Until You

by Cristin Cooper

  His throat tightened as he swallowed back the emotion. He hadn’t realized how much he needed to hear that until the words were out of her mouth. For two and a half years, Jason did everything he could to make his and Benji’s life good. Though he was proud of himself, it was nice to hear from someone else that he was doing a good job.

  He and Alexis worked seamlessly together, neither seemed to be in a rush to finish. “Katie mentioned you dropped out of college to open The Coffee Pot.”

  “Yeah. I wasn’t much of a student, so it wasn’t a great loss.”

  “What was your major?” she asked as she stacked food containers into the fridge.

  He chuckled, feeling slightly embarrassed by his past. “Being stupid and partying.”

  Her husky laugh filled the room. “I have friends who are getting their Master’s degree in that.”

  His chest shook with laughter. “You’re standing next to the Valedictorian.”

  She covered her mouth and wiped the laughing tears from her eyes. “I wish I could’ve heard your commencement speech.”

  His cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this young and happy. “Considering my major, I’d be lucky to remember it. What about you?”

  “Me? Not nearly as exciting.” She looked over at him with humor in her eyes. “Biology, like my brother. Though I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it yet. I’m leaning toward teaching.”

  “I bet you would be good at it,” he said sincerely.

  “I think so. During the summer, I teach a kids science camp for parks and recreation, and I love it.”

  “Considering how quickly you won over Benji, I bet you have little boys all over Portland half in love with you.”

  Standing at the sink, she rinsed off dishes then handed them to Jason to put in the dishwasher. She blushed then looked at him. “Can I ask about Benji’s mom? Katie has never mentioned her.” Biting her lip, she waited for him to reply.

  He stared at the plate in his hand surprised by how much he wanted to tell her. “Because she isn’t around.” Loading more dirty dishes, he opened up to her. “I met her at a party, then a few months later she showed up at my apartment to tell me that we were having a baby.”

  “Were you together? I mean like boyfriend and girlfriend?”

  He didn’t want to see her expression when he answered. “No, we tried for a few weeks after I found out about the pregnancy. It didn’t take long to realize the only thing we had going was a physical attraction. But now… I don’t see her that way.”

  Looking unsure she asked, “Where is she now?”

  “After she had Benji, she ended up in the hospital with post-partum depression. By the time she got out, Sandy had decided that she didn’t want to be a mom and gave up her parental rights.”

  “So she never sees him?”

  “She hasn’t since he was a few weeks old. She’s never tried to contact me. The last I heard, she went to Los Angeles to work on her acting career.”

  “Wow. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize. A part of me is relieved that I won’t have to deal with her, but I’m just sad Benji won’t get to grow up with a mom.”

  As she handed him another plate, their hands touched and his fingers lingered over hers. Her mouth fell open a fraction as a sigh escaped her lips. Looking into her eyes, he couldn’t remember the last time a moment felt so right. He thought he would regret telling her about Sandy, but instead he didn’t want this moment to end. He wanted to know everything about her. He especially wanted to know how her lips felt on his and what she tasted like.

  He hadn’t heard anyone come into the kitchen until Tracy cleared her throat. “It looks like you two are almost done in here.”

  Alexis pulled her hand away, but her eyes stayed on his.

  Clearing his throat, he turned to face Tracy. “Yeah. We just got done, and Benji and I should get going. Thank you for today. Benji had the time of his life.”

  As he said goodbye with a sleeping Benji on his shoulder, he thanked them again.

  “We’re glad you came. I mean it.” Tracy pulled him into a hug and told him he was welcome to stop by any time. Jeff shook his free hand and patted him on the back. “It was nice to meet you.”

  Alexis stood behind her parents and gave him a small wave goodbye. Jason couldn’t help feel disappointed about their goodbye especially after their time in the kitchen. But he knew he had a lot of work to do to make up for the past year. “I’ll see you later, Alexis.”

  He had just buckled Benji into his car seat when Tracy came out of the house carrying a tinfoil packet filled with Benji’s rolls. When she reached him, she looked behind her then back to him. With a smile, she invited him to Alexis’s surprise party that weekend.

  More time with Alexis? He wasn’t sure if that was a good idea but he’d go just to get a chance to see her again.

  Chapter Seven

  November 2015

  Alexis

  The moment the door closed behind Jason and Benji, Alexis released a breath she swore she held the whole day. Jason had been nice to her, but a part of her kept waiting for the jerk she knew to arrive. She had no idea what to expect or if his change had been temporary, but when he opened up to her, she felt the shift between them.

  “Oh, I’ll be right back. They forgot Benji’s rolls,” Tracy announced.

  Alexis offered to run it out to them to spend a few more minutes with him, but her mother was already out the door. The time alone with Jason doing dishes hadn’t been nearly long enough or anything Alexis had expected. She enjoyed talking to Jason, and when he laughed, she thought she had died and gone to heaven. Jason’s smile and laugh were so scarce that their moment together seemed rare and precious.

  Just thinking about the number of times she caught him looking at her made her smile. And unlike before, she didn’t see criticism in his eyes. Not wanting to read into it, she excused it away. He still might not like her and tomorrow he might pretend like he didn’t know her, but she hoped that wasn’t the case.

  Jason had been so much more than she expected. Seeing him with Benji had been enlightening. And when she said he was a great dad, she wasn’t exaggerating. When Alexis was alone with Benji, he told her all about Jason and all the things they did together. Benji idolized him. With his son, he seemed relaxed, playful and happy. She wished she could experience more of those moments.

  While Alexis boxed up the last of Eric’s old toys they had pulled out for Benji, her mother began talking about Jason and Benji. “Jason is so polite and wasn’t it fun having a toddler around?”

  Alexis smiled at her mother and nodded. She had a feeling there was so much more to Jason than she thought.

  “I can’t wait until we have a little Eric or Katie running around here.” Her mother’s voice cracked and she, her mother and father exhaled a breath at the same time. It felt like all three of them were holding out hope that Eric’s baby would ease some of their grief.

  After putting the box of toys away, she announced, “It’s getting late and I need to head home.”

  “You don’t want to stay the night?” her mother asked as she gave her a warm hug.

  “No. I have things to do.” She didn’t, but she felt an odd restlessness and wanted to get out of the house.

  “Drive safe. Love you,” her mother said while handing her some leftovers.

  Her dad followed her to the car and gave her a hug. Once alone, he asked, “Have you heard from Katie? Your mother’s worried she might not come back from Arizona.”

  She hadn’t and worried about the same thing, but knowing Katie’s things were still in her condo gave her some comfort. “I haven’t talked to her since she flew out, but as far as I know, she’ll be back. I don’t think we should worry. She’s been quiet, but I think it’s because she’s still coming to terms with her pregnancy.”

  He sighed as his shoulders dropped. He and her mother had been worried about Katie leaving since they
found out about the pregnancy. If Katie’s mom, Bridget, and her step-father had anything to say about it, she would already be living at home.

  “I hope that’s it. I don’t know if your mother could handle having our grandchild so far away.”

  Alexis didn’t think any of them could. They needed to be a part of this baby’s life more than Katie probably realized.

  Taking the long way home, she thought about Jason and Benji and how much she enjoyed being with them. She hoped that today was just the beginning of a change for them.

  When Alexis got home, she went to her office and logged into the game. Not a minute later Belakor logged on. They both got on vent and talked for a few minutes but for some reason, something felt off between them. She figured it had something to do with the fact she wished she were talking to Jason instead of Belakor.

  Chapter Eight

  November 2015

  Jason

  At the ripe old age of twenty-three—almost twenty-four, Jason felt old. He looked around the room at all the early twenty-somethings and realized he had nothing in common with them.

  It was hard to believe less than three years ago these people were him. Partying without a care in the world, not thinking about the repercussions of drinking too much alcohol or who they hooked up with.

  He, on the other hand, knew he could only have a few drinks. He had a kid to pick up in the morning and it would be difficult to care for a two and half year old with a hangover. And he had proof that a one-night stand didn’t always end the way you expect.

  “You look lonely.” Mica, a gorgeous brunette dressed in a skimpy nighty, flirted as she slid a hand down his chest.

  Pushing her hand away before it went too low, he stated, “I’m not.”

  Making a humph noise, she turned and staggered away. After flirting with him most of the night, she seemed put out that she didn’t have him panting after her.

  Four years ago he might’ve, but not now. She held no interest for him, especially since the only quality she seemed to flaunt was the size of her breasts.

  Once free from Mica’s grasp, he went back to staring at the woman he came to see. He could barely keep his eyes off of Alexis or stop worrying about the amount of alcohol she had consumed so far. And what was with the guy who never seemed to leave her side? Katie never mentioned Alexis having a boyfriend.

  He thought he heard Alexis call him Stan. Even his name irritated him.

  Katie, the only other person not drinking, had hung out with him between serving food and drinks. She gossiped with him and Tyler about everyone at the party. He found out that Stan was one of Alexis’s oldest friends which explained why she seemed so at ease with him. It didn’t explain why Stan kept touching her every chance he got.

  And why did that fact bother him? Alexis was just a girl—he wanted to kiss. But still. He spent a year ignoring her and disliking her, so why would it matter if a guy liked her? He was sure plenty of guys did.

  Katie walked up to him with fear in her eyes. “You’re going to want to come with me.” He didn’t wait for an explanation and followed her into the kitchen.

  Once alone, he asked, “What’s going on?”

  “Truth or Dare.” His body shivered at the idea. With so many drunk people, he could imagine the debauchery that could happen in there.

  “Thanks for saving me, but I’m curious why you didn’t warn Tyler.” For most of the night, Tyler had been keeping a close watch on her. Very close. So close, Jason suspected Tyler felt more than friendship for Katie, but she didn’t seem to notice. And though Jason had been hesitant to like the guy, he couldn’t help it. Tyler put a smile on her face and made her laugh. He also noticed the way they seemed to always gravitate toward each other without being aware of it.

  Katie shook her head. “Alexis got to him first. I knew it was coming.” She sighed. “I should’ve warned him sooner.”

  “Well, thank you for getting me out of there,” he said in all sincerity. But now what? Were they supposed to hide in the kitchen all night?

  Katie went to the dishwasher and began loading the mound of dirty dishes in the sink. Since he didn’t want to sit around like a lump, he helped. When Katie closed the dishwasher, she announced, “I think we need more cake for our effort.”

  He chuckled. “I agree. I’ll get the forks.”

  Sitting on top of the kitchen island with half a cake sitting between them, they talked and speculated about what was happening in the living room. Neither braved a peek.

  “You don’t look happy, Jason,” she stated right before taking a large bite of cake.

  “I’m fine. I just feel out of place here.”

  “Tell me about it.” Katie stared down at her small yet growing belly. He suspected she did get it. Perspective on life changes when a kid comes into the picture.

  They sat eating cake, neither speaking as they listened to the cheering coming from the next room. A few minutes later, Tyler walked into the kitchen.

  “You couldn’t warn me?” he barked.

  “Good grief! Pregnant woman here!” She pointed to her stomach as she took in deep breaths. “Don’t scare the baby!” Jason rolled his eyes and chuckled under his breath. Katie used the baby as an excuse to get out of the jobs she didn’t enjoy doing. He let her get away with it because he thought it was funny. “And no I couldn’t. You have to experience the train wreck that is truth or dare first hand.”

  Tyler glared at Katie, but there wasn’t much heat behind it. “You have a little something on your lips,” she pointed out.

  Jason couldn’t help but laugh. He recognized that shade of red. Mica. “I think the color looks good on you.”

  “Right?” Katie teased. But they were the only ones who thought it funny. Actually, Jason was just glad that Mica’s lipstick wasn’t on him.

  “You two couldn’t have included me into your escape plans?” Tyler asked, not finding the humor in the situation.

  “I kind of wanted to stay in there to watch your reaction, but the baby wanted cake,” Katie mumbled with her mouth full. “Think of the baby, Tyler.”

  Jason bit back another laugh and eye roll. As ridiculous as she sounded, it seemed to work. She handed Tyler a fork and apologized.

  “A heads up would be nice next time.”

  As he and Tyler kept eating, Katie kept talking. “Oh my gosh, the first time I played truth or dare.” Her brows rose. “And the last time I played,” she clarified, “José dared me to flash everyone.”

  Jason had been to countless parties where clothes came off, but the idea of someone daring Alexis to flash anyone made his stomach clench. He knew he was being ridiculous considering he had seen some of the lingerie ads Alexis had done, but still… He didn’t like it.

  Tyler didn’t look any happier about the idea of Katie flashing anyone. “Luckily, Eric was there, and he vetoed it.” Her voice softened when she said, “In fact, he vetoed me playing any games that included me kissing or flashing anyone…besides him.”

  With tears in her eyes, she dropped the fork on the counter. When Tyler took her hand in his, Jason could not only see but feel the connection between them.

  “So why didn’t you make Jason experience the train wreck?” Tyler asked.

  “I’m depressed,” he stated plainly. “I’m at a party with people my age, but I can’t relate to them. It sucks realizing I’m that awkward guy nobody knows how he got invited.” Hoping off the counter and dropping his fork in the sink, he debated leaving. “At one time, I was the life of the party.”

  Katie squinted her eyes and shook her head. “I can’t picture that.”

  “It took having a kid and his mother abandoning him to make me this charming,” he said feeling the frustration all over again.

  When neither Katie or Tyler spoke, he declared, “Parties suck!”

  “I agree,” Katie and Tyler said in unison.

  No longer wanting to wallow, he decided to leave. “I should—” Before he could finish, Alexis walked i
n.

  “How did I know I would find you three hiding in here?” He looked to Tyler and Katie, but neither spoke up.

  Walking towards him as if she were on a mission, Alexis took his hand and pulled him toward the living room. He wanted to go anywhere with her—except the living room.

  “Where are we going?” He tried to sound threatening, but she wasn’t fazed.

  “We’re playing another game, and you aren’t getting out of it this time.” He attempted to pull his hand away, but she gave him a menacing stare. “You. Are. Playing.”

  “What about them?” He pointed to Tyler and Katie.

  “Katie gets an out because she’s pregnant. And Tyler made it through Mica’s lap dance, so he gets an out.”

  He looked to Katie just as a flash of jealousy crossed her face, but she made light of it. “You didn’t say you got a lap dance.”

  “I was trying to forget,” Tyler muttered.

  “Right. A guy wanting to forget a lap dance by the gorgeous Mica,” she said like she couldn’t quite believe it, but Jason could.

  “That girl is scary,” Jason stated.

  “Pfft. Come on, you big baby.” Alexis yanked on his arm, and he followed her out of the room, but he wasn’t ready to face her friends just yet.

  Once out of earshot of the kitchen, he turned and faced Alexis.

  “Whose idea was it for Mica to give Tyler a lap dance?” For some reason, he needed to know. Anybody who had seen Tyler and Katie together would know that it would be an insensitive thing to do.

  “I did. I thought it would help him relax and have fun.” The words that came out of her mouth didn’t match the guilty expression on her face. He didn’t believe that was the reason.

  “That wasn’t very nice. Especially since the guy is in love with Katie.”

  Her cheeky smile fell and she stared at him with her brows pulled in. He didn’t wait for her to deny it. “If you hurt Katie and Tyler like that I… I don’t know. But…”