She drags her stuffed animal to the stairs, but I pick her up and cradle her in my arms. Tucking the sheets to her chin, I kiss her nose. “Night, night.”
Her eyes close before she can answer, and I close the door behind me. When I go to her room, I hear what woke her up before I’m all the way inside. Bass. Loud, shaking-her-wall bass.
I grab my cell and walk down my porch and then up theirs. I’m so disappointed that the neighbor I had before moved. I didn’t even know he was leaving until I came home last week and he was carrying his boxes to a moving truck.
He was a nice guy who was a mechanic, but he met a woman and was moving into her place. Now I’ve got a father and his disrespectful teenage son to deal with.
I knock on their door and then ring the bell. I hear some shuffling inside before the door opens. As soon as I get a glimpse of him, I take a step back. “Hi, I live next door.”
“Hey, little lady.” He leans on the doorjamb and crosses his arms over his greasy wife-beater.
“Yeah, um, I think it’s your son that has his music on. Can you ask him to turn it down? It’s eleven o’clock, and the noise woke my daughter up.”
“Tommy!” he screams into the house.
I jump at how loud he is. “Thank you.”
“Now, wait a minute.” He reaches out and grabs my arm. I yank it away and step onto the first step. “Let my boy here apologize to you for waking your daughter. How old is she anyway? Do you need a babysitter? I’d be happy to watch the little girl for you.”
Holy radar going off.
I don’t answer him, and luckily the son, who looks like a younger version of his father—stringy dark blond hair, amber eyes, and tall and skinny—comes to the door. “This here neighbor says your music woke up her daughter. Turn that shit down and apologize.” He smacks his son upside the head, and I gasp.
Tommy looks at me, glares, and then mumbles an apology.
“That shouldn’t happen again, ma’am.”
“Thank you.” I go to my door and close it, sliding the chain and putting the deadbolt at the same time.
A crash wakes me up after I’ve only been asleep for a couple of hours. Third time this week the new neighbors have woken me up. First, it was the bass, then engines revving, shouting, and now this. I’m so sick of this shit. I hop out of bed and open my door, then creep downstairs to look out of the window. Tommy is with a couple of other guys standing on the shared walkway. They’re smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. “What the hell?” I mumble to myself. These kids can’t be more than sixteen… maybe seventeen years old.
Just as I’m about to close the curtain, Tommy looks up, as if he senses me there. Then he lifts his beer bottle as if he’s saluting me right before he throws it onto my porch.
Fuck this.
I grab my phone and call 911. As soon as I tell them what’s going on, I hang up and call Jay because I know he’d be pissed if I didn’t, and even more pissed if he finds out from someone other than me. I throw on a hoodie and some slides I have sitting by my front door.
Waiting in my living room, I stay away from the windows until I hear the police outside. Then I creep over and look out. The dad comes outside, and now there are about a dozen people. A familiar figure jogs to my porch, and I open the door before Jay can knock.
“You okay?” He shuts the door and pulls me in for a hug.
“Yeah. Just scared me a little bit and then pissed me off a lot bit.”
“You did the right thing. Olivia still asleep?”
I nod. “She is now, but she’s been sleeping in my bed since I went over there the other day because the music woke her up.”
He squeezes the bridge of his nose. “Please tell me I heard you wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
“You went over there alone in the middle of the night?”
“Yeah. They woke Olivia up, Jay. Apparently, her room is right next to his because the music was super loud. You know how bad it was for her to wake up.”
“I do. And it pisses me off that you went over there in the first place. Christ, do you have any idea what the hell could have happened? You should have called me.”
I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. “I can’t call you for everything, Jay.” I leaned on him so much, too much in the years after I had Olivia. I vowed to myself that I wouldn’t use him as a crutch, and I’m keeping that promise to myself. Besides, they now have a brand-new baby at home. My sister gave birth to the most beautiful baby boy I’ve ever seen.
“You barely call me for anything anymore, Opal. I know you’re trying to be independent and do things on your own, but not when it comes to something like this. You’ve got piece-of-shit neighbors, which you should have told me about earlier, blasting their music in the middle of the night loud enough to wake Olivia… that’s exactly the sort of thing you need to call me for. Not go by yourself with your daughter alone in the fuckin’ house. I have a fuckin’ badge, Opal. Let me use it.”
He doesn’t get to lecture me any more because there’s a knock on the door, and then before I know it, three police officers are standing in my living room. I give one my statement, and the other two chat with Jay.
After I find out the son was arrested for underage drinking, along with all his friends who also had pot on them, I suddenly feel a twinge of guilt. Maybe they were just being kids, and now they’re going to jail because of me.
Jay eventually leaves, and by the time I get back in bed, it’s almost four in the morning. I get up early to clean the broken glass but find it already done. I send Jay a thank-you text and hop in the shower, then continue with my day as normal.
A couple days later I get home to find a hole in my front window and a nice sized rock on the floor in my living room. “Dammit!” I shout to myself.
Bending down to pick up the rock, I startle at the thought someone intentionally threw this through my window, and I look around in fear, as if whoever did it is here now. I don’t know why someone would do this, but I wouldn’t put it past the punk neighbor kid, assuming he’s out of jail. They had no problem smashing bottles, so I guess this is par for the course. If I call the cops, that’ll just piss them off more, so maybe if I ignore it, they’ll stop. I’m not afraid of the little jerks, but I am afraid my daughter will be exposed to something dangerous.
I wish my security system would have scared whoever it was away, but the window has to open to set it off.
I don’t have any more time to think about it or be pissed that it’s just another thing on my mile-long list of things to do because Olivia cries from the kitchen. I rush to help her, keeping my thoughts focused on my daughter. She was reaching up to get a dish and the stool wobbled. Poor thing has a knot on her forehead. This right here is exactly how it needs to be; all my attention on her. I don’t have time for anything or anybody else.
No matter how badly I wish things were different. Like if I had a man living with me, he’d be the one to take care of these asshole neighbors. He’d know what to do, and I wouldn’t be sitting here holding back tears, unsure of every damn thing. Yes, I want to be independent, but being with someone who had my back wouldn’t be a bad thing.
With a dramatic sigh, I clean the scrape on Olivia’s head and give her a kiss, and then look up how to fix a broken window. I have a kid to feed and my sister’s wedding is this weekend, so I’ll figure out how I’m going to pay for the window later.
6
RYAN
“Hey, man.” I bump fists with Jay. “Congrats.”
“Thanks, Ryan.”
“And you.” I hug Liv and hold her at arm’s length. “You’re a beautiful bride. I’m so happy for you two.”
She snuggles under Jay’s arm. “Thank you.”
The bartender hands Jay a drink, and he takes a small sip before handing it to Liv. Their wedding was pretty awesome, and I was honored when he asked me to be a groomsman. The best part of the day was walking down the aisle with Opal on my arm. She hasn’t c
alled me since our night together, and it’ll be a cold day in hell before I beg, so it appears we’re at a stalemate. Which is probably better anyway. I’ve almost wrapped up my current assignment, one I wasn’t even supposed to be here for, and I promised my mom I’d be home soon. I have no reason to stay; I’ve already been here way longer than I was supposed to be.
Speaking of her. “It’s time for your first dance.” Opal stands in front of Jay, beautiful as ever. “If you could please keep your hands above the waist, that would be really appreciated. Lots of old people here who don’t need to see you feeling my sister up.” She scrunches up her nose as she motions to the reception hall.
Jay laughs as he drags Liv to the center of the dance floor. Their song starts, and he immediately slides a hand to Liv’s ass.
“Oh, my God.” Opal groans with a laugh.
“What’s the problem?”
She hesitates before she relaxes and then leans on the bar next to me. “Nothing. It’s kind of cute, I guess.” She then glances at me. “Don’t tell him I said that.”
“Why is it cute?”
“Because”—she shrugs—“he loves her so much he can’t keep his hands off her. Even before everything happened, I always remember just knowing he was the one for her. He just… breathes her, ya know?”
“No.” I lift my chin at the bartender and hold up two fingers. “Never felt like that before,” I lie. If she only knew I already felt that way about her.
Instead of standin’ here acting like a lovesick fool, I grab the salt shaker and take Opal’s wrist in my hand. She takes her attention off the newlyweds and watches as I run my tongue over her pulse point, then sprinkle some salt on it. Without another word, I suck the salt off, throw back my shot, then put the lime wedge in my mouth.
“Your turn.”
She shakes her head. “Oh, no thanks. I’ve never done one of those.”
“A tequila virgin?” I lean closer. “Want me to teach you?”
“I don’t like hard liquor, Ryan.” Her head tilts up more and her lips part; she may not like hard liquor, but she is tipsy from the champagne. “But I want to see you do it again.”
“You like to watch, baby doll?”
After a quick glance around the room, I notice everyone’s eyes glued on Jay and Liv, but I still turn her so I’m blocking her from the crowd. Opal’s long blond hair is up in a fancy thing, leaving her neck exposed, so I lean into her and kiss the soft skin there. She squirms, and I bring my lips to her ear. “Stay still.” I tilt the shaker, and when salt covers the wetness my mouth left, I slowly lick it off. She moans quietly, and I take the other shot before I hold the lime to her mouth. She opens her pretty pink lips, and I squeeze the fruit, mesmerized as I watch the drips melt on her tongue. Then I can’t hold back any longer and kiss her deep, groaning at the flavor combination.
When I pull back, she lazily puts her fingers to her lips. Yeah, that’s right.
Her eyes, heavy with lust, come back to me. “Ryan, I need you to kn—”
“It’s now time for the bridal party to join Mr. and Mrs. Jamison on the dance floor.” The boom comes through the speakers, and she jumps. I take her hand and lead her around the tables to the dance floor, then hold her close, needing to hide my rock-hard dick from public view.
“I want you again, Opal. Christ, I’ve wanted more of you since the very first time I saw you.” I drop my head so my mouth is by her ear. I said I wouldn’t, but if it’s what she needs, I’ll beg. I’d get down on my fuckin’ knees if it meant another night with her. “Come back to my place with me tonight, please.”
She shakes her head. “You’re leaving.”
“Look over here and smile.”
We pause for the photographer, and once he walks away, I sway my hips, my erection rubbing against Opal’s lower belly. “So what? You said you didn’t want anything else.”
She sniffles, and when I pull away enough to look at her, I see the shining of tears in her eyes. Goddammit.
“Shit, don’t cry.” I tuck her head into my chest, hugging her and hoping to ease some of the fear. Or maybe it’s sadness. Either way, I hate seeing her cry, and I want to make it stop, but since I’m the reason she is, the only thing I guess I can do is walk away like I was originally supposed to. “I’m sorry. You’re just so damn beautiful, and I know I’ll never… I’m sorry. I won’t ask you again.”
“I like it. I like you,” she whispers. “Nobody has made me feel like you do, but I… I just can’t, Ryan. Not with the way things are. There are things you don’t know. A history I can’t get over and—”
“Can I dance with Ryan?” Olivia’s high-pitched and squeaky voice breaks us apart. Opal smiles down at her daughter, and I can’t help but do the same.
“I bet he’d love that.”
“Would you?”
I calm myself by taking a deep breath and then hold my hand out. Olivia giggles and I bend down to kiss her knuckles. “I would love to dance with you, Olivia.”
Opal rubs the top of Olivia’s head before she walks away, leaving me with the most adorable dance partner I’ve ever had.
OPAL
Everything inside me heats up knowing he’s here. Knowing what he makes me feel. Knowing I have another chance for another night. One more night that nobody else could ever give me. God, just feeling his mouth on my skin, his breath against my ear… he makes me insane.
“He’s really good with her.” My mom sits down next to me at the table, and we both smile at Olivia standing on Ryan’s shoes as she dances with him. His head is tilted down as he smiles at her, and my heart bursts with the love he clearly has for her.
“He is.”
“I can’t help but notice he can’t take his eyes off you.”
If there was anything I could say to deny it, I would, but my mom wasn’t stupid. All day, he’s been by me, and if he’s been across the room, whenever I look up, I find him looking right back at me. “I know.”
“And you can’t take your eyes off him.”
“I know.”
She grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. “You’re allowed to have a life, Opal. You’re allowed to have fun. To date. To love.”
Tears burn behind my eyes. “Stop, Mom.” Little does she know I already have. I’ve managed to fall for a man who’s leaving, and the thought of never seeing him again tears me apart in ways I didn’t think I’d ever experience again. I wish he’d just go already, so I didn’t have to feel this way anymore.
“It’s been four years, Opal. You’re ready; you’re just scared.”
“You’re right.” I take my hand from hers and pick up a napkin to dab under my eyes. “I am scared. I can’t do it again, Mom. I can’t lose anyone else. I’m not scared to love; I’m afraid to lose.” Ryan’s already there deeper than anybody’s ever been, I want to say.
“What makes you think you’ll lose him?”
I toss the napkin on the table. “He doesn’t live here. His family is thousands of miles away. He has nieces and a sister and a brother. His parents are there.” I learned all this through bits and pieces of our conversations. “His life is there. It’s not some tragic story, Mom. He has responsibilities and a life across the country. This job was temporary. He’s a great guy, but he’s leaving.”
“Hmm. I see.”
“Told you. I really like him, but I can’t keep him, so it’s better this way.”
“You mean easier.”
She won’t change my mind, and I’m not going to argue with her. “Yeah, Mom, it is. Olivia is already in love with him, and she’s only met him a handful of times. She thinks he’s just Jay’s friend, and she’s already attached.”
“Have you asked him if he’d be willing to stay and try?”
“No. And I won’t. Could you imagine how crushed she’d be if I allowed something to happen between us, and then he split when he got bored? Or when things with a child got too hard? Or he realized the thrill of the chase isn’t nearly as fun once he catches the
prey? If he wants to be here, then he needs to be the one to make that call. I’m not going to ask him to uproot his life for the possibility of something. That’s selfish on my part.”
“Wanting love isn’t selfish.”
I stand, finished with this conversation. “You’re right. Wanting love isn’t. But you know what is selfish, Mom? A man who makes a lonely woman and her daughter fall in love with him knowing all along he would disappear.” That’s a lie. He didn’t do anything wrong. I did. I said yes; I wrapped my legs around him when I should have said no. I knew what would happen; I knew it, but I did it anyway.
When I turn the corner, I find the first door and open it, rushing inside. I rest my back on the wall and take a couple of deep breaths. Jesus, what has this man done to me?
This is exactly why I haven’t called him. I knew, I just knew he would make me weak like this. He told me one night. That was what he said. Then he says all the sweet things to me, and I can’t deal.
The room is dimly lit and, apparently, a storage room because chairs and tables are scattered throughout. The momentary reprieve doesn’t last long enough, though, because someone comes in. When I hear the lock click, I know exactly who it is, too.
“Please don’t do this,” I beg him.
“Christ. Stop crying.” He comes right to me and puts his hands on either side of my face. He hugs me to him, and I stop fighting him, knowing deep down this is where I belong, but I’m too much of a coward to tell him that. “I don’t want to hurt you, Opal.”
Then There Was You: A Single Parent Collection Page 62