by Claire Adams
Smiling brightly, Jack ran into his house, hyper and bouncing around like a little maniac.
“Yay!” he cheered, before running into his room.
“It’s good to see him like this,” I said.
“Like what?” Cat asked.
“So healthy and full of life.”
She smiled, “Yes, it is. And—I’ll be honest, he’s not been this excited in a long time.”
“Little boys need men in their lives,” I said without thinking. I winced inwardly, hoping I hadn’t opened an old wound. It’s not like her husband ran off, after all. Three years is a long time, but not when you’re talking about someone you love dying.
“Yes, they do,” Cat said. A wistful smile appeared on her face, and she shook her head.
I leaned forward to plant a gentle kiss on her lips.
Cat pulled back after the kiss to stare at me. “What are we even doing?”
“Kissing?” I offered.
“That’s not what I mean. What is it that we even have together?”
“It’s not that complicated, Cat. We’re dating. We just started backward, but I’m trying to make up for it.”
She blinked those gorgeous gray eyes and stared at me. I planted another kiss on her forehead.
Whistling, I walked out of her house. Everything was going well. No doubts plagued me at all, and I could only hope after the day we’d shared that Cat felt the same way.
* * *
Monday, when Daniella stopped by my office in the morning, I decided to get the bullshit confrontation over with. I wanted to be with Cat, and it was important that we stopped hiding. That was the only way we could truly begin to have a future together. Sneaking around like teenagers might have been exciting at first but became annoying after only a few days.
Before my sister had even sat in the chair in front of my desk, I blurted it out. “I’m dating Cat.”
Daniella’s brow lifted, “What?”
“I’m dating her.”
“Ugh. You just don’t listen,” she groaned. “I thought we discussed how unprofessional it would be to sleep with her.”
I shrugged. “Fuck that. It’s my company, and this isn’t just about sex. We’re dating, including taking Jack out.”
Daniella took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Make sure you go to HR and fill out their stupid personal interaction forms. Other than that, I guess you’re a grown man, and you can make your own decisions. People might gossip, but I imagine most people around here will just think you’re a stud who bagged a former model,” she shrugged.
“You don’t sound happy for me.”
She stared at me. “Kids get attached, Drew. So do moms who are widows. You can’t just have a fun time with a woman like Cat and walk away when you’re tired of her. It’d be an asshole move.”
“This isn’t about having a fun time.”
“You’re sure? Because if this is serious, I’ll have your back, but if this is just about scratching an itch, then go find some floozy in a bar.”
I laughed, “Floozy?”
“You know what I mean,” Daniella snapped, venom in her voice.
I nodded. “You’re getting what you want, little sister. Shit, I think Cat could be the one.”
Daniella nodded slowly. “Okay, then. You have my blessing.”
I chuckled. “Are you my sister or my mom?”
Chapter Thirty-four
Catherine
The post-church crowd filled the little café, creating a heavy din. It was busier than I would have liked, but this was the first time I’d spent any decent time with Mom in a while, so I figured I’d let her choose the place.
She sipped at her coffee, eyeing me, with a curious look in her eye.
I avoided frowning, but sensed she was upset about something.
“You don’t like your salad?” I asked. “You keep giving me funny looks, and you haven’t touched it.”
“Oh, it’s fine. I was just thinking about something else. It’s not a big deal.”
I sighed. I could guess what she was thinking. I’d barely seen her over last week since I’d started dating Drew. The man had become a force of nature and taken over my life, and though I thought in the best way possible, she might not be happy seeing less of me. Even if she did like the idea of my dating him.
The truth was I didn’t have a lot of friends. Between freelance work and a young son to look after, I didn’t have time for the kind of connections a lot of either unattached models or normal single moms might have. So my mother had ended up as my best friend since my husband had died.
She benefited as much as I did since she no longer had Dad. I only hoped she wouldn’t end up jealous of Drew.
So far, our relationship was off to a great start. Even my concerns about work didn’t amount to anything. In the end, no one seemed to care, and most people seemed to be happy to see us together at lunch. The ones who didn’t seemed more apathetic than annoyed.
Daniella had made it clear she’d given Drew a good talking to, and she was confident he was serious. The whole conversation was kind of surreal, but it did make me feel even better about my new man.
The ironic thing was that Drew was the reason I could spend this Sunday time with Mom. He took my comment about a babysitter on retainer seriously, and after a couple of interviews earlier in the week, I’d found a nice woman he was willing to pay a premium to watch Jack whenever I wanted, whether it was to spend time with him, my mom, or even if I just needed some alone time.
It was strange. I’d spent the last three years so focused on worrying about my son that it felt almost alien to ever think about putting my own needs first, if only for a few hours.
“You’re not mad at me, are you?” I said. “It’d seriously ruin my week if you were.”
“Don’t be silly, Cat.” Mom took another sip of her coffee. “Why would I be mad at you?”
“Because I’m spending so much time with Drew and not you.”
She laughed quietly. “That’s a good thing. You’re a young woman, honey. You shouldn’t be spending all your time with your mother.”
“I know it’s all a bit much, seeing him pretty much every day and all.” I shrugged, and my cheeks heated instantly.
“You’ve already been married. There’s no reason for you to beat around the bush if you’re interested in a man. The mystery’s gone. You know what you need, and I’m happy you’re finding it.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “So you’re really not mad?”
Mom shook her head. “No. You know all I’ve ever wanted for you was stability. I worried at first because he looks so rough, but in the end, he’s just another businessman, and he’s running a nice, stable business. I can’t think of anyone who could provide more stability for you and Jack.”
“Not everything in life is about stability and money.” I rolled my eyes. “He’s also kind, considerate, smart, and handsome.”
Not to mention hot in bed. I’d originally wondered if Drew planned to hold off on any more sex for a while, but we’d already slept together a couple more times in the last week. I didn’t feel like talking about my sex life with Mom though.
“I know, I know.” She waved a hand dismissively. “You don’t have to convince me, Cat. I like him, and I think it’s a good thing you’re spending time with him. I’m not a fan of the tattoos, but no man is perfect.” She looked to the side and sighed.
“Then why do you seem so upset? I can’t get over the feeling it has something to do with me.”
Mom pursed her lips. I could see the struggle on her face.
“Just tell me. We can talk out whatever it is.”
“Motorcycles,” she said.
“Motorcycles?”
Mom nodded. “Have you changed your mind about motorcycles? Or do you still hate them and blame them?”
I blinked and shook my head. “No, I haven’t changed my mind. They are what they are, and yes, I do hate them and blame them.”
Mom looked down and clucked her tongue. “That’s the problem. It’s not just a business to him, you know. It’s his family business. It’s the core of his identity. His father started that company. Turning his back on motorcycles would mean turning his back on his father.”
I frowned. “I know that, and I’m not asking him to turn his back on the company. I even work there myself now.” I shrugged, “Honestly, when we’re together, I don’t think about it. He picks me up in a truck, not a motorcycle, so he gets it. I won’t get on one, and I won’t let Jack near one, but you’re right, it is his family business, so I can’t harp on it all the time. I think it’s just an ‘agree to disagree’ thing.”
Mom raised an eyebrow. “And you think you can keep going on like that? When you disagree so vehemently about something so important to him?”
I sighed, “For now, yeah. What else can I do? I feel what I feel. I wish I didn’t, but it’s been three years now. I doubt anything’s going to change.”
Mom finished off her coffee and put her cup down. “It’s just something I want you to keep in mind. I suppose as long as you’ve talked to him about it, that’s all you can do.”
I wasn’t an idiot, and I knew the motorcycle issue would come up again eventually. For the moment, I was loving being wooed by Drew. I’d not felt this way in years and had almost forgotten how wonderful it could be. Plus, I’d gotten so lucky that he and Jack seemed to hit it off so well. I doubted I’d easily find another man my son would take to so naturally.
But my mom wasn’t wrong, and I understood why she was worried. This relationship could turn into something very serious, if it hadn’t already. I wasn’t sure yet, but I wasn’t concerned about holding out for true love. I’d had that already, and I wasn’t sure if I could get something like that twice. It didn’t matter; for now, I just wanted to enjoy what we had.
“I’ll keep it in mind, Mom. And I do appreciate what you’re saying.”
“I hope so, Cat. I really hope so.”
“If this is meant to be, then I’ll figure something out. Drew understands how I feel about bikes, and he’s not going to do anything that makes me feel uncomfortable. He’s made that clear, and that’s all I can ask for now.”
Mom smiled. “That’s good to hear. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
Yes, Mom was right. Everything would be fine. What could possibly go wrong?
* * *
After lunch with Mom, I settled in for a lazy Sunday of watching movies and spending time with Jack. I enjoyed just watching him play with his toys. I didn’t even mind that he was playing with his little motorcycles.
I kind of hoped Drew would call, but I didn’t want to seem too needy, so I didn’t call or text him. It wasn’t about trying to worry about relationship power, but I didn’t want to come off desperate. Then again, the man had told me a few times now that he was ‘addicted’ to me, so it was hard to say which of us had it worse.
Almost as soon as I’d had the thought, my phone rang. I glanced down at it and smiled. Drew. I laughed. Maybe I’d somehow connected with him psychically. That would be a handy skill for any relationship.
“Yes?” I answered. “What’s up, Drew?”
“You and Jack doing something important right now?” he asked.
“I was just watching a movie, and Jack was playing with his toys.”
“Watching a movie, huh?”
“Yeah. What about it?”
“How about watching a movie being filmed? Does that sound like fun?”
“A movie, you mean—” I gasped.
“That’s right. I got permission to bring you and Jack by for some Thunderstruck V stunt sequences they are filming today.”
“You know, he’s never seen any of those movies, but somehow he still knows who Agent 72 is.”
I could almost hear Drew’s grin as he responded. “Even if it didn’t matter, I’m sure he’ll love seeing some of the stunts. This is mostly practical effects for the stunts, not a bunch of guys running around punching invisible stuff on a green screen or crap like that. It’ll be cool for him to see how the sausage gets made.”
I thought the whole thing over for a few seconds. It would be fun for the both of us. “Okay, come and get us.”
Glancing over at my son, I smiled. “Hey, sweetie, how would you like to see a movie getting made?”
Chapter Thirty-five
Drew
Fancy restaurants, rock climbing, and now movies. I sure knew how to show a woman and her son a good time. Sure, most of our ‘family’ dates had involved hitting a diner or something, but it was good to remind Cat that I wasn’t some bum off the street.
She’d spent the last few years worried about being able to provide for her son, and I wanted her to understand that whatever else I might be, I could definitely get both Cat and her son anything they needed and more.
I whistled as we drove. No one was talking, but there was an air of anticipation hanging over us.
We were only a few minutes away from the film location. I spared a glance over at Cat, and she smiled back at me.
My heart thumped hard in my chest. This last week had convinced me that this wasn’t just dating—this was something more. I wanted a future with her, a long-term future.
Shit. I’d fallen in love with her.
Honestly, I wanted to tell her that so bad, but I also got that she might think it was too soon. She was still trying to come to terms with all of this, and I was the first man she’d dated in three years.
For all the women I’d dated throughout my life, I’d never actually fallen in love with any of them. They were always just temporary distractions, if not one-night stands. I never remotely had thought about a serious future with a woman until now. I didn’t know what to think.
A laugh threatened to escape. I was a grown-ass man who wasn’t much better than a teenager when it came to knowing what I wanted from a relationship. Love, lust, friendship? I guess it didn’t matter what I was calling what we had right then. We could continue concentrating on having fun, and everything else would work itself out.
“Will there be dinosaurs in this movie?” Jack asked from his booster seat in the back. “Or robots?”
I laughed. “Nope. No dinosaurs or robots. Sorry, Jack. Maybe in a future Thunderstruck.”
Cat giggled, then leaned over to whisper. “There isn’t going to be a bunch of people getting shot in these scenes, is there? I mean, he is a little boy. I don’t want him seeing that sort of thing. I didn’t even think about that when I agreed to come.”
“No shooting.” I shook my head. “Just a chase scene from what they told me.”
She let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, that’s fine. He does like cars. That should be fun.”
I nodded. A lump grew in my stomach. The chase scene featured Stroker stunt bikes, and I wondered if I should even bring that up, given how she felt about motorcycles.
Even though Cat didn’t like bikes, it wasn’t like she couldn’t stand ever seeing them. She did come to work every day. I decided not to bring it up for now. There was no reason to get her spun up when I didn’t even know how she’d react. I’m sure she could watch a scene being filmed without getting too mad.
* * *
About an hour later, we were on location, watching as two men in leather jackets riding on red bikes chased after Agent 72 in a Porsche.
The sight made me grin. I might have been biased, but I thought bikes looked a lot cooler than the Porsche. A car and bike, each with cameras, kept pace with the vehicles.
Jack clapped his hands as the bikes sped down the street, weaving in and out of the other stunt drivers pretending to be normal drivers. Cat watched, a curious look on her face, but she didn’t seem annoyed or angry. Score one for bikes.
I wished I could be down there riding one of those bikes.
One of the bikes hit a conveniently placed ramp and flew into the air. I could already imagine how they’d use slow motion in the final cut of the film to ma
ke it more dramatic. What kind of music would they use?
The Porsche spun around, and the bike screeched to a halt. My mouth tightened. I knew that eventually, in a few weeks probably, they’d be filming the final scenes where the bikes were destroyed.
A part of me died at the idea of destroying these beautiful bikes, but they’d paid for them, and that was just part of what it meant for vehicles to be in a movie shoot like this one. I wanted Stroker bikes in as many movies as possible, and that meant a lot of nice motorcycles would be damaged or destroyed.
“Okay, everyone, let’s take an hour break while they set up for the next scene,” the director shouted. “I want the drivers swapped out.”
One thing I’d learned from visiting the movie set is that a lot of people spent a lot of time sitting around and waiting for things to get set up. I guess that made sense. A two-hour movie could take months to film, and that’s if nothing went wrong at all.
The break provided a great chance to impress Jack and Cat again. I’d taken the liberty of setting up a few opportunities earlier.
“You want to meet some of the stuntmen?” I asked.
“Can we?” Jack said. “Can we? Can we? Can we?”
I laughed and nodded. “Yep. I already asked before they started filming this scene. I figured you’d like that.”
Cat smiled at me, and I could tell she appreciated the gesture.
The smile filled me with relief. I hadn’t been sure if she was annoyed by having her son watch a motorcycle scene or not, but she now seemed legitimately happy that I was going to take him to meet the stuntmen.
I half-wondered if she was starting to get over her hatred of bikes. Small steps. I could work with small steps.
Leading them to the craft services table, we found several of the stuntmen gathered to grab a quick bite to eat. Agent 72’s actor had taken off, but I didn’t really care. Jack was more interested in the men on the motorcycles.
Hell, at that point, so was I.
