Dane went back in and headed for the couch. “So you all just ate, huh? Fudpucker’s?”
“Yeah, Chris works there. He gives Mom and us free drinks,” Jaden said. The picture was becoming crystal clear.
“He left his shift early so he could come hang with us,” Noah said.
“He did it so he could be alone with Mom, stupid. Why else would we be here?” Jaden said.
Dane’s chest heated. Erin wanted a night with her boyfriend or date of the week. That’s why they were here right now. She had the gall to dump her boys on her ex to sleep with some guy. If Ethan had this piece of information, he’d lose his goddamned mind.
“Nobody’s stupid. We don’t talk like that, okay?” Dane said.
“Mom lets us call each other that,” Noah said.
“Well, I don’t,” Dane said.
“You’re not our dad, you know,” Jaden said.
Dane rubbed his forehead, not able to believe he was right back in this nightmare. There were so many times he wished he was their father. Once Dane had even looked into adopting them before Ethan found out about it and put a stop to that, threatening Dane with everything in his arsenal. In the end, Ethan had been right, and Dane had been grateful for his interference. But moments like this one reminded Dane how powerless he was to actually help these boys he loved.
“What about dessert? Did you have that at the restaurant?” Dane asked.
“No,” they said in unison, eyes wide.
Dane walked to the freezer and opened it. He thought he had a half gallon of ice cream in there, but a glance inside the carton revealed freezer burn.
“How about Blue Mountain Beach Creamery?”
“Yes!” they both yelled, and jumped up.
Dane grabbed his wallet and his keys. He needed to get the hell out of that apartment, anyway. This would keep them doing something until Erin got back, whenever that may be. She said it was just for the night, which could mean until nine or ten, or it could mean tomorrow morning. He was hesitant to tell her he had to be somewhere at eight in the morning, because then she’d assume it was fine for them to spend the night, which it wasn’t.
He pulled out his phone, gritting his teeth.
Be here by nine tonight to pick them up.
He left it at that, for now, deciding not to threaten to call the police or whoever the hell dealt with this shit unless she didn’t respond. But the ellipsis came up immediately.
Yes sir!
That was so typical of her. Make a joke out of it. Isn’t it so cute that I’ve dumped my kids on you, reopening the wounds it’s taken months to get over? Aren’t I so funny?!
“Come on,” he said to the boys, herding them through the doorway. As he was locking the door, the elevator dinged.
“Can I push the button?” Noah asked.
“You can push it now, then Jaden can push—” Dane stopped in his tracks when he realized it was Marigold who had come off the elevator. “Hey,” he said, his heart thudding against his chest. Talk about his worlds colliding.
“Hey,” she said, viewing the scene with an expression of utter confusion.
Noah shoved his big brother. “Dane said I could do it.”
“He was talking about once we got on the elevator. You can push this one, too.”
“But it’s already lit up,” Noah said.
“It was already lit up when I pushed it, dork.” Noah went over to the button and pushed it repeatedly. Jaden was on the inside of the elevator now. “Come on, Dane.” Dane just stared at Marigold, not believing this was happening.
“Dane!” shouted Noah, jerking him back to earth.
“Come out of the elevator, both of you.” When they didn’t mind, he said, “Now.” They both walked out and focused on picking on each other.
Marigold blinked, her mouth open, looking between the boys and Dane. “I’ve clearly interrupted. I’m just going to slip away.” She started toward the elevator, and then the boys followed her.
“I get to hit the button!” Noah shouted.
Marigold stepped off the elevator, looking like a deer in headlights. “Actually, I should probably just take the stairs.”
Dane held up both hands. “Hang on. Just…wait a minute.” He stood there, trying to decide what to do. He stared at the door to Ethan’s place. Dane was going to pay for this dearly. He knocked on the door, and Ethan answered. Dane just stood there and let him view the scene a minute.
Marigold held up a hand in a tentative wave, glancing around at the boys like they were live snakes.
Dane pleaded with his eyes. “Two minutes.”
Ethan glared at him. “They’re not coming in here.”
“Then hang out here with them for just a second.”
Ethan opened the door farther, eyeing his brother like John Wayne in a showdown. He stepped out into the hallway.
Dane gave him a look. “Thanks.” He motioned Marigold into Ethan’s apartment.
She glanced around. “Wow. It’s just like yours but…stylish.”
“I’m so sorry about earlier today.”
“Okay, let’s totally get to that, but first, who are the two blondes in the hallway?” she asked.
He rubbed his temple, hating the words he was getting ready to have to say. “They’re my ex’s boys.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize you still had some sort of visiting arrangement, or whatever.”
“I don’t. There’s no arrangement. She just dumped them off here a few minutes ago.”
Marigold’s eyes got big. “Your ex was here a few minutes ago?”
Every word out of his mouth made things worse. “She was, but she didn’t come in. She just dropped them off and sent them up here.”
Marigold scratched the side of her head, scrunching up her face. “So, is this something she does often?”
He inhaled a deep breath, looking at the floor, and then met her gaze in what was going to have to be a major moment of truth. “She used to do this, quite often in fact, but she hasn’t in a while.”
She narrowed her gaze. “How long’s a while?”
“Three months.” He supposed it would be too telling if he gave her the exact month/week/day count.
Her eyebrows went up. “But I thought you two broke up a year ago.”
“We did. She just kept dropping them off, and then finally it affected my work, and Ethan laid down the law, and it was over.”
“Ethan laid down the law to her?”
“No.” He shook his head out of frustration. “To me, and then I laid it down to her.”
“So, basically if it weren’t for Ethan, you’d have kept on letting her do this.”
He let out a sigh, resigned. He loved how forthright she was, just not at the moment. “Yeah, probably.”
She nodded, glancing around the room like an answer to this mess was somewhere in the walls.
“But I’m going to talk to her when she gets here tonight to pick them up. She’s coming at nine. We’re not starting all this again.”
Marigold blinked like he’d said something offensive. She pulled her phone out of her purse. “Looks like you’ve got three hours. What are you gonna do with them?”
He tossed up a hand in the direction of the door. “We were just getting ready to go to Blue Mountain Beach Creamery…” He trailed off when he saw the look on her face.
“You’re going to Blue Mountain Beach Creamery?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, holding back a smile, because clearly, this made her happy. “Do you want to come?”
“Oh, no. I couldn’t intrude on your time with them.”
“Actually, I could really use you being here with us. I don’t need them reattaching to me, thinking I’m getting back with their mom. You could serve as a buffer.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “I’m wondering who you are more worried about getting reattached, you or them.”
He gave her a contrite smile. “You’re probably right about that. Will you come?”
The door opened. “Two minutes is up, sweet brother.”
“Just give me two more.”
“You get one more, then I’m coming back in.” He shut the door behind him.
“Ethan’s not a kid person?” Marigold asked.
“Not at all.”
She put her hand on her hip, grinning at the door. “I knew I liked him.”
He took her hand, overcome with the desire to make things right with her. “I’m so sorry about earlier. I should have let you move as fast as you wanted.”
Her face bloomed with color, and she looked down at the floor. “No, you were right. I’m so sorry I acted like a dog in heat. I just got a little overexcited or something.”
He put both hands on her hips. “I love that you got excited. You have no idea how excited I was.” Now it was time for his face to warm up. “In fact, that’s one of the reasons I was trying to hold you off. I wasn’t sure how quick on the trigger I’d be after being out of practice so long.”
She met his gaze. “Really?”
“Oh, yeah.” He squeezed her hips. “I’ve been…excited…ever since I met you. Like really excited.”
She smiled, her whole face lighting up. She put her hands on his biceps and he tried to flex them a little. He went in for a kiss but the door opened.
“Time’s up, lovers,” Ethan said, coming back into the apartment.
“That wasn’t a minute,” Dane said.
“It was in Ethan time.” He jerked a thumb toward the door. “Now scram. Good to see you, Marigold.”
“Good to see you, too,” she said. “I just left a mutual friend of ours, by the way.”
Ethan grinned. “Oh yeah? A certain photographer?”
“That’s the one. I hear you’ve been texting him.”
“He told you that?” Ethan asked.
Marigold scrunched up her face. “Oh, I probably wasn’t supposed to say that.”
“Oh no, please continue,” Ethan said, making a motion with his hand.
Marigold held up both hands, backing away. “I’ve said too much.”
“Just tell me this, are the texts annoying him, or is he playing hard to get?”
Marigold made a motion like she was zipping her lip and then turned around and headed for the door.
“Then just answer this one question. Should I keep texting him?”
Dane opened the door for her, and she met Ethan’s gaze with a quick, playful nod.
Ethan pumped his fist. “Yes! There’s hope.”
As Dane pulled the door closed he said, “You want anything from Blue Mountain Beach Creamery?”
“Not after this encouragement. Bye.” Ethan picked up his phone.
Dane shut the door and met Marigold’s gaze. “You know you just unleased a beast, right?”
“Ashe loves the attention, trust me. He’s playing hard to get.” She shoved Dane. “Don’t you tell Ethan I said that.”
“I’m not helping his ass out.”
“Dane cussed! Dane cussed!” Noah shouted.
“He’s an adult. He’s allowed, doodie pants,” Jaden said.
Noah pushed the elevator button repeatedly. “Your mom’s doodie pants.”
Marigold giggled, and then covered her mouth. “Sorry.”
Dane held his arms out to the side. “Who wants to go get some ice cream?”
“Me!” shouted all three of them.
Marigold’s smile was enough to get him through the rest of the night, whatever fate that held for him.
12
Marigold sat snuggled up with Dane on the couch, the boys in the floor in front of them, their eyes glued to SpongeBob. “Lucky this happened to be on,” she said.
“SpongeBob is always on,” Dane said.
“Really?”
Dane nodded, eyes wide like he was going slowly mad. She couldn’t wipe the grin off her face if she tried. She’d actually had a wonderful time with him and the boys. Of course, the offer of Blue Mountain Beach Creamery was all she needed to hear. She was flat-out addicted to their mango yogurt, and she’d already splurged once that day. Might as well top it off.
Sitting on the deck to the ice cream place, watching the boys run around in the gravel next to the fence painted with all kinds of fun art from flamingoes to sharks, made her wonder for the first time what it would be like to have her own kids. She had never been a kid person. She never assumed she’d have any sort of typical life.
She remembered a time in college in an economics class on the subject of female leadership in the workplace, a professor taking a poll of the class. “How many women in here plan to get married right out of college?” Marigold watched the hands go up. “How many of you plan to work when you get married?” A few hands went down. “How many plan to work once you have children?” More hands went down. The whole process had fascinated her. These women had been so sure of their fates, so seemingly in control of their destinies. Marigold had never assumed anything about her future, especially that she would meet the perfect man who would make enough money to support her and their children in such a robust way that she would be able to stay home without bringing in income.
She had known better. The parade of losers she’d dated in high school had disrespected and humiliated her in more ways than she could count. Her junior prom date had taken her to the back of their limo during the announcement of the king and queen for a surprise. He’d unzipped his pants and shown her his package, saying, “I want you to be the first girl who gives me a blow job.” She’d been less than honored.
Marigold had sworn to herself that she wouldn’t settle for one of those assholes, and she hadn’t. Now, at thirty years old, she sat next to a guy who wanted to take his time with her, and she’d run out on him as a result. Who was the asshole now?
She checked her phone for the time. 8:45. “I should go.”
“You don’t have to. You’re welcome to stay until after they get picked up.” He raised his eyebrows, causing her belly to spin around.
“Thanks, but I want to go ahead and leave before she gets here.” Was her nose growing? Because that was the fattest lie she’d told in a while. She desperately wanted to get a look at this woman. She was self-destructive like that. But more so, she was really curious. The woman’s boys were adorable with beautiful, white-blond hair and blue eyes. She imagined their mother was equally as gorgeous. That’s just what Marigold needed—a visual image of Dane’s ex to torture herself with.
She stood. “It was lovely to meet you boys.”
Noah turned to her with eyes like an Oliver Twist character. “You’re leaving?”
Marigold looked at Dane for help, but he just winced.
“I need to get going so I can get my sleep for work tomorrow. You guys understand. You have school tomorrow, right?” she asked, realizing that was probably stupid. The inference was they needed their sleep, too, but how was that going to happen when their mother wasn’t even coming to get them till nine. What time did kids this age go to sleep, anyway?
“Can you bring her next time, too, Dane?” Noah asked.
Dane scratched his head. “We’ll see.” God, this was torture. Marigold couldn’t help wondering how often this really happened. He seemed to take it all in such stride, these children dropping in on his day. He’d said she hadn’t dropped them off in three months, but she had to wonder if that wasn’t a white lie. Dane stood. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“No, stay. You can’t leave them.”
Dane studied the two of them, considering.
“Seriously, I got a great visitor spot, and it’s WaterColor. It’s virtually crime-free here. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll see if Ethan can walk you,” he said, heading for the door.
“Dane, you’re ridiculous,” she said, following after him, but he was already out the front door and knocking on his brother’s condo door. She had to admit, she couldn’t decide if it was really cool or kind of co-dependent that the two of them lived side by side in addition to
working together. But they were twins. Surely there was some super-duper connection there that she couldn’t understand and probably didn’t need to at this point.
Ethan answered, glaring at Dane. He held up both hands. “I was just wondering if you could walk Marigold to her car. I don’t want to leave the boys.”
Ethan eased up. “Of course. Let me get my shoes on.”
Dane held Marigold’s hand. “Thanks for coming back. Can we try again soon?”
She smiled. “Okay, but maybe a real date first?” If he wanted to take his time with her, she was going to get the full treatment.
“That’d be perfect.”
Ethan shut the door behind him. “Do I need to hide my eyes while you two kiss goodnight?”
Dane punched him lightly on the arm and then gave Marigold a quick kiss before heading into his place where the boys were in the background wrestling with one another. The scene was surreal. It seemed so much like they were his that she had to remind herself that he wasn’t their father.
Ethan hit the elevator button and the doors opened. “Shall we?”
She headed in. “This really isn’t necessary.”
“It’s like five steps.” He held up his wrist, showing off his tracker. “Besides, I get credit for them.”
She held up her phone. “I know. Ever since I discovered the app on this phone that keeps up with steps, I don’t take a single one without it.” She smiled at him. “So, did you try again with Ashe?”
He gave her a sly grin. “I did, and he took the bait. Thanks for the tip.”
“No problem.” She winked at him. “I’m rooting for you.”
“Nice to have an insider in my corner.”
The elevator doors opened, and a brunette with wide hips and bright blue eyes stopped dead in her tracks wearing an expression like she’d seen a ghost. She looked Ethan up and down, and then relaxed, but became a bit cautious. “Ethan,” she said, the word coming out in a mix of relief and irritation.
“Hello, Erin. Excuse us.” Ethan put his arm around Marigold protectively, ushering her away.
Marigold’s heart pounded wildly as they walked toward the car, her neck craning to see back to that elevator, but the girl was out of sight, the door closing.
WATERCOLOR WISHES: Love Along Hwy 30A, Book Four Page 11
