’s okay if you are. If I wasn’t a married omega, I’d be all over that alpha.”
The thought made me stupidly jealous and I bit back a growl. “Its- I’m not—Oh, damn. Is it that obvious that I like him?”
Joel shrugged and winked. “Why don’t you ask him out?”
I shook my head. “I can’t do that. He’s Asher’s teacher.”
“Only for the next few months. Go for it! Before someone else snags him.”
“Has he—has he said anything about seeing someone?” Damn my nosiness. I had no right to ask and I really didn’t need to give Joel any more ammo for his matchmaking.
“No. He seemed all bummed out about something a few weeks ago, and I assumed it was a guy, but then nothing. He’s kind of tight-lipped about his personal life.”
Asher pulled open the back door of the car and climbed in. “Hey, buddy. How was your day?” I asked.
“Great! Mr. G. taught
us how to make slime, and he told me that maybe this weekend, he can help me make a batch at home. But I have to ask you first, so I told him you wouldn’t mind cause you really like him.”
Ugh. There goes my stomach again.
Joel laughed and backed away from the car. “Oh boy. Out of the mouths of babes. Good luck with that.” He continued to laugh as he walked away and I hid my head in shame.
Thankfully the cars ahead of me got moving, and I was able to leave.
“What makes you think I like Mr. G?” I watched Asher’s reaction in the rearview mirror. He was currently engrossed in whatever was out his window.
“You always ask about him.”
“Nuh-uh. I ask about your day.” The fact that a lot of Asher’s day involved stories about Mr. G. was irrelevant.
“Yeah, but then you always ask about Mr. G. I think you do that ‘cause you like him. It's okay if you like him, I like him.”
I cringed each time he said like. Damn my kid for being so observant. I couldn’t lie to him. “Mr. G. is a very nice man and a great teacher. A lot of people like him.”
“It would be okay if you dated him. I think it would be fun to have an alpha dad.”
I groaned. “Thanks, buddy. I’ll take that into consideration.”
I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. I had to stop this. No more crushing on the school teacher, no more asking my son about him. No more Devon.
Nope.
I needed to stick to my original plan and stay single, focus on Asher, and my career. That’s it.
Why did that seem like a really boring idea?
34
Devon
“Mr. G?”
I jumped in my seat at the sound of a child's voice right next to me. It was recess time and I should have been alone in my classroom. I was currently returning emails from parents with questions about their children's classwork. Really, I was just staring at my computer screen, unable to focus on anything except Harley.
“Yes, Asher?” I said. “What are you doing inside? You should be out playing with your friends.”
“I know. I snuck back in.”
I bit back a smile and pasted on my stern teacher face. “You know you're not allowed to do that.”
“I know, and I'm sorry, but my dad seems sad these days.”
My eyebrows rose. “Really? Is something wrong at home?”
“No, I think he misses you. When we're outside he stares at your house a lot. And he fell asleep on the couch one night and when I woke him up because I had to get a glass of water, he said your name.”
“Oh,” I said. “That's interesting.” Shit. There was nothing in the world that could prepare me for this. “Buddy, your dad and I are just friends. He's your dad and I'm a teacher here at the school.” And why was I talking to a six-year-old about this?
“Okay. But you should call him sometime. I think he could use a boyfriend.” His little face held such sincere concern that I couldn’t help but smile.
I swallowed thickly. “Maybe you should talk with your dad about this.” And dammit I was going to have to reach out to Harley now too since this was not your everyday conversation, and it was an issue that should be addressed at home. “Now, go outside and play. You still have fifteen minutes of recess left, and I don't want the aide to wonder where you're at.”
“Okay, so you'll call my dad?”
“Yes,” I said. “I will call your dad.” But not for the reasons you might be thinking.
Asher took off across the classroom at a run.
“Walk, please.”
“Sorry,” he shouted, and then he disappeared outside.
I put my head in my hands. What was I going to do about that kid? He was too cute for words and he had a special place in my heart. His dad did, too. I couldn't help but wonder what could be if we just threw caution to the wind and gave it a try. We could go on a few dates. But, there was no guarantee it would work out, and what then?
We were neighbors, his kid came to our school.
Then again, what if it did work out? We could move in together, get married, have more kids just like Asher.
Ten minutes later, I still hadn't gotten anything accomplished. This was supposed to be my planning time and I was wasting it dreaming about Harley.
Joel came into the room. “Oh good, you're here.” He had sweat on his forehead and his breath was labored.
“What's going on? Is everything all right?”
“Yeah, well, no, but it will be. We had to call an ambulance for one of the kids.”
I bolted upright. “What? Who?”
“It's Asher. Can you come? He's asking for you, and his dad, of course.”
“Jesus. Yes, I'll be right there.”
35
Harley
I sped to the hospitals as soon as I got the call that Asher was on his way there in the back of an ambulance. According to Joel, he had taken a nasty fall off the monkey bars and landed on his arm. Joel didn’t give me a lot of details, but he did say that.
Devon was with him, which made me feel considerably better.
But still, my heart raced. I hated not being there for my son when he needed me most. Of course, accidents happened, and that was to be expected at his age, but it didn't make it any easier.
I raced into the emergency room as soon as I arrived. They sent me back to where my son was in his own private room. His face was scrunched in pain and his eyes were red-rimmed with tears. My heart broke at the sight of him.
“Asher, I'm here,” I said as I came into the room.
Devon held Asher in his arms. I sat down on a chair and he transferred Asher to my lap.
“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you so much.”
“No problem,” he said as he stepped back.
The doctor came into the room. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes told another story. “Hey, Asher sounds like you had a nasty fall.”
Asher whimpered in my arms and hugged me closer.
The doctor pulled up a chair. “Based on what I was able to see on our initial examination before you got here. It's a pretty nasty break, and I think we're going to have to do surgery. We'll have to get X-rays to confirm.”
“Surgery?” My voice broke as I said it and I reminded myself I need to stay strong for Asher. I held him tighter. Devon put a hand on my shoulder and I caressed my cheek against it.
“It's nothing invasive, just a few pins to hold the break in place while it heals.”
“It hurts,” Asher cried in my arms.
“I know, buddy.” I kissed his forehead.
“Let's get the X-rays right now. Keep holding him, we’ve got a wheelchair we can take you both in.”
“Sure,” I said. “Whatever we need to do.”
The X-rays didn't take long. It killed me to let go of Asher and I clung to Devon for strength. We watched behind the protective glass as the x-ray technician positioned Asher’s arm. I was thankful that Devon was here and glad that he didn't seem to be in a rush to leave. I needed his strong presence.
After we returned to the room, Asher seemed to fall asleep in my arms. Devon stayed at our side as we waited for the doctor to return with the results.
“Okay,” the doctor said. “We can have the operating room ready within the hour. We're going to go ahead and take him back there.”
I tensed, and Asher tensed with me. Tears sprang to my eyes, but I blinked them back.
“Buddy, do you understand what's happening?”
“They're going to cut into my arm.” Asher’s voice shook.
The fear and pain in his voice struck me. “Sort of. It's just going to be a little mark because they can do it with a very tiny piece of equipment that won't make a big cut or leave a big scar. You're going to be just fine, but they have to give you some medicine that will make you really sleepy.”
“Okay.” His chin quivered, but he loosened his hold.
I laid him on the bed as the nurse got to work. He had t
o stay in place once he had the IV in. I gripped Devon's hand. I'm not sure exactly when I grabbed hold of it, but I wasn't about to let go.
“Oh goodness.” My stomach rolled as they wheeled my son out of the room.
“You can wait in here,” the nurse said. “Or in the waiting room. There's a cafeteria as well if you're hungry.”
I shook my head. “No, I'll stay right here.”
Devon put his arm around me and hugged me close to him. “He's going to be just fine. He's a really strong boy.”
“I know, But damn I'm not a really strong omega.”
Devon chuckled and his chest rumbled. “Yes, you are. I'm going to stay with you here the whole time. I'm not leaving.”
“Thank you,” I said.
I barely felt when he picked me up and settled into a chair. I just stayed comfortable against his chest as I let the minutes tick by until I could see my son again.
36
Devon
I drove the three of us home in Harley’s car. He and I hadn’t left the hospital while Asher was there overnight, though we’d been told many times that one or both of us could go home and at least shower.
I wasn’t about to leave my omega and Asher.
It was early the next morning before we were discharged. Asher was pretty much back to his old self, just with a cast on his arm.
He yawned as we walked into the house.
“How about we put on a movie, Asher? We have to take it easy the next few days while you get used to that cast and your bone heals.”
“I’m already used to it,” he said.
I chuckled. “You’re going to be pretty popular at school on Monday. All your friends are going to want to sign it.”
“That’s so cool,” Asher said. “Do you want to sign it Mr. G.? And stay and watch a movie with us?”
