by Jamie Knight
“All right.”
“All right, what?” Jinx asked, sounding genuinely confused.
“I’ll go to lunch with you. Though be warned, I’m still furious and could go off at any moment. The timer is ticking, bucko.”
“Understood,” he said, bowing slightly.
“Is everything okay out here?” Gabe asked, coming out of the back office.
He took a look at Jinx and backed up a bit, making a noise somewhere between a gasp and a gulp. It could have been the Misfits T-shirt with the giant, sinister-looking skull on it, though I guessed that Jinx’s rather imposing frame also had something to do with it. The boy worked out, that much was clear, and genetics had been generous in terms of height as well. I would be lying if I said the T-shirt and jeans he was wearing didn’t give me a flashback to high school.
Gabe was sweet and protective, if a little pushy, and great with Billy. Though he didn’t make my heart skip a beat like Jinx did — even though I had all but written him out of my life.
“Yes, everything is fine,” I said brightly, eyeing my ex to try to keep him quiet.
“Great, I got this for Billy,” Gabe said, holding out a little, custom made teddy bear.
“Oh, thank you!” I said, with extra mustard as I went over to accept the gift.
My enthusiasm was partly for show, but it was also an adorable bear. Way nicer than anything I could ever afford.
“Would you like to go to lunch with me?”
“Sorry, I have plans,” I said, hearing the door close behind me.
I had expected it to slam, but it just re-set itself gently. Maybe Jinx really had changed.
***
I was dreading lunch. Jinx had mentioned a nearby cafe while I had still been trying to ignore him, but the name had gotten through anyway. I was ready to be mad. Part of me still really hated him for abandoning me like that, but the part that still remembered how things had been was growing in strength. There was sure to be a battle royale sometime soon.
When I saw the new teddy bear sitting next to Jinx at the table, the never again side got a boost. I could hardly believe he was being so petty.
“Seriously, dude?” I asked, sitting down, staring at the bear.
“Too much?”
“Yeah, by about a hundred percent,” I argued.
He shrugged, the fire never leaving his brown eyes. “I guess I didn’t like the idea of another guy buying my son nice things.”
My temper spiked, and I crossed my arms. “You made your thoughts clear last night. You get no say.”
“A DNA test and the courts will say different,” he said, without a trace of the smugness I expected.
“Really? We’re doing that?”
“No, we’re not. I’m really sorry about how I reacted. It’s also not an excuse, but I was just really shocked to find out I had a son. It seemed so big, you know? Our combined genetic code going into a completely separate human being. I needed some time to process.”
“I wouldn’t run away,” I lied, not knowing that at all.
“Really?” he asked pointedly.
“No,” I confessed.
“I would really like a second chance. I’ve had time to process things, and I’m ready to take responsibility. Or at least as much as you are willing to give me. I know it is more than I deserve. You raised him. You’re the boss.”
“Okay, you can see Billy, but only with me around, at least for now. I don’t think you’re going to kidnap him or anything. I think I know you better than that. I just don’t want to confuse him. Like you say, I’m all he’s had. I want to ease him into it.”
“Understood.”
“Really?” I asked, not expecting Jinx to take it so well.
“Of course.”
We made a “family date” for that weekend. Planning to take Billy to the zoo. I got up and headed back to work, but he stopped me.
“I don’t like other men giving you gifts either.”
“Gabe hasn’t given me anything. Even if he did, it’s none of your damn business. We’re over.”
Jinx moved closer, and though I started to feel weak, I didn’t back down. I was determined not to let him get to me.
“Don’t feel anything for you anymore,” I lied.
Carl called my bluff, kissing me gently. It was like a magnetic force, and I started kissing him back, unable to resist him. Getting a hold of myself, I managed to pull away, mad at both of us. Him for being so damn sexy and me for giving in to what I chalked up to nostalgia and hormones.
“Keep your hands to yourself, or you’ll only be seeing Billy through far more official channels,” I ordered before making an epic exit.
As soon as I got back to work, I ducked into the bathroom without anyone seeing me. I was suddenly thrilled that the bathrooms were single occupancy. Locking the door, I yanked down my panties, and plunged three fingers into my wet, aching pussy. I was so horny, it hurt.
No matter how much I tried to deny it, I wanted Jinx as much as ever. I still hurt from what he had done but could understand why he had done it that way. I was almost the point of being able to forgive him. He had also put so much work into changing.
As I fingered myself, I imagined Jinx’s cock, huge and hard, ready for me to fuck. Getting on all fours in front of him, at least in my head, I imagined Carl getting on his knees behind me, stroking the warm head of his cock against my tender pussy lips, like he had the first time we were together.
Taking it slow, Carl got most of the way inside me, making me feel every inch, making me moan softly with each. Finally stopping, he took me firmly by the hips and started to gently fuck me, bringing me to a screaming, shaking, body rocking orgasm.
I bit my lip to keep from screaming in the bathroom. I dreaded to consider what Gabe might have thought. Finishing off, I pulled up my panties and smoothed down my skirt, washing my hands before going back to work.
Chapter Nine - Jinx
If I were able to do a cartwheel, I would have. I could see through Lila’s anger and knew she didn’t mean it. I didn’t know what she was actually thinking — I wasn’t psychic — but I had a strong feeling she had no intention of bringing in the authorities. She was just blowing off steam, and we would be able to work it out between ourselves.
At first, I had been shocked that I was a father and didn’t really know how to react to it. The whole thing seemed way to epic to be happening to a bad luck magnet like me. After I’d had time to process the facts of the matter, I was pleased about it. It would take some time for Billy to get used to me, as I had missed out on the first couple of years of his life, though that was all down to me. On the upside, he was still young enough that it was possible to build a relationship and have him not really remember a time when I wasn’t around.
I usually slept in on Saturdays, but there was no way that I was going to risk being late again. I was already on pretty thin ice with Lila and didn’t see any reason to start jumping up and down.
Showering was the easy part. I even managed to keep from jerking off to prevent me from taking too much time. Just wash, rinse, and get the hell out. The hiccup came when it was time to choose my wardrobe. Jeans and Chuck Taylor’s were easy enough, but I realized that most of my T-shirts were either potentially scary for the little ones or had some four-letter words I really didn’t want him repeating.
After a few minutes of searching, I finally came across a plain black Ralph Lauren Polo my dad had gotten me during my preppy phase. Cleaned and dressed, I splashed on a bit of Old Spice, which Lila had always loved and headed out to the car.
“Don’t Drag Me Down” blasted forth from the sound system as I started up. Doing a quick one-handed change, I switched over to some early Blink-182 just in case Lila was waiting for me. “Josie” was our song for several years.
I pulled into the parking lot fifteen minutes before the appointed date, making damn sure Lila wouldn’t have a reason to be aggressive f
rom the beginning. I looked around the gate area of the zoo and didn’t see them. I was about to panic when I realized that of course they weren’t there, I was the one who was early.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard the knocking on my window, almost getting whiplash as I turned. Quickly turning off the car, I got out.
“Was that Blink-182?” Lila asked, Billy held close to her with both arms.
“Yeah,” I said, not sure if she liked it or not.
“Blink-182,” Billy parroted, making both of us laugh.
“Looks like they might have a new fan,” Lila said.
“Might want to wait a while until we let him listen to them,” I said.
“‘Josie’ is pretty safe, I think,” she argued with a wink.
“Joth-sie!” Billy said, putting up his little arms.
Lila and I both laughed. He obviously didn’t know what we were talking about, but his enthusiasm was infectious.
“Nice to see you dressed up,” Lila said playfully, looking me up and down as I locked the door to my Porsche.
“I do my best,” I said, playing along.
My outfit was actually a lot dressier than I usually got but still not what one would expect a thirty-something dad to wear on an outing with his family. However, I refused to let society’s expectations defined me!
“We’re splitting, right?” my ex asked as we walked up to the cashier.
“Absolutely not. I wanted the date, I pay for the date, that’s the rules,” I argued, handing over my credit card.
“Since when did you follow the rules?” Lila teased.
“Logical rules always. Its the silly stuff just made up to give some people control over most that can go hang,” I said, realizing that the last bit might have been a bit too much. Though if Lila took offense, she didn’t say anything.
“Two,” I said, knowing full well that children under six were free.
“Awe, he’s cute,” the cashier said, looking at Billy. Lila and I both beamed with pride.
“Where to first?” Lila asked as we got in the gate.
“Your choice,” I answer, securing Billy into his stroller.
“Peng-ins!” Billy shouted with his usual enthusiasm.
“Well, that settles that,” Lila said with a giggle.
I could see what Billy was talking about. The penguin enclosure was fascinating. Not only because of how genuinely happy they appeared to be. Most of them were not standing still for a moment, taking turns jumping down, and zooming through the crystal blue water of the pool provided.
I had never thought much about animals in captivity. It didn’t seem very nice, but I could also see how it might be needed if the animals were orphaned or some such. It also seemed to depend on the species. The larger and faster the species, the crueler it was to keep them in an enclosure. Three-toed sloths, on the other hand, never seemed terribly bothered.
We did the rest of the zoo in a circuit, starting at the penguin tank and working our way around. We stopped a couple of times for food and the bathroom, spending a healthy amount of time at each of the enclosures. Except for the Reptile House, both Lila and Billy seemed to have the same phobia of snakes. They were actually pretty sweet, except for the occasional venomous ones, which were actually a minority of species. I thought about mentioning this but decided to let it lie.
By far, the most surprising part of the day was when Billy, after a solid ten minutes of walking without incident, wanted to be picked up, and Lila let me do it. Scooping him up into my arms, making him giggle. I could see Lila out of the corner of my eye and could have sworn that I saw her smiling. It was a brief moment, but it happened and gave me a small glimpse into what she might actually be thinking.
“Would you like a ride home?” I asked as we walked out of the gates to the parking lot.
“No, thanks. I mean, it would be great, but I’m guessing you don’t have a car seat,” Lila said.
“No,” I said, not having thought of that.
“It’s okay, Aria will be here soon.”
“Okay,” I said, ready to get back into my car.
“Would you like to go to the park tomorrow?” Lila asked, catching me quickly.
I walked back over, smiling at her. “Absolutely! Can I bring my dog with me?”
Her lips dropped open. “You have a dog?”
“Yeah.”
“What breed?”
“He’s a French Bulldog pug cross,” I explained.
“Sure, I guess,” Lila said, without much enthusiasm.
I waited with them until a very familiar silver car pulled up in the spot next to us in the lot.
“Night, Daddy,” Billy said with a baby wave.
I took this to mean good-bye. I waved back and got into my car. I gave a moment’s thought to subtly following them so I could see where Lila and Billy lived. It took about two seconds to dismiss the idea. It was far too stalkerish. I was never that guy, and I had no intention of starting. Things were going well, and I didn’t want to ruin it.
Lucky was there to greet me as per his custom, and I picked him up and hugged him. My pup accepted this happily. His curly tail wagging so hard it looked to be at risk of falling off.
“We’re going for a big walk tomorrow, buddy.”
Lucky started yapping excitedly. The word “walk” the only part of the sentence he seemed to pick up on. I couldn’t leave him in that state and got his leash for a reasonably long walk to give him a workout, not wanting to tease the poor little guy. I ran him until we were both tired and we went home for an early night.
Chapter Ten - Jinx
Morning really couldn’t come soon enough. Having learned from the previous day, I had my outfit picked out the night before and showered before going to bed. Preparation made things smooth and easy. Or at least it would have been had Lucky not decided to play a rousing game of chase when I tried to put his leash on. After nearly half an hour of trying, and failing, to catch him, I was struck by inspiration. Taking a dive that would make an Italian soccer coach proud, I writhed around on the floor, feigning grievous injury. Loyal pup that he was, Lucky came running out of his hiding place to see if I was okay and lick my pain away if needed.
Dog secured and everything else ready, I went gingerly down to my car and drove as fast as the speed limit would allow to the park, Lucky and I both singing along with The Germs as we went.
Despite the slight setback, I still managed to not be late. I wasn’t particularly early but close enough to show a semblance of responsibility, something of paramount importance when it came to proving myself to Lila. I didn’t know if she was ever going to take me back. She was still pretty cold, but there were hints that she still loved me despite herself.
“Oh, he’s adorable!” Lila gushed, seeing Lucky as we walked up to her a Billy on the playground.
“So, we’re told,” I said, playing it cool.
“What’s his name?”
“Lucky.”
“Like Austin Powers?”
“Like Joe R. Lansdale. He invented a type of fiction called Lucky Story-telling. It’s a sort of hybrid thing in which desperate genres are brought together into a seamless whole. I like to think of it as taking different yarns of a tale and knitting them together into a sweater.”
“That actually makes a lot of sense,” Lila said, thinking about it for a while.
“Puppy!” Billy said, with great enthusiasm.
“Yes, honey, see the nice puppy?”
Billy reached out and patted Lucky’s furry little head, the pup seemed to take the whole situation pretty well.
“Shall we?” I asked, holding my arm out for Lila to take.
We walked down further into the park. Finding a bench near the duck pond, Lila put down Billy and I took Lucky off his leash. We watched as they sized each other up and slowly started to play. Billy laughed gleefully as they played chase, the baby keeping up a good pace with the puppy de
spite mostly only being able to crawl.
Things remained civil and even cozy between my ex and me. She hadn’t glared at me once, and I hadn’t given her any reason to either. On top of which, our son and my dog were getting along famously. Everything seemed perfect.
The park was the second in a string of family dates over the next couple of weeks, including Lucky where possible. I really started bonding with Billy, who was calling me daddy without the “goodnight” first. I also felt like I was getting closer to Lila. She seemed a lot happier than she had when we first found each other again. It was difficult, but I held myself in check, trying my best to keep things friendly, without crossing the line and expressing my true, much more sexual feelings when I was around her.
Before our next get-together, I stared at myself in the full-length mirror as though searching for the secrets of the human soul. I dressed mostly for the hot weather, making sure there was nothing scry of vulgar on any of my clothes, as Lucky ran circles around my ankles, barking his happiness. It was almost as though he knew where we were going. He had hit it off with Billy, and they were becoming best friends. I just had to say Billy’s name, and Lucky would start looking for him, apparently under the impression that he was hiding somewhere in the apartment.
I had managed to get into Lila’s good graces over the past few weeks that she agreed to join me at a music festival held in the park. I’d had my ticket for weeks, and it was no big deal to get another one. As fate would have it, the band that Chris’s bother was in was playing the festival, and he happened to have two free tickets that he asked if I wanted. I could have hugged him were we not at work, and he wasn’t my boss. It still seemed inappropriate even for a notoriously casual office where half the staff wore band shirts on a regular basis, and there was a full ping-pong court as well as vintage arcade games in the break room.
Sliding a first pressing of Ixnay On the Hombre into the CD player set below the tape deck, something else that had taken a lot of explaining, I did my best to relax, getting into a near zen state of consciousness.