by Lexi Wilson
“Mom, you look so pretty!” she exclaimed. She was jumping up and down and clapping.
“Wow, Kaylee,” Jaxon said. “You look beautiful.”
I smiled and looked down at my outfit. “Oh, this old thing,” I said, and chuckled. “Thank you. Dressing up is fun. I haven’t done this in a long time. You know, I’m actually looking forward to going out,” I said. This time I wasn’t just trying to be nice. I really meant it.
He smiled. “I’m so glad to hear that.”
The pizza place was just as lovely as Jaxon had made it out to be. It was small and very authentic. It was also very popular. I could see why. though. The moment we walked in the smell of pizza hit me, and I could tell by the laughter and the smiles on everyone’s faces that the food was good. The waiter found a table for us near the middle of the restaurant, even though I would’ve preferred a corner, and we sat down. I looked around and grinned. I didn’t think I’d be out enjoying a night out ever again. This is the way I had always meant to live my life. It was as if Jaxon was giving me the chance to start over.
“A coloring book and pens for you,” the waiter said as he handed them to Allie, “and for the adults, how about some wine?”
I chuckled. “No wonder this place is so popular. Wine sounds great. Red for me, please.”
“Me too,” Jaxon said.
“My pleasure. Oh, are you the new teacher at the music school?” the waiter asked.
“Uh, yes, I am,” I said reluctantly. This small-town living was not what I was used to. I had never had waiters come and talk to me like this before, but life here was very different.
“I’m Andy, and it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard very good things about you, by the way. The kids love you.”
I beamed. “They do? That’s great to hear. I’m Kaylee,” I said as I stuck out my hand. As he left I turned to Jaxon. “How does he know about me?”
He laughed. “Don’t worry, nobody is gossiping about you. They just know that there’s a new teacher. We’ve been looking for someone for a while now. And, like he said, the kids like you.”
I smiled. “Well, that’s a good thing, I guess.”
“It is a good thing.”
It was a fun evening, and the pizza and wine was delicious. I hadn’t relaxed like this in ages, and I was surprised at how good it felt to go out. Also, Jaxon kept smiling at me, and I was sure it was because he wasn’t used to seeing me dress up. It wasn’t much of a dress-up really, after all it was just jeans and a nice shirt, but it was better than the old rags I wore most of the time. I had more important things to worry about other than my looks, but even I had to admit that it felt good to be looked at like that. I felt pretty, something I couldn’t remember ever feeling.
Suddenly a man appeared at our table, and I could tell by the way he had walked up to Jaxon that he was a good friend of his. He was a nice-looking guy, slightly older than Jaxon, and smart in his suit. Jaxon grinned and stood up to give him a hug.
“Styles, I didn’t know you’d be here,” Jaxon said amicably.
“Oh, we hate cooking on a Friday night. How’s it going, man?” he asked.
“I’m good. Oh, this is Kaylee and her daughter Allie. Kaylee, this is my friend, Styles.”
I stood up to shake his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Ah, I finally get to meet the famous Kaylee,” he said.
I frowned. “Famous?” I didn’t like the sound of that. Who else was thinking like that? Were people watching me tonight with fascination? I suddenly became anxious that people were listening in on our conversation or maybe taking photos of me. I glanced around, but nobody seemed to be taking notice of me.
“Not famous,” Jaxon said quickly, and I felt like he was covering something up or trying to protect me. “Styles here is my best friend, and he knows you teach at the school with me. He came by after the concert actually, but you had gone already.”
“Yeah, I was hoping to meet you,” Styles said. “I’m not so much into the concert, though. We don’t have kids, so it’s a bit boring for us to watch. But I thought I’d come say hi.”
“Sorry about that. I’m not great with crowds.”
“I know what you mean. Oh hey, this is my wife, Mary. Mary, this is Kaylee and her daughter Allie.”
Mary was a beautiful woman, with long blonde hair and a round and somewhat angelic face. She looked mature and young at the same time, and I could tell that Styles was head over heels for her. We chatted for a bit, and I tried not to flinch when I found out that Styles was actually Officer Styles. He was the friend who had found out that my plates were stolen. No wonder he thought of me as ‘the famous Kaylee.’ I was mortified. When he left, I turned to Jaxon and groaned.
“He’s your officer friend,” I said.
“The one and only.”
“He’s the one that knows about my car,” I said.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. I only asked him to look into it when I wanted to know more about you. But that’s all he found, so you’re fine. You’re safe.”
I nodded, but I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. One of the reasons why I had agreed to let Jaxon drive me around everywhere was because I didn’t want my car out on the road. I hated driving around with stolen plates, but I was also not prepared to apply for new ones. The last thing I needed was for my name to go into a database that Bill could find me on. Bill was a self-confessed computer nerd with a lot of connections. I used to be amazed at the things he could do on the computer, but now I was more afraid of his abilities than impressed. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I knew that I was going to have to start being more careful. Soon I would have to even start thinking about leaving. The longer I stayed, the more chance there was of him finding me.
Later, when Allie was in bed, Jaxon and I decided to go out and sit on the porch. It was a lovely night, and neither of us was ready to go to bed. Instead, we made coffee and sat outside in the cool breeze.
“Thanks for taking me out tonight,” I said to him. “I had a great time. And so did Allie. I think it was good for her. I sometimes forget how important it is for her to go out and interact with people.”
“I’m glad you had a good time,” he said. “That pizza was amazing, wasn’t it?”
“It was so good, as was the wine.”
We were silent for a while, both of us lost in our own thoughts. Then, suddenly, Jaxon turned to me with a heavy sigh.
“Kaylee, are you ever going to tell me what you’re running from?”
I sighed. “It’s not what I’m running from, it’s who I’m running from,” I said, which was the most I had said to him about it so far. Then I shook my head. “And I’m not sure, Jaxon. I’m not sure.”
Chapter 21
Jaxon
I thought about the day that Kaylee knocked on my door and asked me for a job. She’d been such a tiny little thing back then, so skinny and undernourished that it was hard not to feel bad for her. Especially when she had looked at me with those big brown eyes. There had been so much sadness and sorrow in them. She’d come out of nowhere, too. One minute she was at my doorstep, the next she was working and living with me. I never expected my life to change as much as it had since that day. I felt like a whole new man these days, and I knew it was because of her.
It had now been a few months since she had moved in, and we’d fallen into a routine without planning for it. Kaylee still said she was going to move out, but she had yet to find a place, and I had not encouraged her to do so. The truth was, I enjoyed having her there. While I hadn’t come out and asked her to be my girlfriend, it was quite obvious that the two of us were a couple. We’d also skipped the going out on dates part and gone straight to the moving in together part. Because of this, it felt like we had been together for years. Things were easy with her, and I enjoyed having her around. I also enjoyed having Allie around. I hadn’t just found a woman, but I’d found a daughter too. Kaylee and I lived together, slept together, taug
ht at the school together, and were parents together. I had no idea when it all happened, but it had, and it had happened so organically. We’d developed a few routines together, the one being Friday night pizza and movies, and I sometimes just sat there staring at these two girls in my life. Just like that, I had a family. It was something that scared and delighted me at the same time.
I had fallen for her.
I was sitting with Styles now, and he was asking me what was going on with her. The two of us hadn’t seen each other for a while, mostly because I spent all my time with Kaylee, and he wanted to know what was happening. I wasn’t ashamed of being with Kaylee, and I didn’t mind telling him, but I knew that he wasn’t going to share in my enthusiasm.
“We’re… well, we’re sort of together,” I said to him.
He sighed. “What does that even mean? Either you’re with the girl or you’re not.”
“Well, she’s still living with me,” I said.
“And you’re still sleeping with her, I suppose?” he asked.
“I’m not really going to give that up,” I said. “I mean, how could I?”
He laughed. “Spoken like a typical man.”
I groaned. “Don’t say that. I don’t want to be a typical man. I just like her, that’s all. I really enjoy being with her.”
“But she’s not your girlfriend?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea what she is. I’m sort of just letting things happen naturally without trying to define it all. It’s a unique situation, that’s all.”
“It is a very unique situation. So, how much has she opened up to you? She’s been living with you for a few months now, you’re sort of a couple, and you sleep together. What has she told you about her past?”
“Oh, you know, a bit of this and that. We tend to focus more on the present moment and the future than dwell on the past.”
Styles groaned. “In other words, she’s told you nothing.”
I sighed. “Well, she doesn’t need to tell me anything. It’s not like anything she says is going to stop me from being with her, you know.”
“She should trust you more,” he said.
“She does,” I said, although I wasn’t actually sure now if she did. Maybe he was right, maybe she didn’t trust me. “Look, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t push her for answers. She’ll tell me in her own time.”
“What if she never tells you? Then what?”
“Then… oh, I don’t know, Styles. I don’t know. I’m just taking this one day at a time.”
“Okay, well, I’m just being a friend here. You must be careful. That’s all. I don’t want to see you get hurt. I can see you like this girl. Is she still enjoying working with you?” he asked.
“Yeah, she loves it. And the kids love her too. She’s really good at it.”
“Was she a music teacher before this?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. No, I don’t think so. I seem to recall her saying that she hadn’t played in a while. I’m quite impressed, actually. She picked up on it very quickly. The more she teaches, the more she improves. One of these days she’ll be able to teach the advanced class. I think music runs in her veins, though. In Allie, too. Allie is going to be 4 soon, so she’s super young, and yet she’s taken to the guitar like you won’t believe.”
“Can her fingers even reach over the guitar strings?” he asked.
I chuckled. “Not really. But she makes a plan. She’s a quick learner. If she keeps trying, she’ll be a pro when she’s older.”
“Think they’ll stick around long enough for you to see?” Styles asked. Then he shook his head. “Sorry, that was a low blow. I’m just looking out for you. Can I ask you a question, Jax?”
“Sure.”
“Are you in love with her?”
“In love?” I asked in surprise. I knew that I liked her a lot, but I hadn’t really considered that I might be in love with her. The two of us were never supposed to get together in the first place. It was as if my brain hadn’t caught up with my heart.
“Don’t answer,” he said. “But think about it. And be careful.”
“I’ll be careful. I promise you.”
“I’m just looking out for you. I like her, Jaxon, I really do, but I just don’t want to see you get hurt again.”
I nodded. “Sure, I know. Now can we change the subject?”
“Yeah, we can.”
We spent the rest of our time together talking about trivial matters, but the whole conversation about Kaylee remained at the back of my head. On the way home I decided to go out to the shops and buy some food for the evening. I thought about picking Kaylee up so that she could come shopping with me, but she tended not to go out much and I knew she wouldn’t want to. Kaylee liked to do a lot of the cooking now, mostly to say thank you, and she always tried to give me money toward the shopping. I didn’t take it, though. I didn’t want her money, especially when I knew that she was saving up. I had found her envelope once where she was keeping all the money she made, and the sight of it had made me sad. Kaylee still didn’t have a bank account, and I was still paying her in cash. It went against everything I believed in, but I couldn’t bring myself to stop paying her this way. She was hiding, and I was pretty sure it was from a man. She’d already said she was running away from someone rather than something. It was why she was so scared to leave a trail. Sometimes I got angry at her, even if I kept the anger to myself, but I always stopped and reminded myself that I had no idea what she was going through. If I was in her position, wouldn’t I do the same? She wasn’t just trying to protect herself, but also her daughter. I had already concluded that she was running away from Allie’s father. I had no idea if I was right, but it was the only thing that I could think of. How bad was this man if she had to run away from him? And why had she been with him in the first place?
When I got home, she walked up to me and kissed me, then helped me with the shopping bags.
“Did you have a nice time with Styles?” she asked.
“I did. He sends his regards. So, I was thinking we make some spaghetti tonight? Maybe some meatballs. too? What do you think?”
“Only if we have them Lady and the Tramp style,” she said.
I grinned. “It’s the only way I eat my spaghetti.”
“Can I make the food tonight?”
“Nah, you don’t have to always cook. I don’t mind.”
“I know you don’t,” she said. “But it would make me feel better. Also, it’s the one meal I know how to make really well.”
I smiled. “Okay, then. The kitchen is all yours.”
I tried to help but she wouldn’t let me, so I watched cartoons with Allie instead. Allie was lying on the floor with Toby, giggling away at the TV screen. Kaylee didn’t seem too bothered about her watching TV like some of the other parents I knew. She figured that Allie was also getting lots of time outside with Toby, and spent her whole day at the school being productive. She said that Allie deserved a bit of TV time just like the rest of us. I watched her more than I watched the TV, amazed at her resilience. She was old enough to have known this person they were running away from, but wise enough to know not to speak of him. She seemed like a completely different kid than the one I had met that first day, and I didn’t want to ever see her go back to the girl she was before. She was a proper little kid now, someone without a care in the world. Right now, life was exactly as it should be for her, and I was happy to have been a part of that change.
Dinner was delicious. Kaylee was the sort of person who was good at everything she did, and the more she practiced something, the better she got. She’d assured me that she wasn’t a great cook when she moved in, but her meals surprised me now. She’d also gotten a few recipes from my mother, and she’d perfected them in no time. This meal was no different. It was better than anything I would’ve made, and I had always made a good spaghetti. We all sat at the dinner table together, another one of our traditions, while we spoke about our day. Allie
spoke the most, as she always did, and we all chuckled at her stories. She was incredibly cute, and she reminded me of why I had always wanted children. Then again, she’d probably make most people want children even if they thought they didn’t want any.
When Allie was in bed, Kaylee and I went to sit outside. We sipped coffee and sat under a blanket together. It was something we loved doing, especially when the sky was clear and we could see the stars. There was something so special about moments like this. I was battling to enjoy it as much as I could, and I knew it was because of the conversation I’d had with Styles that morning. I couldn’t stop thinking about the things he’d said. Was I in love with Kaylee? I glanced at her. She was looking up at the stars with a smile on her face. Yes, I was in love with her. Could I tell her that right now? No. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I was too afraid of admitting it to her. I knew that Kaylee could disappear from my life just as quickly as she had come into it. I was trying to protect her, but I also had to learn how to protect myself. The only problem was that I wasn’t sure if I could. It might be too late for that.
Chapter 22
Kaylee
We were sitting outside, watching the stars, and every now and again I’d catch Jaxon looking at me. He did this often though, just as I looked at him. Most of the time we’d look at each other, then look away, and the words would float in the air between us. We had so much to say to one another, but neither of us wanted to be the first to start the conversation. I owed him so much, but I could not bring myself to talk about it. Mostly, I just didn’t want to relive it. I was happy here with him. Happier than I had ever been before. The only thing that worried me was that I had done the exact thing that I had promised myself not to do. I had gotten involved with someone. Sometimes I felt so annoyed at myself for getting so close to Jaxon. This was not at all what I had intended to do. I was meant to lay low, and I was never supposed to get someone else involved in my life. It was one of the reasons why I didn’t tell him anything. It wasn’t fair to him. Still, I seemed unable to walk away.