Like Father Like Son

by Lennon, Leigh

  It’s been four days since I’ve seen Maguire, after our fight. When his truck pulls away from his house today and I’m positive I won’t walk in on him, I slide into the front door to leave a check for the amount of money I owe him from our cross-country trip.

  With the holiday shut down, I’ve not really been out of my apartment. I went shopping yesterday to buy something I could bake to take over to Christmas dinner at Ned and Elise’s. Teagan swore I couldn’t mess up this recipe she gave me. Starting the cherry-apple dump cake recipe, I follow the step-by-step directions. “It’s four ingredients, Holls—even you can’t screw it up,” she had claimed.

  Picking up the recipe card, I laugh at her notes on the bottom. This calls for pineapple, but if anyone ever makes this recipe with pineapple when I’m around, I’ll slit their fucking throats. Classic Teagan. She must not like that fruit.

  I take the can of cherry pie and apple pie mix, combining them to spread on the bottom of my Pyrex baking dish. I have the boxed cake mix, sprinkling it from the container over the fruit, topping it with a pound of butter, cut into small squares. I place it over everything in the pan. Baking it at three hundred seventy-five degrees for thirty minutes—well, this seems simple enough.

  I walk into my bedroom and start wrapping my presents for Elise, Ned, Teagan, and even Maguire. Though I’ve not seen him, I knew right away what I’d get him for Christmas. Elise’s present took lots of thought. We’ve been spending a lot of time together. She’s become this surrogate mother I thought I’d never have. She’s taught me simple recipes for when the baby comes along. I will, after all, have to feed him or her.

  She has all these fantastic recipes she loaned me, to copy for my own menus. I took her favorites. They were easy to find since every meal she cooked a lot, were marked—one of our favorites. It took me ten days to type them up, making her own personal cookbook. I even enlisted Ned, having him grab some of her favorite pictures of the two of them. I made a collage for the cover. As I wrap it, I hold onto it a little longer because this woman has become so special to me. I sometimes wonder why she and Ned never had children. It’s such a personal question and I’ll never ask.

  For Ned, I found a picture of Maguire and him in front of the warehouse when their business was big enough to move into a building other than their garages. I had it blown up, framing it in the same wood he and Maguire are constructing the baby line out of. I procured the services of Teagan to make the frame.

  For Teagan, I made her a unicorn hobo bag. She loves anything she can sling over her shoulder and adores unicorns almost as much as I do.

  And of course, Maguire’s gift is something I know he’ll love. When my timer goes off, I’m pleased to see my cake is baked perfectly. I place it in this baking carrier Elise insisted on buying me one day on a shopping outing.

  With my cake carrier and presents in my hands, I’m off to my vehicle. Maguire’s truck is already gone. I’m curious if he’d stayed at Kat’s last night, but after what I said to him, it’s not my business. After all, we both have to move on.

  I’ve not seen her in four days, not since the debacle of the fight we’d had about Jase Elton bringing her home. I had wanted to admit what we’d been skirting around for the past four months. She shot me down.

  Then there was the show I witnessed, her bringing herself to pleasure. Hell, I can’t get it out of my mind. What’s worse, I saw her vibrator. I mean, it was hot as hell but I should feel ashamed, right?

  Then she snuck in my house when I left for Elise and Ned’s this morning. I had to turn back around once I got to the main road, having forgotten my phone. The little brat left me a ridiculous check for three thousand dollars. I ripped it up the second I realized it was for our cross-country trip.

  She’s seen me with Kat, but she hasn’t given me a chance to tell her Kat is only a friend. And Kat, I’m learning a lot about her. She has to know how I feel about Holland, but she never calls me on it. She’s taken the role of friend seriously and we’re better as friends than we ever were as lovers.

  I pull up to Ned and Elise’s earlier than I’d told them. When I ring the doorbell at eleven a.m., Elise is bringing me in out of the cold Christmas morning. “Get in here, handsome, before you get yourself sick.” It’s funny how quickly the outdoor temperature has dropped drastically, at the same time Holland and I have become frigid with one another.

  Giving her an enormous hug, she looks behind me. “Where’s Holland?”

  “Oh, I’m sure she’ll be here. We came separately today.”

  Elise has this way of looking at people, where she dips her head down yet raises her eyebrows at the same time. It’s her spill it right now buddy look. But there’s nothing to tell. Well, scratch that. There’s plenty to say, but I don’t.

  She doesn’t press anymore, only offers me a mimosa. “Hell, Elise, do I look like a mimosa kind of guy?” She turns to the fridge, grabbing me a beer. “Now, I’ll never say no to one of these,” I impart as I take it from her.

  We’re deep in conversation a couple hours later when others arrive. Ned and Elise open their home every year to anyone in the company who doesn’t have family around. When a couple of our craftsmen walk in, I almost don’t see her as she scurries into the kitchen. But her laugh is as irresistible as her smile. It fills the room and I turn to see her, in a pair of reindeer leggings and a long green shirt, with a big picture of Rudolf on the front. Her belly looks more significant than it had just days ago when I last saw her.

  Behind her, is Jase and Josh Elton, both of them helping her with her dish and presents. Lord help anyone who eats what she brought, though Elise swears her cooking is getting better.

  My mind races. Did Jase bring her? Did she meet him outside? I’d known the Elton boys would be here today. Their mom had gone on a cruise, leaving them alone. Elise wouldn’t have it and insisted they come.

  Holland is laughing at something Jase says, offering him a bemused smile. Her high-pitched and loud voice fills the room and my face begins to warm. When he puts his hand around her, my entire body burns with rage. “Green doesn’t suit you.” It’s not the masculine voice of Ned. I turn to see Elise staring at me.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She gives me the same look as before when I arrived without Holland. She walks away without any more input.

  Several people are around the tree and various parts of the house with gifts for others. I watch from my vantage point when Holland gives a package wrapped in pink unicorns to Elise. The second she opens it, tears fall down Elise’s face and she wraps her arms around Holland. I love how quickly these two have bonded. Holland needs it after the year she’s had. And Elise, too, for that matter.

  Ned’s present is wrapped in pink unicorn wrapping paper also. He takes out a picture frame, then turns to Holland, encircling her in a hug, just like his wife had done.

  When she looks up, her eyes lock on mine. I raise my hand, the same one holding my beer, in a casual hello. She points to the formal living room on the other side of the house. I take her lead, following her there, bumping into fucking Jase Elton. She may not be ready to move on, but he’s ready to pounce when she is. I can see it in his eyes.

  She’s in the small TV room away from the heart of the house. “Merry Christmas, Sarge,” she says, with a medium size package in her hand—again wrapped in unicorn paper. On further inspection, it’s at least Christmassy. She hands it to me. I’d left her gift in this room, thinking I wanted to give it to her in privacy.

  “Merry Christmas, darlin’,” I begin. I place her present down when I turn to grab her box of goodies. “You look festive today.”

  She takes it, smiling at the wrapping paper. “Listen, Maguire, about the other day.”

  I lift my hand. “Water under the bridge, darlin’.”

  She closes her eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply. “You don’t think we should talk about it?”

  “No, darlin’, I don’t thin
k we should.” Of course, I’m not sure if it’s the fight or what I witnessed that she wants to finally discuss. It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to talk about any of it.

  She looks down at her present in her hand. Sitting on the closest couch, she smiles, “Okay, if you say so.” She unwraps the box, letting out a long and loud chuckle. “You remembered.”

  Does she not get it? I remember everything about her. She pulls out bottle after bottle of Bath and Body Works brand lotion, body wash, and perfume. I’ve bought her ten different new aromas they’ve started carrying in the past six months. “I love it.” I motion to the box to let her know there’s more. Pulling out a long and narrow rectangular case, she looks at it and then back at me. I don’t say a word when she opens it up to find a sterling silver chain with an emerald dangling from the necklace.

  “Maguire, holy hell, it’s gorgeous—but it’s…”

  “Emerald, as you know, is Scott’s birthstone. I wanted you to have a memory of him always. And when the baby comes, you can add to it. You’ll always have them closest to your heart.”

  She stands, crossing the space between us quickly. Giving me a hug, she pulls back hastily, staring into my eyes. “I can’t go days without you. I don’t like it when we fight. Please don’t…”

  “No, I feel the same way.” I pull back swiftly too because her presence near me is too intoxicating. “Okay, let’s see what you got me.” Sitting down in the chair in the corner, I begin to unwrap the box, which happens to be a shoe box. I pull it back and I swear all the air escapes from my lungs. Inside are John Deere tractors similar to the ones I’d given Scott throughout the years.

  “I couldn’t part with the ones you gave to Scott, but I wanted you to have your own collection to show your grandbaby one day.” Inside are ten different tractors. The way she knows me in such a short amount of time is almost scary. I don’t think another woman has ever gotten me quite like she has.

  “Darlin’, it’s perfect.” She stands and I embrace her. But it’s not just the gift that’s perfect, it’s the person who’s now in my arms who absolutely fits me perfectly.

  Chapter 26

  Christmas came and went. I rang the new year in with a gallon of rocky road, crying for my husband. I’m still close to Maguire, but we’ve both drawn this invisible line we don’t cross.

  My baby bump is no longer a simple bump. It’s a watermelon. I’ve been asked on several occasions if I’m having twins. Lesson number one in pregnancy etiquette—if you ask a lady how far along she is, and she simply answers the weeks and doesn’t volunteer she’s having multiple babies at one time—don’t fucking ask.

  It’s only February and I still have eight more weeks to go. I’m not sure my stomach can stretch much more. I’m getting grief from Irene, Elise, and Teagan when it comes to the baby’s gender. “It’ll be so much easier planning a baby shower if we know the sex,” Irene says every time I see her.

  And the names—they want to know what I’ve picked out, too. I’ve kept tight-lipped about both names. They aren’t up for debate and for this reason, I’ll not share them until the baby is born. Since they’re on the different side, I’m sure I’ll have too many opinions. But they’re the ones Scott and I picked out together, and I won’t be changing them.

  Elise has become my surrogate mother, going to birthing classes with me. Maguire wanted to be my partner. In normal situations, I may have allowed it. But since we’ve cut some of our contact with one another, it’s easier to have Elise.

  I’m listening to Panic! At the Disco, pinning the fabric together for curtains for the baby’s room, when a loud knock has me lowering my music. With only one person it could be, I open the door to Jase Elton. He’s not who I thought would be on the other side. A smile unfurls across my face. I’ve come to covet this man’s friendship. We text often and he’s the only one who has ever let me forget even if for a second, that I’m falling in love with my father-in-law.

  “Whoa, girl, you weren’t kidding when you said a watermelon.”

  He walks in with a large box in his hand, “Hey, gorgeous.” He leans down, giving me a kiss on the cheek. “I thought I’d surprise you with what I’ve been told is the best baby gift ever.”

  “What in the name of Peter, Paul, and Mary are you doing here?” He’s in medical school in San Francisco and it’s a good five hours away. He doesn’t come home on the weekends often because his studies are so intense.

  “I know this girl. She’s having a baby. So, I decided to deliver this personally.” I attempt to give him a hug. “You’re so cute,” he adds. Though I can’t get too close to him, his massive arms wrap around me.

  “I’m as big as a house. I can’t bend over. People keep on asking me if I’m having twins and I still have eight weeks to go.”

  He looks back and chuckles. “First, from this fourth-year med student, let me say, I can tell with one look at you; you don’t look like you’re having twins, beautiful. And second, you’re absolutely gorgeous. I honestly can’t think of anyone who is more gorgeous than you.”

  I touch his arm affectionately. “You’re sweet…” I keep looking at the wrapped box in his hand. “Did you say something about a present?”

  “Yeah, and afterward, I hope you’ll let me take you to dinner.”

  I scrunch my face, sitting down when he hands me his gift. “I’m a pregnant woman, you want to feed me. Sign me up.”

  Tearing off a good portion of wrapping paper, I’m holding a portable swing in my lap. “I’m not sure if you have one yet, but this is portable. One of my friends who has just had her baby told me this is the best gift. She brings it to study sessions and her little boy sleeps through it all. It’s not quite like the big old school ones, but I want to get something you will use. I researched all the reviews and they were good.”

  I’m absolutely touched. Though, touched doesn’t cut it. Jase went out of his way to get me something different but would prove useful. I try to stand and I can’t. He pulls me up and into a hug. My lips are close to his.

  “Jase,” I warn. I’m not ready. But he makes it almost impossible to resist.

  “Listen, Holls.” I love he has a nickname for me. “I care for you—more than I should. Hell, I think of you all the time. Your name is the first one I look for on my phone every day, hoping to hear from you. But I know you’re not remotely close to being able to move on. So, I’m friends until—or—if you’re ever ready for more.”

  “Jase, why me? I’m a widow with a passenger who’s not your responsibility. You’re going to be a successful doctor and you’re so freaking beautiful. You must have tons of women after you. So, I’m asking you again, why me?”

  He winks my way. “Are you kidding? I have so many answers for you; however, I would be coming on too strong if I share them all. So, for now, why don’t we just go get some dinner?”

  I look down at my yoga pants and t-shirt. “Let me go change.” I’m in my bedroom when the front door opens and closes loudly. I figure Jase has gone to his car for something. Exiting the bedroom in a pair of black leggings and a long black striped shirt, I’m starting down the hall when I’m assaulted with loud voices, just not one. Oh, hell, and they are elevated. There’s only one other person I know who will help himself into my home.

  Jase’s voice is the first I hear. “I don’t have any plans. I’m her friend. If it progresses, then it’ll happen naturally, Maguire.”

  “You little shit, do you know what she’s been through? You have no idea!” His voice booms through the house.

  “Maguire!” I yell over the screams, as he’s in Jase’s face. “What in the world are you doing?”

  “I came over here to see if you wanted some dinner. This jackass is making himself too comfortable here.” Maguire’s legs are in a wide stance. He’s marking this territory as his.

  “Maguire, the last time I checked I could have whoever I wanted in my own home.” I turn my gaze to Jase. “Give me a second
, will you, Jase?”

  He nods, raking his hand through his thick blond hair.

  Walking down the stairs, Maguire paces in front of my stairwell. “Look, Holland, we need to set some rules.”

  “Um, yeah, we sure as hell do, Sarge.” I stop, trying to take the scene from earlier in. “First off…”

  He cuts me off. “No, my rules, I meant I need to establish rules, you live in my apartment. I set them, my law.”

  My hands are balled into fists. Maguire’s nostrils flare and I want to punch him smack in the flipping nose. “Fuck you if you think those rules are going to stick for one second. But this should be good, so what’s rule number one?”

  “Listen, darlin’, and listen good. I’m not paying for you to fuck someone in my apartment I provide for you. Scott’s not even been gone a year.”

  I don’t think when my hand makes contact with his face. “Don’t you ever fucking talk to me like that again. And don’t worry. I won’t be fucking anyone in your apartment because I won’t be fucking living here.”

  “Holland, wait.” The pitch and the tone in his voice change as his hand reaches for my arm, but I shrug it off.

  I walk up the steps, straight into my room, grabbing enough clothes for a couple of days. I leave the keys to my SUV on the counter. “Can you take me to Elise’s house, please?” Jase doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t have to; he probably heard the whole sordid fight.

  What just happened? I’ve never lost my cool like I have with Holland. I’m watching from my window as Jase loads a suitcase into his BMW. I open the door, walking toward her but it’s Jase who meets me halfway. “Let her calm down, Maguire. I know you care for her, but she can’t take anymore.” He doesn’t let me respond.