Cry For You_A Second Chance Romance

by Shaniel Watson

  Here it is. It was only a matter of time before she got to this. “You saw how good everything was the other night. You were even laughing and enjoying his company. You saw how great he and Jacob got along. Jacob was so happy.”

  “Yes, I saw all of that. I also saw you weren’t exactly happy when you came back from the market. But I let the two of you work it out. I’m guessing it had something to do with your new relationship and his wife?”

  “We’re fine. Something unexpected came up, and we dealt with it. It’s the way it is. We’re fine.”

  “A lot of ‘fines’ in this conversation. Usually means things may not be as ‘fine’ as you want.”

  “Mom,” I sigh, exasperated. “Just be happy for me. Can you, please? No lectures, just let it be.”

  “Fine. If that’s what you want, fine. Everything’s fine, I’m glad you’re fine.”

  I make motions like I’m tearing my hair out. “Mom…all right, I’ll talk to you later.” I end the call, trying to get back to the excited mood I was in before my mother’s call of doom and gloom. Picking up my spatula, I slather chocolate frosting around the cake, spinning it on the stand. The door bursts open, ushering in a commotion of voices. The boys are talking about how late they’re going to play, Landon telling them there’s a cap on that.

  “Hi, Mom!” Jacob runs through the kitchen, giving me a wave.

  “Hi, Jacob’s Mom!” Jackson follows behind him. Neither one of them notices the cake I’m decorating.

  “Hi.” I shake my head and resume icing the cake. Not a minute later, strong hands span my waist, pulling me into a solid body, spreading a smile across my face. “I’m making a cake.”

  “I see.” He kisses my cheek, chin on my shoulder, giving me all sorts of feels with his body pressed against mine. “No pie? Oh, my. I was looking forward to some of your pie. It’s the best pie I’ve ever had.” He’s brushing the tip of his nose against my neck in a husky voice, warming my cheeks as he keeps talking. “Nothing better. Moist, warm, and sweet. Like you.” He licks the side of my neck, making me shiver.

  Arching back, I rub my lower half against the swelling bulge behind his fly. “Would I really do that to you? Of course there’s pie.” I lick the spatula suggestively, letting my tongue slide up and down.

  He spins me around; I smile, and my arms wind around his neck, still holding the spatula. He smiles back, holding me close, staring into my eyes, gradually changing the charge between us to something more than what it was moments ago. He leans down, his mouth close to mine, caressing my lips with his.

  Kissing a spot of frosting off, he says, “I love pies. I love you.” For a minute I don’t realize what he has said, taken so far in by his tender kiss. As it registers across my muddled brain, the kids come running in, and he backs away to get a glass of water to hide his rising situation. That makes me smile for two reasons: he’s flustered, almost caught in a compromising position by our kids, and my heart is singing with three little words.

  I love you.

  “Who wants pie?” I say, rescuing him from having to turn around.

  All I get is an unenthusiastic “What kind of pie?” from Jackson.

  I smirk. Wasn’t for them, anyway. So I say the magic word for them. “Cake! I made peanut butter-chocolate cake.” They cheer.

  Landon says, “Everyone likes cake until they have the pie. Mmmm, pie’s the best.” He winks at me. I bite my lip, holding back a goofy smile.

  “Dad, what are you doing?” Jackson asks.

  “Getting a drink of cold water. I’m kinda overheated.” He smirks.

  “We’re not hot,” Jacob says.

  “In a few years, you will be.”

  I laugh, changing topic. “Hey, guys, over there in the cabinet are gummy bears. You can eat as much as you want if you promise to eat dinner when it’s ready, and later you can eat as much junk as you want.” They open the cabinets, excitedly grabbing their goodies, and run off again. “I just saved your ass. Something you want to say to me?”

  Leaning back against the sink, he pulls me in front of him, my hands against his chest, his arms locked around my waist. He kisses me. “I said, I love peanut butter. And I love you.”

  I fight the smile. “I love peanut butter, too.”

  “Is that all, Lace?” His eyebrows dip broodingly low over his dark eyes.

  “And I love you, Landon,” I say, not able to control my smile as his grin beams down on me, then he swings me around in his arms, crushing his lips to mine.

  “We should celebrate this momentous occasion of our declaration of love.”

  “How would we do that?”

  “Adult sleepover!”

  “I thought we were already doing that tonight. Your words. ‘The kids won’t know. I’ll be out of here before they’re up in the morning,’ I remind him.

  “About that…” he sets me down brushing my hair back.

  Uneasiness settles in. “What?”

  “Don’t be upset.” He strokes my cheek. “I can’t stay the night. Bree sprained her ankle. She was trying to fix a broken door jamb I’ve been meaning to fix. She fell off a chair.”

  “When did this happen?” He came here with Jackson, picked up Jacob, and they went to the park. They came back, all was fine. He told me he loved me, and yeah...what step am I missing?

  “She called me for help when we were at the park. She was crying; I couldn’t just ignore her. Before we came here, the boys and I stopped over there. I helped her ice and wrap her ankle while the boys played in the backyard.”

  Okay. What was he thinking, bringing my son over there without telling me? Or asking if I would be all right with that. I swallow the words, shifting away from him. “It would have been easy for you to tell me as soon as you came in. Even better, if you called and told me after you spoke to her.”

  “I didn’t think it would be a big deal. The park was close to the house, she was upset, I just wanted to help her.”

  “You weren’t thinking.” I fold my arms, walking over to the unfinished cake. “If you had been, you would have asked me if it was okay to take my son to see your wife, who I’m sure hates my guts.”

  “I didn’t think it would be such a big deal. Jackson’s spending the night here.” He blankly stares at me. “It was a snap decision. She was hurt. Would you want me to leave my son’s mother hurt and in pain? You know that’s not the person I am.”

  I pick up the spatula, slapping a glob of chocolate on the top of the cake. “No, it’s not, but I need to know where my son is and who he’s with. A phone call would have sufficed. Besides, what does this have to do with you not staying?” I can’t see what that has to do with him spending the night with me, especially after saying we loved each other.

  “I tried to fix the door, but when she fell she tried to grab on to it to break her fall. It did more damage to the door frame. I have to go back and fix it tonight so the door can lock properly. I also said I would come back to help her. She can’t put any pressure on her ankle. She needs someone to help her move around and to drive her to the hospital in the morning for an X-ray.”

  Isn’t that perfect? I spin the cake around with a sharp turn.

  “I couldn’t refuse to help her. Jackson was right there, what’s the message I would send to him by leaving his mother when she genuinely needed help?”

  “I understand.” I wouldn’t want him to refuse to help her if she was genuinely hurt. I’m just really disappointed we won’t be spending the night together, and he’ll be spending it with her. Just the two of them. Alone. And it’s not like I don’t trust him, but…it’s his wife.

  I slather chocolate on the top, smoothing it out as best I can. His hands slide around my waist, holding me to him, making me sigh when his lips brush against my ear. It’s weird how my body relaxes in his arms, even when I’m still not happy about our change of plans.

  “Lace, don’t be mad. I’m sorry. Let me make it up to you next weekend?”

  “Nothing to make
up for. You’re going to do a good deed. Show your son what it’s like to be a man. Helping a woman when she needs you.”

  “There is plenty I need to make up for.” His hands flex against my stomach, running his nose underneath the sensitive spot of my jaw, sliding his tongue across the spot, making me take a deep breath. “Ask your mother or Shay to babysit next Saturday. It’ll be us, alone, all day and night. A day of us. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

  I can’t resist his touch or the earnest way he promises it’ll be a day just for us. “Fine.” My mother’s words echo in my head.

  He takes my spatula, putting it on the counter and turning me in his arms, my hands holding on to the counter. “Thank you.” He kisses me.

  I hate letting this bother me so much. I’ve learned a few things from therapy, and I’ve had a lot of it. Don’t let things fester for too long, or you risk the chance of having a meltdown when you least expect it. “You’re going to be alone with her all night with no Jackson.”

  “Nothing’s going to happen, like nothing ever happens.”

  Sure, I reason with myself. Not convincingly enough. “What if you get those old feelings, helping her out when she needs you?” It could happen.

  “There’s no old feeling for me to catch,” he says, sternly peering into my eyes. “Lace, baby, I love you. Do you believe me?”

  “Yes.” When he says those words and looks at me like this with such intensity, I could believe almost anything.

  “Then trust me. You’re it for me.”

  I nod. I think I can do that. He loves me.

  Our lips barely touch when a little voice pulls us apart. We smile, moving apart, facing our mini audience.

  “We decided we’re hungry,” Jackson says a bit aggressively, staring at me. “We want to eat now and get it over with. Then we can eat all the junk we want.”

  Okay, then.

  “Jackson, mind your manners,” Landon says in his no-nonsense parental voice.

  He looks away from me to Landon. “Sorry. Can we please eat, now.”

  “I’m not sure—” I don’t let Landon finish, because I can tell he’s getting irritated at him for not directing his apology to me.

  This is supposed to be a happy sleepover. Since they came back from the park, it’s started to go south. I shake my head at Landon, putting a hand on his arm to let him know it’s fine. “Dinner will be ready in ten minutes,” I say in an upbeat voice. “Could you please get Jacob and help your father set the table?”

  “Okay.” He smiles.

  “Thank you.”

  After that, everything ran smoothly. The boys loved my spaghetti and meatballs so much they asked for seconds. They were full enough not to overdo it with the junk food. Who knew two little boys could get so wild and make just as much noise as grown men? Correction, two boys and one man-child, apparently.

  Landon was just as loud and rowdy as the boys, cheering and talking smack during the video game, wrestling each other to the floor and instigating an impromptu pillow fight, which I was dragged into. The room was destroyed, a popcorn bowl overturned, and I don’t know for the life of me how the sheets came off the bed in a tangled ball on the floor. It was a wreck, but I couldn’t be mad. By the end of the night we were in a heap on the floor, out of breath and laughing. It was great. I didn’t think about him going home to Bree at all.

  I’m lying on the couch reading a book when Landon squints down at me. “You said you were coming back to help us clean. It was a lie?”

  “I had every intention of coming back to help you. Then I thought about it, and I wasn’t the one who decided to make the mess. I was unwillingly drawn into the chaos by a man-child.” I scowl.

  “Man-child? I’ll show you man-child. Come here!” I yelp when he snatches my book, flinging it on the floor. I squeeze my eyes shut as he mock falls on me, his hands caging me in.

  “You’re crazy.” I giggle. His lips crush against mine in a heart-racing kiss that has us panting. God, it’s amazing how fast we can go from laughing and teasing, to this heat, with one kiss.

  “It’s like we’re in high school. Except there’s no worry of parents coming home to catch us.”

  “But we have kids—very inquisitive kids,” I remind him, brushing my nose against his.

  “They are lying down, door closed.” He kisses the corner of my mouth.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I made sure they were both in bed, under the covers.” He kisses my neck, and I lean in, loving the feel of his lips on my skin.

  “Knowing them, they’ve probably snuck out of bed, getting into things they’re not supposed to.”

  “Like this?” He flicks his tongue in the hollow of my neck, making me smile.

  “I hope not.” I bite my lip against an escaping moan, taking my mind other places. The swirl of his tongue would feel so good.

  “Let’s go back to high school again, remember this?” He chastely kisses me, looking in my eyes, running his hand up my blouse to cover my breast.

  I make a noise, moving my hands over his ass, pressing him into me. “I remember how much I like you touching me. How could I forget that?”

  “Lacey baby, I want to touch you all over.”

  “Then touch me,” I breathe.

  “Mmm,” he groans, going in deep for a heated kiss that has us shifting, pulling frustratedly at each other’s clothes. He grabs my leg, hiking it up higher on his hips. I respond by wrapping my legs around him, squeezing him in tight as a pool of hazy heat spreads between my legs.

  Breathing hard he asks, “Is this okay?” unhooking my bra inside my shirt.

  Breathlessly I nod my head waiting, and just as he touches me...

  “Dad!”

  “Mom!”

  The alarm sounds, and we’re looking at each other, separating instantly, sitting up side by side.

  Caught with our hands in the cookie jar.

  “Coming!” we say at the same time.

  “Dammit, the cookies were so good,” I whine.

  “What?” She brushes back her hair, flustered.

  “Can we have some water? We’re thirsty!”

  “They have the best timing, don’t they?” I shake my head.

  She smiles, fixes her clothes, and takes my hand, pulling me off the couch.

  “Okay, guys. You’ve had your water, went to the bathroom a second time, and had a story and a snack.” I lean against the door with an indulgent smile, trying to get back as fast as I can to the most wonderful place in the world, wrapped between Lacey’s legs. “Don’t get up, and don’t call, unless someone is throwing up or in danger of losing a limb, which you shouldn’t be, because you should be sleeping. Don’t call unless one of those things is happening. Goodnight.”

  Lacey smiles and kisses them goodnight before standing next to me. “He’s kidding. If you need anything, call.”

  “Right.” I sigh, rubbing my chest. They’ll be up for a long time. No taste of the best place in the world for me.

  “Hey, Jackson, do you know my mom’s name is on your dad’s chest? It’s cool. I saw it,” Jacob says.

  I smile, scratching my jaw, looking at my son. He looks at me for a few seconds, spearing Lacey a glance. “Yeah, it’s right here,” I confirm, patting my chest.

  “My mom doesn’t like that tattoo. She hates it,” my son says flatly.

  “Jackson,” I grumble, silently pinning him to the bed with a warning.

  His lips push together, close to pouting. “I don’t hate it. I don’t care.” His nostrils flare, eyes looking down. “Dad, are you sleeping over too?” I’m not sure if I should yell or give him a hug.

  “Ah...no.”

  “Are you going home to be with Mom?”

  “Yes.” My kid sure knows how to spoil a good time.

  “Okay, night.” He settles back, smiling.

  Lace says good night to them again, closing the door behind her back, holding on to the handle. The uneasiness is all over her face. I don’t l
ike it. It doesn’t need to be there. It’s there because I can’t give her the time she needs. But this can’t be helped. There really is no one else to help Bree but me. I meant what I said—I’m going to make it up to Lacey. Next week it’s going to be me and her. A beautiful November in the land of enchantment, before temperatures drop below 65 degrees. No interruption. No Bree.

  I look down at her, grasping her hips, pulling her bottom lip into my mouth. “Sorry.”

  “No need for apologies. It’s not easy.” She brushes a hand across the side of my head.

  “Thanks for understanding.” I kiss her cheek. “I’m going to go home. Not to her.” I amend.

  “I understand.”

  She does but…somehow it feels wrong, leaving her and going home to a house I basically still share with my wife. That has to change. She deserves more from me this time around. And I’m going to give it to her. Not as soon as I would want. Things get complicated with kids involved. I’m beginning to see that as much as I would want a clean break for all of us, it might not happen. It’s seeming nearly impossible.

  He told me he loves me.” I sit on Jacob’s bed, folding his shirts, phone on speaker.

  “Yeah?” Shay says.

  “I wanted to tell someone. Couldn’t tell mom; she already thinks we’re rushing things. We should take it slow, especially with the kids.”

  “What do you want me to say, Lace?”

  “Nothing much.” I really didn’t expect her to say much of anything. I already know she’s not thrilled about Landon and me getting back together, but I know she’ll be happy for me if I’m happy. “I needed to say it out loud to someone other than myself. He loves me, and I love him.”

  “Did you ever really stop?” she snorts.

  “I guess not.” I smile, putting a set of shirts away.

  “I’m happy if you’re happy. But you don’t sound it.”

  “He just called me to make plans for a day together. Can you watch Jacob for me on Saturday?”

  “Sure can. You know I love spending time with my nephew. I’ll take him to the garage with me. Maybe we’ll go to the movies that night. I promise he won’t come back with any tattoo you didn’t authorize this time.” She laughs.