by S. Jones
“Hey.” Tanner stopped spinning the bottle of hot sauce around on the condiments tray and reprimanded him. “That’s a bad word. You can’t say the S-word or mom will wash your mouth out with soap and make you pick up all the dog poop in the backyard.”
Jack dipped his chin in his shirt and chuckled. “Sorry, pal,” he said, bringing his hand up to his mouth as if he were trying to wipe the grin off his face. “It slipped out.”
They both turned to look at each other, a slow grin pulling at the corners of their mouths.
“That’s okay. You’re a grown-up. You can say it sometimes. You’re just not supposed to say it in front of me.”
“Got it,” Jack said, lifting his head to meet mine.
Saying no at this point would be pointless, especially since he went to so much trouble. He pretty much eliminated every excuse I had not to go. If I said no, I would only end up looking like the bad guy. Tanner would miss a day of school, but he was only in second grade. I’m sure he would be fine, and I could convince his teacher to send him work to do while we were away.
“Please, Mom,” Tanner started to beg. “I’ve always wanted to fly on a airplane.”
Guilt started to settle in my stomach. The only vacations we ever took were when he visited my parents a few hours away or when Carly would reserve a free stay for us at the resort she managed. He was getting older, and all of his friends were taking family trips to Disney World, booking cruises, and spending their school breaks at all-inclusive resorts. Instead, we stayed home and went to the beach, ate out a few times, and spent our afternoons at the park. It wasn’t the same, and for the first time that I could recall, it felt like he was missing out.
My eyes bounced back and forth between my son and the man who was slowly working his way into my heart. If things were going to continue to go in the direction I thought they were, then this would be the next step.
I sighed and stood up to dust off my pants. “Well, seeing that Jack thought of everything, I guess we have no choice but to go.”
Jack threw his head back and laughed. “Your enthusiasm is really quite overwhelming. You really know how to put a dent in my self-esteem.”
“Something tells me your self-esteem will be just fine.” I smirked, just as Tanner ran over, practically tackling me at the waist.
“Thanks, Mom. I’m so excited! This is going to be awesome.”
Jack rose from the table and watched me for a long moment. I was trying really hard not to smile. The man was absolutely perfect.
“Thank you,” he said, brushing a stray strand of hair away from my cheek. “I can’t tell you how happy you just made me.”
Love. Was that what I was feeling? I’ve been in love before, but that was a long time ago, and I don’t remember it feeling like this.
The sun was just starting to set when we pulled into my driveway. I wanted to prolong our time together as long as possible. I didn’t want him to leave, but I knew he couldn’t stay. He had barely said two words since we left the restaurant.
“Everything okay?” I asked as he turned off the ignition.
“Yeah, everything’s fine.” The way his knuckles turned white from gripping the steering wheel so hard had me thinking otherwise.
I chanced a glance at the rearview mirror to see if Tanner was paying attention, but he had his nose buried in Jack’s iPad. Jack had downloaded a couple of games for him to play, and he was completely zoned out.
“You’ve just seemed a little off since your visit with your mom. If you want to talk about it, we can go out back while Tanner plays on the swing set.”
He stared forward; his eyes were practically glued to the windshield. He was sitting right next to me, but it felt like he was a million miles away. “My visit with my mom didn’t go very…” His voice became strained as he looked down to his lap. “I’ve just got a lot of shit I’m trying to work out in my head.” He winced and snuck a glance in the backseat. Tanner was still engrossed in his game.
My heart broke for him, and the fixer in me wanted to fix whatever it was that had him so upset. I was curious to know more about his relationship with his mom, but I didn’t want him to talk about it if it was going to add to his pain.
“You don’t have to talk about it. Just know that I’m here if you change your mind.”
His eyes found mine. They still looked sad and heavy, but they also filled with relief. “Thank you.”
He reached for my hand across the car, his thumb slowly grazed across my palm. “I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to seeing you at the end of the week.”
“It should give you enough time to kick your girlfriend out before I get there.”
His lips lifted into a small smile, but it quickly dropped from his face when he saw the figure approaching his jeep..
My window was already rolled down as my neighbor Phil inched closer. “Hey, Chloe,” he greeted and bounced his eyes from the front to the back of the car.
Phil was a tall, dark, and handsome tattooed bad boy that women ate up whenever he came into the restaurant. As attractive as he was, his physical appearance never sparked anything inside of me. Still, I could understand how our friendship could make Jack uncomfortable. If the situation were reversed, I would feel the same way.
“Phil, you remember Jack, right?”
Phil gave Jack a friendly wave, but his smile seemed forced, which I found odd. “Of course.”
Jack leaned down across my lap, squinting his eyes against the sunlight. “Hey, man. How’s it going?” His chin lifted in greeting. “I was hoping we would run into you because we need to ask you a favor?”
My head swerved against the back of my seat.
“Oh yeah?” Phil narrowed his eyes slightly. “What’s that?”
“Chloe needs someone to watch the dog this coming weekend. I was wondering if you were available?”
“You going to go visit your folks again?” he asked hopefully.
Tanner took that moment to jump out of the back seat. The kid was so excited he could barely contain his enthusiasm. He ran as fast as he could, practically beaming up at the tall giant who was standing in our driveway. “Nope, we’re going to New York City to visit Jack.”
Phil crossed his tattooed arms, across his massive chest. The man looked like he could lift a car without breaking a sweat. I could see his tight muscles bulging under his gray Harley Davidson T-shirt. “New York, huh?” The sarcasm dripped heavily from his voice, which I found odd. I was too excited about my upcoming trip to care.
I unbuckled my seat belt and stepped out of the car. Jack followed me around to the passenger side. In a perfectly practiced caveman-style move, he folded his arm around my shoulders. “I’d really appreciate it if you could help us out.”
Phil ran his calloused thumb across his bottom lip. “Yeah, sure. No problem.” His gaze moved from Jack’s hand resting on my shoulder up to my face. “Chloe. I told you before, I’m always here for whatever you need.”
I hoped I was reading the situation wrong, but I detected that he was more jealous than concerned. Phil has been very good to Tanner and me, but I’ve always been careful not to give him the wrong idea. In fact, it hasn’t been until Jack appeared in the picture that I started to notice him acting differently.
Jack took that moment to lean in and brush my hair off the back of my neck. The obvious display of possession should have irritated me, yet for some reason, it was taking everything in me not to melt against his touch. “See, babe, I told you we were all set.”
I looked at my neighbor who seemed uncomfortable. “Thank you, Phil.”
He cleared his throat and forced his tight lips into a smile. “No problem. Also, I bought a new light fixture for your back deck. I remember the other one went out, so I picked up a brand new one when I was at the store.” My gaze dropped to the Home Depot bag he was clutching in his hands.
Jack’s fingers tensed along my shoulder before asking, “I appreciate that, man. How much do I owe yo
u?” He reached in his back pocket to take out his wallet.
Phil held out his hands to stop him. “Chloe and I have an arrangement. I fix things for her; she cooks for me. No money is allowed,” he said with a cheeky-ass grin.
Damn, it was getting hot outside.
The muscle in Jack’s jaw ticked—hard. It looked ready to pop out of his skin. “I appreciate you looking after my girlfriend while I’m not around. But, I’m here, so I can install the light. Thanks for the offer, but it’s not necessary,” he said flatly and shoved a couple folded-up twenty-dollar bills in my neighbor’s palm.
Phil clearly wasn’t happy, but thankfully he handed the bag to Jack and stuffed the money in his jeans pocket and walked away.
Once we were in the house, Jack slammed the door; the loud bang caused me to jump. Smuckers came running over, wagging his tail for a greeting. “Tanner,” Jack called out, “can you let the dog out, please?”
Once he was out of view, I spun around. “What the hell was that?”
Jack set the Home Depot bag on the floor. “That was me letting him know you are no longer available.”
“Excuse me?”
“Have you noticed the way he looks at you? Or the fact that he is always stopping by to fucking fix things all the damn time? He probably breaks shit on purpose just to visit you.”
I stood in the middle of my living room and stared at him. He looked so frustrated.
My feet ate up the distance between us. I wrapped my arms around his neck. “You have nothing to be jealous about.”
He blew out a deep breath and pulled me into a hug. “I don’t like the way he looks at you.” He placed his strong hands on either side of my face. “Promise me that going forward, if something needs fixing, you’ll wait until I can deal with it.” I started to say something, but he silenced me with a kiss. “I know there will be times where you won’t be able to wait. In that case, I will understand, seeing he’s right next store.” His lips brushed the tip of my nose. “But I want to be the one you ask first. Okay?”
I closed my eyes, letting his scent linger over me. I hated Sundays because that meant that I had to say goodbye to him. And the goodbyes were getting harder and harder. “You really want to waste your visits fixing stuff around my house?” I kissed along his jaw, then trailed my tongue up to his earlobe. “When we could be spending it doing other things.”
Jack let out a frustrated groan. “Yes, I want to be the one you call. Even if it’s something that can’t wait. I still want to know. Okay?” He leaned forward and gripped the back of my neck. “And spending time with you, no matter how much time that is, is never a waste.”
Tiny little explosions rippled across my chest. I clung to his arms, partially for balance and because I was afraid to let go.
I reached up and brushed my fingers across his jaw. “I really don’t want you to leave,” I practically whined which only made him laugh. I smacked his chest. “You’re not supposed to laugh at me.”
His eyes flashed with humor as he smiled down at me. We both turned our heads when we heard Tanner’s footsteps getting closer.
“Hey, bud.” Jack bent down, resting his hands on his thighs. “Would you like to help me replace this light out back before I go?”
Usually, Tanner hated doing chores, but I guess helping Jack fix the light fixture was interesting enough. I think he secretly liked doing man things around the house. A part of me was grateful that my son was bonding with a man that I was slowly falling in love with. The other part was worried because I didn’t want to think about Brogan, and feeling like conflict was brewing.
Chapter 17
Jack
I stood at the bottom of the escalator next to baggage claim anxiously waiting for Chloe and Tanner. I’ve never been more nervous or excited to see a woman in my life. I’ve squeezed the hell out of the stress ball that I’ve carried around the past couple of days just to keep myself from growing crazy. As their arrival time got closer, the reality of their visit started to sink in.
I cursed under my breath and ran a shaking hand down my face. The idea of having them both here on my home turf made me think more about what life would be like with the three of us together. I worked myself to the bone all week in order to free up time to spend with them.
I scrubbed down my apartment last night, went to the corner market and stocked up on Tanner’s favorite cereal and snacks, made sure I had Chloe’s favorite bottle of wine and squeezed in a last-minute haircut with my barber. I was running out of things to do, which meant I had nothing else to do but think.
I wiped my sweaty palms down my pant leg and checked the status of their flight on my Delta app. I upgraded them to first class and purchased a TSA precheck membership so they wouldn’t have to wait in long lines going through security. Whatever I could do to make things easier on them, I did.
My phone chirped in my pocket. There was a message from Chloe:
Just landed. I can’t wait to see your face. :)
Just seeing her name and knowing I was actually going to be with her in a matter of minutes sent that warm, familiar feeling passing through me. At first, I thought it was just infatuation and just a passing phase, but my desire and my feelings were stronger than ever.
After almost twenty minutes of pacing the crowded airport, her beautiful face finally came into view. I swallowed, trying to eliminate the lump in my throat. She and Tanner were coming down the escalator with a rolling carry-on beside them. Her eyes locked on mine as the airport bustled around us.
My legs ate up the distance between us. Chloe leaned forward with a grin. “Hi.”
My hands grabbed her hips, effectively pulling her against me. “Welcome to New York.” I pressed a kiss to her mouth. “I can’t believe you’re really here.” She smiled up at me while I looked down at her. She looked gorgeous in a simple green jacket and black leggings. Her tight, white tank top gave nothing away and everything at the same time.
Tanner laughed like a typical seven-year-old. “You guys are so gross.”
“Hey bud, how was your flight?” I asked, stepping away from his mother so I could playfully ruffle his shaggy brown hair.
He looked around, his eyes wide with excitement. There was a guy in a business suit typing on his phone and not paying attention to where he was walking. He accidentally bumped into Tanner, and I instinctively grabbed his arm, so he didn’t get knocked to the ground.
If I had to guess, it was probably the first time he had seen so many different people in one place at the same time. The fluorescent lights were bright, and the hum of the crowd was loud with, clicking heels, and overhead pages for passengers late to board their flights. He looked so damn curious at the chaos around him, like he was observing life on another planet.
“Riding in the jet was awesome!” he said, shoving his hands inside his front pockets. “I got to drink soda, eat junk food, and watch a movie in those big, comfy seats in the front.”
I laughed. “Sounds like fun. You ready to see where I live?”
His eyes lit up like I had just told him we were going to Disney World. “Heck yeah.”
I grabbed Chloe’s hand and walked them both over to baggage claim. Once we grabbed everything, we headed out to the parking lot and loaded up my car. As we made the drive to my apartment, I kept glancing in the review mirror. Tanner was sitting in the back seat with his mouth hanging open while his eyes bounced from buildings and bridges to the crosswalks filled with hundreds of people making their way through the concrete jungle. He was used to quiet towns with beaches and green lawns. Imagining the city through a seven-year-old’s eyes for the first time was pretty damn cool.
After what seemed like forever, we finally made it to my building in Greenwich Village. My apartment wasn’t huge, but it was close to work and considered prime New York real estate. I set the bags down by the front door and gave them both a tour of my home.
I bought this place from an architect; it was a little different than your typical mo
dern apartment. It had dark wood floors, not the cheap laminate that most places had these days. The previous owner had added large wooden beams throughout the open floor plan, which gave it a more authentic look that resembled the period in which it was originally built. There was a huge brick fireplace in the corner, right next to the floor-to-ceiling windows. The kitchen was lined with black cabinets and a charcoal gray backsplash.
“This is gorgeous.” Chloe beamed while running her hand over the back of the cream-colored leather couch.
Tanner looked up to me. “This isn’t very big.”
“Tanner!” Chloe scolded.
A laugh bubbled out of my chest. I wondered what he would think if he saw what a typical apartment in the city looked like. This little pad cost me a mint and real estate was my specialty. This was pretty much the Taj Mahal of village apartments. “It’s okay, Chloe. He’s right.” I winked and turned my attention to Tanner. “Most apartments in Manhattan are quite small. There are too many people and too many buildings, which means there isn’t a lot of extra space.”
Tanner put his hands on his hips and looked around. “It’s cool. I like it.”
“Thank you. I’m really glad you’re both here.” I picked up their luggage. “Let me show you where you’ll be sleeping.”
They followed me into my bedroom. I was on the top floor, so I had a great view of the downtown skyline. “This is my room. You guys can sleep in here.”
I walked over to the side of the bed and put their luggage down. Chloe stepped into the middle of the room and turned to me. “Where will you sleep?”
“I have a blow-up mattress set up in my office across the hall.”
Her eyes flickered over my shoulder. “You don’t need to do that.”
“Yeah,” Tanner added. “I sleep on a blow-up mattress all the time when I’m over at Tyler’s house. Your bed looks big. My mom can sleep in here with you, and I can sleep in there.”
Chloe’s eyes flew to mine in panic. If I was being honest, it wasn’t the worst idea I had ever heard, but as much as I wanted her in my bed, there was no way we were sleeping together with her kid in the next room. That wasn’t what this visit was about. Don’t get me wrong, I planned on getting creative with finding time to get my hands on her, but this trip was meant to be special for both of them.
