by J. H. Croix
The water was still running when I went back to my room, but Jeremy shut it off soon after and emerged from our bathroom in nothing but a white towel cinched around his waist. Droplets of water clung to his skin, shimmering in the early morning light. As clichéd as it might have been, my pulse increased and flutters spun in my belly.
His eyes shone with amusement when I managed to tear mine away from his sculpted body. "Want me to take the towel off too?"
"Yes. No. Stop being so…" I reached into his suitcase, grabbing the first shirt I saw and threw it at him. "Naked. Let me have a quick shower and then I'll make us breakfast."
Without another look at him, I hurried into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. Jeremy chuckled and stepped into my bedroom across the hallway.
Letting the warm water run over my body for a bit longer than strictly necessary, the shower was something of a reprieve. This was new and uncharted territory for me, having the man I was seeing under the same roof as my son for an extended visit. I loved having Jeremy here, but I was going to have to learn how to keep it together with both of them around.
After my shower, I made sure Austin was bathed, and we found Jeremy cooking eggs in the kitchen. His hair was still wet, and he'd found my apron to shield the green T-shirt I'd thrown at him from spatter. The words “Queen of the Kitchen” were emblazoned across his chest.
"Love the new title," I quipped, getting some juice from the fridge and pouring us all a glass.
Jeremy pointed to the words with the spatula he was holding and puffed his chest out. "What, this? Shouldn't I get a crown of some kind with it?"
"No. Not yet. The crowns are only handed out if the eggs are edible."
"They'll be edible," he promised. "In fact, they'll be worthy of so much more than a crown."
Austin looked between the two of us, laughing. "You guys are silly. We don't have a crown, Mommy."
Jeremy looked like he was about to say something but then thought better of it, chuckling as he turned back to the stove. Breakfast was a more lively affair than any we'd ever had in this apartment with both Austin and Jeremy joking and laughing.
When we were done, Austin looked out through the window. "The sun’s out. We should go to the park."
He looked at me with so much hope in his eyes. Saying no was going to suck, but I was going to have to do it. These days, there was no telling where Wesley was, and he could easily follow us to a public park. Worse yet, seeing Jeremy there with us might prompt him to make good on his threat of hurting Jeremy.
Noticing my hesitation, he turned to Austin. "Why don't you go wash up? Your mom and I will get the dishes and then we can decide what to do today."
Austin nodded, running down the hallway to the bathroom. When we heard the tap start, Jeremy set the dishes he was holding down and hooked an arm around my waist to pull me closer to him. "I know that you’re worried and I understand why, but I'm here now. Wesley's not going to hurt you. Or me."
"We don't know that," I protested, bringing my hand up to his chest to feel his steady heartbeat beneath my palm. "If he sees you, there's no telling what he will do."
Brushing my hair back from my forehead and tucking it behind my ear, he bent his head to give me a quick kiss. "We'll be okay, I promise. I won't let anything happen to you and before you ask, I won't let anything happen to me either."
"It's not that I don't trust you to keep us safe. I don't trust him and a public park…" I trailed off, memories of the many times I'd looked up in a park to find Wesley watching us causing a nervous shudder to run through me.
"I know I haven't always been there and I don't know what you've been through with him. I'm not presuming that I do. I know he's put you through hell and scared the shit out of you. But that was before I was around. I won't let him take this time away from us. Or let him turn you and Austin into hermits."
"I don't want that either. I just can't help being worried about what the consequences of going out might be," I admitted. This was exactly how Wesley had alienated everyone who mattered to me before.
"There won't be consequences. Austin's right, it's a beautiful day outside. He should be outdoors. We should be outdoors. Between the restraining order and my talk with Tyson, there’s nothing to worry about."
Taking a deep breath, I thought back to the promise I'd made myself never to become a hostage in my own house again. "Let's do it. Let's go. You're right, it's not fair that Austin be cooped up all day because his father is a lunatic."
The corners of Jeremy's eyes crinkled as his lips kicked up into a smile. "Yeah? We're really going?"
"We are." I nodded decisively, bringing my hand up to his cheek to rub my thumb across his jaw. "Thank you for this.”
Austin came back into the kitchen, and Jeremy and I jumped apart. Jeremy walked over to him, holding up his hand for a high five. "Guess what, little man? We're going to the park."
Austin blinked, looking stunned for a moment before he lifted his palm and slapped Jeremy's with it, throwing both of his hands into the air in victory. He was clearly overjoyed by the news, zooming through the apartment yelling, "Wooo hooo!"
Reaching out for Jeremy's hand, I squeezed it, a silent show of thanks. He nodded, smiling down as he draped an arm around my shoulders and kissed my temple. The moment was perfect.
Jeremy was right about another thing, I wasn't letting Wesley take this away from me and I sure as hell wasn't letting him take these simple pleasures away from our son.
Chapter Seven
Jeremy
"Which park are we going to?" I asked as we all piled into my truck. As early as it was, the humidity hit me in the face as soon as we left the apartment. The sky was perfectly blue. It was shaping up to be a great day for being outdoors as long as we found some shade.
Much as I was looking forward to the day, I wished we were going fishing at the river back in Cypress Creek. Growing up, Saturday mornings like this one in my house often meant a day of organized chaos at that river. The one time I'd taken Austin, he loved it.
But for now, I would take what I could get and that was a park in Savannah. Austin bounced on his car seat, clapping his hands together. "The one with the green slide."
Green slide? That didn’t help me too much, but I grinned. "Yeah, okay. But you're going to have to be a little more specific than that"
Marie laughed and buckled up. "I know the one. It's not far. Make a right up ahead."
I followed her directions, driving down wide streets with tree branches forming canopies above and the sun dappling the street through the leaves. Historical homes lined the streets. Sadly, most of them were in need of maintenance in this area. Savannah was a belle of a Southern city and jam-packed with history, yet just like everywhere some parts of the city were on the rundown side.
This neighborhood used to be one of the affluent ones, and it was still quite lovely, but the money had moved on. Austin, Marie, and I chatted as I followed her instructions, with Austin pointing out his current daycare and one of the places they'd lived before moving to Cypress.
"There it is," Austin said happily. At the end of the street, the park came into view with an expansive lawn and clumps of shade trees. A children’s playground was visible to one side. Cars were parked all around and families with children were spread out everywhere.
The sounds of squealing and laughter, of parents yelling to the children and a man selling ice cream filled the air. It was strangely comforting and relaxing. Even though I had spent only a couple of Saturdays in the park with Marie and Austin for his tee-ball practices, I'd missed the atmosphere of it since they'd been gone.
"Where do you want to sit?" I asked Marie, shouldering the bag she packed us for the day with a picnic blanket, lunch, sunscreen and who knew what else.
She made a slow turn, sliding sunglasses out of her purse and slipping them on. Coming to a stop when she spotted a bank of trees off to the side of the play area, she pointed. "How about there?"
"Looks good to me." Taking Austin's hand in mine, we wove through the families and blankets toward our chosen destination, pausing once for a lively game of touch football to pass before we got trampled.
Longing for the game squeezed my stomach in a way that hadn't happened to me in years. Not one to dwell on what couldn't be, I'd been devastated when I was injured and later learned I wouldn't be able to play again. It wasn’t that I couldn’t play at all, but certainly not at the professional level. But I'd finished out my school year and focused on the future, which wasn't football any more.
Just now, watching the kids run around, I longed for a time gone by. Yet, for the first time, I experienced a different kind of longing.
The boys’ fathers, or men I assumed to be their fathers, were playing with them. My heart squeezed at the thought of being able to be a part of Austin’s life in that way, to teach him the game, to run around with him and eventually watch as he took the field.
But you're not his father, I reminded myself.
"Jeremy? Are you okay?" Marie asked, a tiny line appearing between her eyebrows.
I smiled, turning my attention on her instead of the game. "Yeah, sure. Why?"
"I asked for the blanket, but you looked kind of spaced out."
Letting the bag slide from my shoulders to the ground, I dropped down to my haunches and dug out the blanket. "I was just watching the game, I'm fine."
Marie eyed me as I spread out the blanket and sat down, finally sinking down beside me. "Do you miss it?"
"Every day," I told her, surprising myself with my answer but realizing it was completely true. I had accepted that my injury took me out of the running for any kind of pro career playing football, but it didn’t mean I didn’t miss it. I’d loved those days—the exhilaration of playing, the high of winning, and the feeling of being a part of a team. Oh, I managed to play pick up games here and there, but it wasn’t quite the same. With that in mind, I asked, "Think Austin might want to learn?"
"What does Austin want to learn?" he asked, giggling as he jumped onto the blanket.
"Football," Marie said, producing a bottle of sunscreen from her bag. "Here, let’s get this on before you run off."
Austin obediently crawled closer to her, closing his eyes as he sat on his knees and waited to be lathered up. "I've always wanted to learn football.”
"Since when?" Marie asked, smiling. "This is the first I've heard about it."
Austin pouted, keeping his eyes closed as she smeared the white cream onto his face and neck. "Since always."
"Think I could show you?" I glanced at Marie, wanting to be sure that I wasn't overstepping any boundaries.
"Sure," Austin said, bouncing with excitement again when Marie finished putting the sunscreen on him.
Marie, on the other hand, looked worried. "You need to be careful."
My heart gave a sharp twist in my chest at her concern. "Of course. We can start with throwing the ball around and that’s it."
With her lips curling into a tentative smile, Marie nodded and announced Austin was ready to go play. Once he dashed off, she turned to me. "That was really sweet of you to offer, but you really don't have to if it's going to be too much."
Stretching out on the blanket, I propped myself up on an elbow. "I'd love to teach him."
She sighed and spread out beside me, reaching for my hand to place a soft kiss in the center of my palm. "Okay, if you’re sure, I know he’d love it."
We rested in silence for a bit, watching Austin play with some of the other kids. It was amazing how natural this felt to me, spending the day with Marie and Austin. Well, mostly with Marie, seeing as Austin was zooming around the park. It had never occurred to me how good it could feel to simply spend time with someone like this.
About an hour after we arrived, Marie tensed and grew pale, her eyes focused on a spot behind my shoulder. I whipped my head around, immediately alert and searching for any sign of the only person I knew would cause her to react like that.
Not seeing Wesley, my eyes returned to hers. "What is it?"
"I thought I saw his car driving past, but it didn't stop and I haven't seen it again,” she said, anxiety rolling off her. "Maybe it wasn't him."
"Or maybe it was." Reaching for her hand, I rubbed my thumb over her knuckles reassuringly. Inside, a flash of anger rose, but I shoved it away. Now wasn’t the time to let it show. Marie didn’t need to worry, and that was my focus. "Whether it was or not, I'm here for the whole weekend. He's not going to get to you."
Her shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath as she closed her fingers around mine and flashed a small smile. "I know. I just have to get used to it."
"You will." I wasn't intending on going anywhere unless she asked me to. Eventually, I hoped she would learn to trust me. I sensed she did, but I also knew she was battling her past.
Marie relaxed, settling in as we watched Austin play. She didn't even look toward the street again. I felt a tiny spear of satisfaction bury itself in my heart. She seemed determined not to let worries about Wesley color our day.
"It's almost time for lunch," I commented when my stomach rumbled. “Did we bring anything, or should we go find a place?"
With a low chuckle, she raked the bag over and pulled out packages of sandwiches, a container with chopped up fruit and three bottles of water. I gaped at her. "When did you even have time to pack that?"
"When Austin dragged you to his room to see if you could help him build a fort for his army man before we left,” she explained, eyes sparkling in delight.
"Damn, you’re quick," I said, thinking back to that brief distraction. "Gotta say, I’m amazed how much you do on your own.”
"Not lately,” she said with a shake of her head, spreading out the lunch she'd brought.
Catching her hand when she reached toward me for a bottled water, I gave it a squeeze and pulled her close to steal a kiss. "You’re incredible. You’ve been the only one taking care of Austin for years, and you could do it with a hand tied behind your back.”
Her eyes grew misty, but before she could say anything Austin barreled into me. "Plain cheese for me?"
"Plain cheese for you,” she confirmed. "But you have to eat all of your fruit as well."
"Apples?" he asked, scrunching up his nose.
Marie smoothed the wrinkle in his nose with her fingertip, shaking her head. "I still don't understand where this came from. You used to love apples. And yes, you need to eat them too."
Sighing as though he'd been asked to do something terrible, Austin took the bowl of fruit and reluctantly placed a piece of apple in his mouth. "Fine, we're still going to Tumble Town for dinner, right?"
"What's Tumble Town?" I asked.
"It's Austin's favorite restaurant," Marie explained. "Think Chucky Cheese, but a local version."
A few hours later, Tumble Town for dinner was exactly what I imagined it would be. There were kids everywhere, more play equipment than at the park, and general mayhem.
To my utter surprise, I kind of enjoyed it. It would be exhausting to do too often, but for a first time it was wild. Plus, all the food was either deep-fried, or smothered with cheese. Though I might not eat like that often, it was delicious.
The more time I spent with Marie and Austin, the more time I craved with them.
Chapter Eight
Marie
“You’re done, sweetie.” I smiled politely at the young woman sitting in my chair, unfolding the protective cape from over her shoulders. The week had dragged by since Jeremy left. Over the weekend with him, I'd allowed myself to feel optimistic. A mere three days without him and my frustrations over being back in Savannah had returned in full force.
The salon where I was filling in was modern and busy, loud and impersonal. Its entire vibe was completely different from the small town feel of Sarah’s salon in Cypress Creek. Even though my time in Cypress Creek had been short, I missed it acutely. The small town feel, the familiarity since it was my hometown, the f
riends I’d reconnected with, and Jeremy—I missed all of it.
I used to feel at home in Savannah, but that wasn't true any more. My work station here felt impersonal. It was nothing like my cozy station at Sarah's salon, with its handpicked decorations, warm furnishings and art from local artists against the walls. I'd known each one of my clients by name there right from the very beginning because Sarah made everyone feel at home.
In Savannah, clients were to be shown to me by the super chic receptionist, whose name I also didn't know and were told to sit. A quick exchange was made where I was shown a picture or told what to do and then the client would bury their nose in their phone as I tried to make the image in their head a reality.
The friendly chatter in Sarah’s salon didn’t happen here. Talking wasn't really possible between the loud echoing of hair dryers and the rock music blaring over the speakers. Having gotten used to the more quiet life back in Cypress, I failed to understand at all why anyone would visit a salon this loud or busy.
This salon was like the embodiment of everything I didn't want in Savannah and everything I missed back in Cypress. It illuminated my frustrations with being forced to leave Cypress Creek and served as a daily reminder of where I didn't want Austin to grow up. It also highlighted my anger with Wesley for pulling this bullshit.
Which was why I had to get going.
Pulling my generic black plastic apron off, I crossed the concrete floor and stowed it in the small cubby I had for my things and grabbed my purse. As I was walking past the chic receptionist with her severe bob and overly made-up eyes, I reminded her that I was taking off early today.
"I'm leaving now. I'll see you in the morning."
She dutifully checked her calendar and nodded, making a note of the time. "Very well. See you then."
The way she was, with her calendar and notes of time, left a bitter taste in my mouth. I knew that it was a business and that this was a job, but I didn’t feel a sense of warmth and welcoming. In contrast to Sarah, who was always the first to make sure you were okay, send you off when it was clear you weren't, and to arrange us girls to cover for one another when the need arose, it felt downright glacial here.
