Train Me

by Mia Ford

  “So Eli,” I said as we sat on the floor of the living room with him, “you know how I have a mommy and daddy?”

  “Yes,” he said, not looking entirely interested in anything I had to say.

  Reese sat across from me, and we shared a look. This was it. This was the moment.

  “Well, you know you have a mommy already –”

  “You!” he said, pointing at me with a smile. “You're my mommy.”

  “Yes, Eli,” I said with a laugh. “I'm your mommy. But did you know you also had a daddy?”

  The little boy cocked his head and looked confused. His eyes were wide as he looked back at me, almost like I was speaking a foreign language.

  “Reese isn't just mommy's friend,” I said. “He's also your daddy.”

  Eli's eyes grew even wider as they went from looking at me to staring at Reese, then back at me.

  Reese took this moment to speak up. “Do you know what that means?”

  Eli shook his head and stared down at the floor, tracing something with his fingers. But I knew he was listening.

  Reese continued. “It means that you have two people who care for you, Eli. Two parents who love you and will always be there for you. Who will do anything for you.”

  That made my heart explode in my chest. All the warm and fuzzy feelings came rushing to the surface as I wiped away tears of joy from my eyes. All these years, I'd raised Eli alone. Sure, he had his grandma and grandpa, but he didn't have a mom and a dad. It was hard trying to be both for him. And whether I liked to admit it or not, that bothered me. To know my child would grow up without a father bothered me a lot more than I realized until that moment. Knowing that he had us both thought, there with him, no matter what happened between Reese and myself – well, that meant a lot. More than I could possibly express.

  “And,” Reese continued, reaching out and taking my hand in his, “it means your momma doesn't have to do all this alone, because I love her too.”

  Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined something so perfect. My life may not have turned out the way I had planned, but that was okay. Because it was starting to turn into something that was pretty damn amazing anyway. Unexpected, of course. But amazing all the same.

  ooo000ooo

  Family dinner, a few weeks later. This time it was me asking if someone could join us.

  “Seriously, Maya,” my mom said, shaking her head at me, “You've always been on my side on this. It's family dinner, not a time for friends or anyone not part of this family –”

  “Just this once, mom,” I said, trying to maintain my composure. “You always let Luke have his friends over. This one is a special friend. It's important to me.”

  I'd never pushed the issue before, not like my brother, and I knew my mom knew that. Maybe it was the determined look in my eye or perhaps my old mom wasn't as stubborn as she liked to appear, but her face softened slightly.

  “Okay. Just this once,” she said. “I suppose it couldn't hurt.”

  I hugged her, held her tight. “Thank you,” I said.

  She had no idea about the announcement I'd be making. She had no idea that in a way, the person I was bringing over for dinner was family – but that was all about to change. And the knot in my stomach, as well as the feeling of nausea that was sweeping over me only reinforced that fact.

  I let Reese know it was okay, and he said he'd be there, right before dinner. He had some errands to run first, and honestly, I was relieved for the extra time to mentally prepare myself for the revelation. I had a feeling it was going to be a rough, emotional night.

  As the clock ticked closer and closer to dinner time, I began to worry when Reese hadn't arrived. Was he chickening out? Was he not coming? Had he ditched us? No, Reese wouldn't do that. He wouldn't go back to his old ways. I saw in his eyes that he'd meant what he'd been telling me about changing and being part of our lives. I'd believed him when he'd told me that he loved me. He wouldn't do this to me – would he?

  “Who's the friend?” Luke asked, leaning against the kitchen counter where I was standing, staring out the back window and praying for Reese's car to pull into the driveway. “Finally get yourself a boyfriend. Or maybe a girlfriend?”

  I rolled my eyes. Luke had no idea what was happening, and he was probably going to be the most surprised of all to see his former best friend walk through that door. Especially when he found out that Reese wasn't there for him – but for me.

  “You'll meet him soon enough,” I said.

  Inwardly, I smiled. Luke was going to flip out when he found out the truth. He was going to lose his mind to learn that I was the mother of his much cooler friend's child. That yes, his friend actually liked me, even though Luke liked to tease me about how Reese would never, ever be with someone like me.

  But where was he? I bit my lip and continued staring out the window. No sign of his car and my mom was already setting the table.

  “Should I set a place for your friend, Maya? You know I don't appreciate late-comers...”

  “He'll be here,” I said. I know he will be.

  But my heart was heavy. Reese said he'd be here right before dinner, and dinner was about to be served.

  “Come to the table, dear, I don't want the meatloaf getting cold.”

  One last look out the window. No sign of Reese. With a heavy heart, I sat down at the table – between my son and an empty seat where his father should be sitting – but wasn't.

  We lowered our heads in prayer, and I tried to hold back the tears. Maybe he was just running late, I thought. It could happen. Of course, this was a big deal for us, a stepping stone toward coming together as a family at last. And if he was going to be late to this, what else would he be late for in the future? Birthday parties? School plays? Soccer games?

  Stop it, I told myself. Don't cry. You've been alone up to this point, you'll be just fine if he doesn't show and yes, maybe he was just running late. Really late.

  I had wiped away the tears as we said “Amen,” and that's when there was a gentle knock at the back door. My parents looked at one another and shrugged as Luke got up to answer it since he was the closest one to it. I stood up, hopeful and happy that he'd finally made it.

  “Hey man, what are you doing here?” Luke said, shaking his friend's hand. “Wasn't expecting you to stop by.”

  “Actually,” Reese said, looking past my brother toward me, “I'm not here for you. I'm here for Maya.”

  “Maya?” Luke asked, turning to look at me.

  My parents were staring at me as well, an expression of sheer confusion on their faces.

  “Yes, he's with me. He's the friend I told you was coming for dinner.”

  I choked on the words. He was more than a friend, wasn't he? After all, we'd said we loved one another – that meant we were something more? And he was the father of my child, there was that part too. But friend came out easier than all of that when I'd been talking to my mom.

  “He's your friend now too?” Luke scratched his head.

  Reese and I stared at each other, and I was grinning like an idiot as relief washed over me. I wanted to rush to his side, to embrace him, to kiss him, but that felt weird in front of my parents. Reese moved past my brother and walked toward me and the empty seat, but he didn't sit down. Instead, he took my hand in his and kissed it softly, never once taking his dark eyes off of me.

  “What the hell?” Luke said.

  That pretty much summed up all of my emotions too. What the hell was going on? Was he...?

  “Maya, I'm sorry I'm late. And I don't mean just to dinner, but I'm late getting back into your life as well. Now that I'm here though, I want to stick around. Not just for you, but for our son as well.”

  That's when my mom made a sound – a gasp. Reese was nervous, I could tell and cast a scared look their way before turning back to me. My mother started to say something, but my father hushed her and let the scene play out. Luke, on the other hand, look dumbfounded. But none of that mattered,
because what did matter was that Reese had something in his hand.

  He slipped a ring onto my finger – a diamond solitaire. I stared at him, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as he lowered himself to a knee.

  “Maya McConnell, will you let me right the wrongs and be the man you deserve?” he asked, his eyes locked onto mine. “Will you marry me?”

  It felt like my entire body turned to jelly. Thankfully, Reese had hold of my hand, it kept me from falling as I stared at him wide eyed, my body humming with an electricity inside

  “Yes,” my voice came out in a whisper.

  We embraced, kissing as if there was no one in the room but us – until Eli started fussing.

  “Mommy,” he said. “Hold me.”

  “Yes, baby,” I said, picking up my son and holding him close.

  Reese kissed his forehead, and I think that's the moment it made sense for everyone in the room. But it was Luke who finally articulated the words.

  “You mean to tell me – Reese is Eli's father?”

  “Yes,” I said, wiping away the tears. “Yes, he is. He's Eli's father. It's a long story.”

  “A very long story,” Reese said, never taking his eyes off me. “But one we'll be happy to tell over many family dinners to come.”

  BOOK 2: IRRESISTIBLE SEAL

  DREW

  Frisco's Bar was still the same place I remembered it being all those years ago. The faces were no longer familiar to me, but the atmosphere was still the same. A live band played some cover music from the eighties – really badly – while twenty-somethings got drunk and danced the night away. A wave of nostalgia washed over me as I took it all in.

  We were out on the patio – it was pretty sparsely populated since the San Francisco air was a tad bit chilly. It felt nice to me though. It reminded me that I was home. The Bay Area had always been my home. It was where I felt comfortable. At peace. And leaving it had been the hardest thing I'd ever done. That had been back when I was young and naive and thought serving my country was what I was born to do. Not that I regret serving my country. Not in the least.

  “Damn, it feels good to be home,” I said, taking a long sip of my beer.

  “The city missed you, Drew,” Nick said.

  “The city may have missed me, but I doubt many others did, I'm afraid.”

  Nick and Bryan were my buddies. Guys I knew from way back in high school. When I'd gone away to serve, they'd stayed here, started families and had gone about the traditional path to creating a normal life. Nick's wife – Elizabeth – was currently pregnant with baby number two. Bryan was engaged to be married.

  It was hard to convince either of them to join me tonight, but I had no family left, no friends, no one. I was pretty much alone in this world. I kind of felt like I'd pressured them to come out and they'd been a little bit reluctant, but eventually, they'd agreed. I think they just felt sorry for me.

  “Ahh, we're all just busy, you know? Work, family, all that –”

  I really didn't know because I had none of that at the moment. My mom and dad had both died while I was away – I hadn't even gotten to say goodbye to them. I had no siblings. I'd returned to San Francisco because it was familiar and comfortable. Not because I was returning to anyone in particular. There really wasn't very much for me in the Bay Area. And some days I wondered why I 'd done that to myself.

  “Did you hear back about the job?” Bryan asked. “The one you interviewed for last week?”

  I tried not to cringe, focusing my attention on the napkin I was folding and unfolding on the table in front of me. I nodded and gave them a rueful grin.

  “Yeah, I heard back,” I said. “A form letter. They went with another candidate.”

  “I'm sorry, man,” Nick said. “If I hear of any openings at my company, I'll let you know.”

  I nodded my thanks and then chugged the rest of my beer, hoping the alcohol would hit me sooner, rather than later. This was supposed to be a night of celebration and fun – not a bunch of moping around feeling sorry for myself, depressing shit.

  Nick's phone buzzed and he excused himself to go outside to talk to his wife, leaving just Bryan and me at the table.

  “So how did you meet? You and your girl?” I asked, hoping to take the attention off of me.

  “Oh, umm, well Melissa and I went to college together,” Bryan said, adjusting his glasses.

  He looked around, a strange expression on his face, almost like he was hoping Nick would be back to alleviate the awkwardness of the conversation and atmosphere hovering over the table. We had never really been all that close back in the day. And it seemed that the years between our last visit had only pushed us further apart.

  And a few moments later, Bryan got his wish. At least for a moment.

  “Hey guys, that was Beth,” he said, a sheepish grin on his face. “She's not feeling well and our youngest is acting up, so she needs me at home. I'm really sorry, Drew. I was hoping to get a chance to hang out a bit longer.”

  “Nah, no problem,” I said.

  We said our goodbyes and Nick departed, leaving just Bryan and me. As if things at the table couldn't be any more tense and awkward.

  “I don't envy that guy one fucking bit,” I said, watching Nick leave. “Tied down like that, you know?”

  Bryan didn't say anything.

  “Oh right, you're getting married,” I said. “Well, just don't be like that guy. Live a little, have some fun –”

  Bryan was already standing up and putting on his coat, before Nick had even walked out the door. “You know, Drew? I have to be going too. I have an early meeting at work tomorrow –”

  “Oh, yeah, right. Okay.” I said, rolling my eyes as I finished off my beer – and then downed the rest of Nick's beer for good measure.

  “Happy birthday, man. I'm sorry we couldn't stay out longer. Responsibilities, you know? Life really sucks sometimes”

  As if I didn't know a thing or two about responsibilities. I may not have the house with the white picket fence and the mortgage to go along with it, but that didn't mean I didn't know a thing or two about responsibilities. I didn't even thank Bryan, just let him walk off, leaving me alone on the patio.

  Yeah, happy fucking birthday to me.

  ooo000ooo

  “I want to close out my tab,” I said, leaning over the counter so the bartender could hear me.

  “Already?” the man joked. “It's not even –”

  “Yeah, I know,” I said, trying to not be irritable with the guy. “My friends are assholes, but what can I do? Can't force those pricks to hang out with me.”

  The bartender nodded, gave me a tight smile, and then got to work closing out my tab. I was leaning against the bar waiting, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman standing near the bar – alone. I turned to get a look at her and saw that she wasn't just any old ordinary woman – she was someone who was smoking hot and I couldn't tear my eyes away from her.

  Her auburn hair was long, flowing over her shoulders in soft waves. She had curves in all the right places – hot tits, a small little waist and from what I had to imagine with the package I could see, she had a nice tight little ass too. She was the entire smokin' hot, gorgeous package. Her gaze slowly slid over to me and she smiled. It was the shy smile of a woman who appreciated the attention but might have been a little uncomfortable with it.

  “Hold up, man,” I told the bartender as I walked over the woman.

  She was leaning against the bar with no friends – and even more importantly, no boyfriend – in sight. She kept my eyes fixed on me as I made my way over to her. A small smile played at the corners of her mouth, but she didn't seem to mind the way my eyes roamed all over, taking in her figure as I walked her way. She was wearing a short skirt – one that fell right above her knees and showed off a pair of killer legs in a pair of stiletto heels.

  When I finally reached her, she smiled at me as she sipped her cocktail, her eyes checking me out over the top of the gla
ss. Lucky for me, her glass was nearly empty.

  I motioned for the bartender. “Can you get this lady another? On me, of course,” I said.

  “Now why would you go and do a thing like that?” she asked. “How do you know I want another? Seems a little presumptuous if you ask me.”

  I shrugged. “I don't,” I said. “Just trying to be neighborly.”

  She gave me a coy look as the bartender delivered her drink – some fancy martini of sorts. Nothing too fruity and sweet for this girl apparently.

  She took a sip of her new drink and smiled at me. “How do you know I don't have a boyfriend in the bathroom, who is going come out at any second and kick your ass for talking to me?”

  “Kick my ass?” I let out a low whistle. “I'm almost scared.”

  She laughed. “Presumptuous and cocky,” she said. “You're off to a great start.”

  I shrugged. “I mean, he can try, of course. But good luck to him if he does. But there's no way anyone is kicking my ass. Sorry, it's not cocky. It's just a fact.”

  “Oh?” She raised an eyebrow as she looked over at me. “Just a fact, huh? Wow, you really are pretty cocky.”

  “Not cocky when it's true,” I said with a laugh. “Ex-military. I tend to have an upper hand in most fights.”

  I wasn't throwing around the military bit to impress her – though, if it worked, kudos to me. But I did watch her facial expression. Just to see if what I'd said had any effect on her whatsoever.

  Her face remained neutral.

  “So when did you get back to the Bay Area, soldier boy?” she asked. “Been away long?”

  “Too long, if you ask me. Too fucking long. I feel like I've lost touch and my connection with everyone and everything here,” I said a split second before realizing that it was too much information too fast and changed the subject. “So what's a pretty thing like you doing all alone out at a bar?”