Every Other Weekend

by Jaxson Kidman

  “Then don’t-”

  “But since you punched me in the face… you owe me.”

  Matt curled his lip. “Fine. Have at it, Rams.”

  “You two were fools for a while,” I said. “You spent nights on my couch. That was a sign, Matt. Things were crashing for a while, man. Face it. When she left to go to her parents’ house, she knew the ending already. That doesn’t make it right to find another guy and start over, if that’s what she’s doing. But now you have to face it and do the same.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “I guess not everyone can be your aunt and uncle.”

  “Nobody is my aunt and uncle,” I said.

  Except I want that… with Jordyn…

  “You really did dodge a bullet with Sarah,” Matt said. “I don’t think I could ever forgive you for leaving me standing up there with her, waiting for you.”

  “We’re not talking about me,” I said. My stomach felt a little ill. I couldn’t think about that time in my life. “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? Go figure your shit out.”

  “No,” Matt said. “This job is all I have right now, Rams. When I leave here today, I have to start packing up the house. We’re going to make arrangements for Mary to come out and get her shit. Then it’s going up for sale.”

  From the corner of my eye I saw Chris walking through the front door.

  “Are we done fucking crying yet?” he asked.

  “Chris, man,” I said, curling my lip.

  “It’s fine,” Matt said.

  He walked toward Chris. I hoped the two would shake hands and move on. But that’s not how it worked.

  “You know you need a three-fourths,” Chris said.

  “If you tell me what to do again, you’re going to get three-fourths of my foot up your ass,” Matt said.

  “Better than the whole thing,” Chris said.

  Matt pushed his shoulder into Chris and went back inside.

  I stared at Chris. “What a fucking mess.”

  “And you wonder why I refuse to fall in love,” he said.

  Chris disappeared, and I stood there alone on the porch.

  Strange as it was, all I wanted to do right then was call Jordyn and tell her I loved her.

  It was Friday afternoon and I stood on Jordyn’s front porch, looking down at a small packed bag, a teddy bear sitting on top of it, along with a rolled up blanket and a pillow. In the front yard, Sam was playing some kind of game of tag with himself and imaginary good and bad guys. Inside the house, Jordyn was on a quick conference call, which didn’t bother me at all.

  “Hey, Sam,” I said.

  He froze and looked at me. “Yeah?”

  “Do you want to play catch?”

  “With what?”

  “A football,” I said. “You have one inside.”

  “Oh. I don’t like football.”

  “Neither do I,” I said. “But it’s fun to play catch.”

  “I don’t know how to catch,” Sam said.

  “Can I teach you?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Okay.”

  I went inside and remembered spotting the neon green and orange football tucked next to a pile of mismatched cars and trucks. It was a squishy foam ball.

  Jordyn’s boss’s voice echoed from the kitchen as he talked interest rates and escrow.

  I smiled.

  Good luck, darling.

  Outside, I raced down the porch steps.

  I bent to one knee and had Sam stand on the other side of the walkway from the porch.

  “Just put your hands out,” I said. “I’ll toss it to you. When you catch, pull it to your chest.”

  I tossed the ball and it hit Sam’s arms and fell to the ground.

  “Good job,” I said.

  “I dropped it,” Sam said.

  “So what?” I pointed to the ball. “Pick it up and throw it to me.”

  Sam grabbed the ball and threw it like a five-year-old probably would. It went in a random direction and came nowhere near reaching me.

  “Okay,” I said as I got the ball. “Hold your hands out again. And then pull the ball in when you catch it.”

  I gave another small toss. Sam winced as though I was throwing a jagged rock at his head. The ball hit his arms, he stuck his tongue out, and he actually caught the thing. He pulled it in and his eyes went wide.

  “You did it,” I said.

  “I did it,” he yelled.

  “Okay, dude. Now try to aim for me when you throw it.”

  Sam made a quick throw, not really to me, but in the vicinity where I could lean to the right and make a one-handed catch.

  “Awesome job,” I said.

  I threw it to him a few more times. He caught two out of three. His confidence was instantly boosted, laughing and smiling as he threw the ball back at me. And just like that, I was playing catch with Sam.

  I had a very distant memory of my father doing this with me. One of the rare times when he wasn’t completely drunk. There was a beer can on the ground next to him when we played catch. He couldn’t function without booze, there were just variations of how much he drank.

  “I’m going to back up a little now,” I said. “Ready?”

  “Let’s go,” Sam said and clapped his hands together.

  He was getting cocky and it was fun to see.

  I tossed the ball and he curled his arms to make the catch.

  “Nice,” I said.

  “What’s happening out here?” another voice asked.

  Jordyn stood on the porch, watching us.

  “He’s teaching me how to catch,” I said to her.

  “Watch, Mom,” Sam said.

  He threw the ball and it spun in all directions and hit the ground, bouncing toward me. Sam sighed and frowned.

  “It’s okay,” I said. “Here, make the catch.”

  Another toss and Sam made another catch. He looked right to his mother for approval. Jordyn clapped her hands and cheered for him. She did a little goofy dance, jumping one foot at a time like a bug was crawling toward her.

  Watching her dance like that and hearing her cheer made me laugh.

  How the hell did this happen?

  Falling in love with Jordyn like I did. Taking a little bit of a back seat to make sure her love and care for her son was always the first and most important thing on her mind.

  “Okay, throw it back, Sam,” I said.

  “How about you throw it here, kiddo?”

  That wasn’t Jordyn’s voice. And her dance and cheering ended abruptly.

  I turned my head to the left and Keith came walking down the sidewalk. Wearing the same dark jeans and same leather jacket from the night at the hospital. The same high school spiked hair and asshole look on his face.

  I stood up and felt every muscle in my body tighten.

  He looked at me, curled his lip, and then looked at Sam.

  “Give me the ball,” he ordered.

  Sam handed his father the ball and Keith inspected it. “Not a real football, huh?”

  “It’s squishy,” Sam said.

  “It’s for girls,” Keith said and chuckled.

  I gritted my teeth.

  “Sammy, come get your stuff,” Jordyn said. “I’ll walk you to the car.”

  “No need,” Keith said. He walked down the sidewalk to the steps. “I can pick up my son. I don’t need help.”

  “When was the last time you got out of your car to come get him?” Jordyn asked.

  Keith didn’t respond. He handed Jordyn the football and pointed to Sam’s stuff. “Is that Sam’s or Ramsey’s?”

  “Funny,” Jordyn said.

  Keith looked back at me.

  “My stuff is already inside,” I said.

  Keith stepped away from the porch and came toward me. From the corner of my eye I saw Sam watching everything very closely. That meant I needed restraint. Restraint I wasn’t sure I was capable of.

  “You have something you want to say here?” Keith asked me.

>   “To you? No.”

  “Remember where you are, Ramsey,” he said. “This is my life you’re stepping into.”

  “It’s only your life twice a month, right?”

  Keith curled his lip again. “You think you’re funny, don’t you?”

  “I think your son is waiting to leave.”

  “Yeah. Well, enjoy my leftovers.”

  “Wow. I haven’t heard that before, Keith.”

  He stepped closer to me.

  Jordyn moved down the steps to get closer to Sam.

  I sidestepped and walked away from Keith. Now wasn’t the time or place to rehash old beefs or start new ones.

  “Have a great weekend, dude,” I said to Sam.

  I winked, and he smiled at me.

  My best bet was to go inside and stay out of the situation. It pained me to do so because looking at Keith brought back memories of my father. And looking at Sam brought back memories of Brian. In some strange way I felt like it was years later, and I was in the same position.

  I waited in the dining room, my eyes looking at the hand turkeys we all made that first night I met Sam. The family of turkeys with weird looking eyes and different colors, staring at me.

  “Well, that went as expected,” Jordyn said as she came back inside.

  I turned and smiled. “Fuck Keith.”

  “Well said,” she said. “He never gets out of his car. He knew you were here. That’s why he did that.”

  “Nervous, huh?” I asked.

  “Jealous. He knows he’s wrong, but he’ll never admit it. He said he’s going to stop and get Sam a real football.”

  I laughed. “So, is that the game here? We’re going to be one upping each other with Sam in the middle?”

  Jordyn was within reach of me when she stopped and touched the back of a chair. “That’s up to you, Rams. Are you going to try to one up Keith?”

  “No,” I said. “It’s not my job. I don’t even know what my job is, to be honest.”

  “What you just did with Sam was amazing. He was so happy throwing that football with you.”

  I looked around the house, trying to collect my emotions.

  Of course, the house was decorated for Christmas already. Jordyn said she and Sam had a tradition to decorate the day after Thanksgiving. An artificial Christmas tree standing in the corner of the living room. A plastic train under it with all the classic Christmas characters poking their heads out of the windows with the big guy driving the train. Lights, garland, knickknack decorations were all scattered throughout the house.

  It even smelled like Christmas inside the house. A hint of cinnamon and pine.

  “What are you thinking right now?” Jordyn asked.

  “How crazy I am about you,” I said. “How when I look around here and see all the evidence of the holidays and family, it makes me excited.” My eyes met Jordyn’s. “How long do you plan on renting here?”

  “No clue,” she said.

  “My house is empty. And it’s meant for a family, darling.”

  “Are you asking…”

  I closed in on her and slipped a hand to the small of her back. “I’m not asking anything, Jordyn. I would never put you in that position. I just want you to know that my house is empty and is meant for a family. And if that ever crosses your mind, I’m okay with that.”

  Jordyn moved up to her toes as she sighed. She kissed my scruffy jaw and shook her head. “You find something to say each time I’m with you to make me fall for you even more.”

  “That sets the bar high for me, darling,” I said. “I have to keep up with that.”

  “You’d better. I have high standards.”

  I laughed. “I’ve met your ex, remember?”

  She pushed at me. “Jerk.”

  Before she could slip away, I grabbed her wrist and stopped her. “I’m serious, Jordyn. About everything.”

  “I know,” she said. “I believe you. You just have to promise me you’ll show me the plans for the house. So I can approve them.”

  She puckered her lips and blew me a kiss.

  I let her go and stood there a little shocked.

  If I could get Jordyn to give me her forever, I would knock my house to the ground if she asked me to.

  25

  Potato Peeling Confessions

  Jordyn

  I stood in the doorway to Sam’s room and bit my lip. The thought of actually packing Sam up and moving our lives into Ramsey’s house was a mix of excitement and terror. If it were just me, I would have already told Jack I was leaving the house. But with Sam, it was a whole different situation. He had been amazing with it all so far. His sweet, little mind completely understood who his father was, who Ramsey was, and how everything worked. I was sure questions would eventually come, but until then, it was comfortable. That was the strangest part. Finally feeling comfortable.

  “You know he’s here, right?”

  I turned my head and smiled at the sight of Ramsey coming down the hallway.

  “I know,” I said. “I’m just standing here. Doing a Mom thing.”

  “And what’s a Mom thing?” he asked.

  Ramsey still stole my breath at the sight of him. Standing there in a dark red t-shirt, unable to hide the muscles that he used to hold me at night when I needed it the most. His eyes were forever partially closed, like he was ready to explode with anger. Yet at the same time, when he looked at me, he always smiled. In some way. I’d never had someone look at me like that, where I could feel his attraction and his love.

  “I’m just thinking about too much at once.”

  “Well, I don’t want you to do that,” Ramsey said. He reached with his right hand and touched my hair. Gently pulling it away from my neck, forcing it to my right side. He leaned down, his breath touching my skin. “Worrying about things you can’t control will only let you down.”

  I shivered as I heard his words and felt them against my neck.

  His lips pressed against my neck… once, twice, three times…

  I swallowed hard and tilted my head to the right, letting him kiss my neck as many times as he wanted.

  “There’s just a lot happening at once,” I whispered. “Sometimes I can’t help it, Rams.”

  “I can’t help myself around you,” he said from the back of his throat, almost growling at me.

  His hands eased around my body and he pulled me close. I could feel all of him and I sucked in a breath.

  He continued to kiss my neck, the kisses getting louder.

  I reached back with my right hand and dug my fingers into Ramsey’s hair.

  His left hand moved down while his right hand moved up. My toes curled against the carpeted hallway. I let out a long breath, feeling myself slipping under Ramsey’s powerful spell. Downstairs I heard the faint echoing of cartoons. That meant Sam was on the couch, just relaxing. That meant Ramsey and I could sneak into the bathroom. Keep the door open.

  “I literally can’t get enough of you, darling,” he said, his lips flirting with my ear.

  The scruff on his face had the appeal of sandpaper against my skin, yet I liked it. It was like I became someone else around Ramsey. My mind, heart and body struggling to fight wants and needs.

  I turned my head so I could kiss him.

  Our eyes locked before our lips could touch.

  And we both just froze in place, staring at each other.

  We didn’t speak, instead, he brushed his lips against mine. Lifting his nose to mine. Flirting with me. Causing things to happen in my body that should have made me blush. Only he made me feel safe and comfortable in my own body that I didn’t need to blush. It felt good. It felt really good.

  I made a move for him, trying to kiss him, but he inched back. I tried again and bit at him, snagging his bottom lip for a split second. He came forward and kissed me hard. With our lips touching, he spun me around and pinned me against a wall in the hallway.

  My hands grabbed for his face, pulling at him. My back arched as my hips ro
cked at him, wanting him in the worst way. He gently touched my sides and held me there. With one last kiss, he inched away, grinning.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked.

  “You’re wild when nobody is looking,” he said. “I like that.”

  “I blame you for that.”

  “Blame yourself. You make me like this.”

  My hands opened, and I held his face.

  “What’s on your mind, darling?” he asked.

  “Everything and nothing all at once.”

  Ramsey laughed. “Are you sure you’re okay with going to Aunt Millie’s by yourself?”

  “She asked me to,” I said. “I can’t say no to her, right?”

  “You’d better not.”

  “It’ll be fun. Norah should be here any minute to watch Sam.”

  “You could take Sam with you. Aunt Millie will probably get pissed at you for not bringing him.”

  “I don’t want to impose,” I said. “Plus, if he’s there all day and then stays for dinner… that’s a long day for him. Without his toys and routine…”

  “What are you going to do when she wants to keep him overnight?”

  “What?”

  “I mean, as things keep going here, she’s going to want to watch him. Spoil the hell out of him. And there won’t be a thing you can do about it.”

  My heart fluttered at the thought of Sam having someone like Aunt Millie in his life.

  “Well, Norah is already on her way,” I said. The doorbell rang. “There she is now.”

  Ramsey snuck an extra kiss and walked down the stairs.

  When Aunt Millie offered to have me help her cook what she called the late turkey day dinner, I couldn’t say no. I warned her that there were times in life when I struggled with boiling water. She laughed it off and insisted I help her. And as scheduling would have it, Uncle Tom and Ramsey were going to be working too. So, the plan was to cook while they worked. Then I was going to come home to get Sam and meet Ramsey so we could go over for the big dinner.

  The entire planning of it all had this enjoyable family feel to it.

  It was no longer me planning everything in my head fifty times over, working on ten contingency plans for when something went wrong.