“Yeah, well, I can’t take all the credit. She really wanted to see you too.” His smile is so soft, revealing a hint of insecurity. He quickly masked the look, replacing it with one of confidence. “Kat?” He leans in just a little. “Would it be okay if I kissed you?”
“I’m all sweaty,” falls quickly from my lips. Insecurity and panic, along with excitement are warring in my mind.
“I’m fine with that.”
A boyish smirk takes over his expression, causing me to mirror it with a smile of my own. Then slowly—so very slowly—he leans in, pressing his full lips to mine. They’re incredibly soft and warm. On instinct, I tilt my head to the side, the tip of his tongue darting just a fraction to taste my lower lip before he gives me one more long, soft kiss.
My eyes flutter open when I feel him pull back, his creased with happiness.
“Why don’t you stop by later tonight? We can take another walk or maybe watch some TV. I’ll leave the garage door open.” He didn’t wait for my answer, just placed a quick kiss to the top of my nose and turned to head for his house. Carrying Roxy, the entire way.
Chapter Four
Jonah
“What—the—fuck.”
“Jonah, what is it?” Raven’s feet pat down the hall toward the office. “What are you looking at?” She comes up right behind me, wrapping her arms around my sides, her round belly pressing against my back.
“Who the hell is that?” I study the man at the end of my driveway, standing way too close to Mom.
“Are you spying on your mother?” She pulls the curtain back a little farther trying to get a view of her own.
“Stop, baby, they’ll see us.”
“How long have you been watching her?”
“Not long.” I don’t admit to my wife that I’ve peaked out the office window every fifteen minutes, just to check on Mom. Yesterday she just kept making the loop of the neighborhood, so I could usually catch a glimpse of her between the spread-out houses. “I just happened to look out the window and saw them there.”
“Oh, my gosh, he’s getting closer.” Raven squeezes my sides, excitement in her voice.
“What the fuck is he doing?” I know what it looks like, but whoever that prick is just met my mom recently, so he sure as shit better be backing the fuck up.
“Aww… He’s going to kiss her.” The sound of wonder in my wife’s voice and the feel of her pressing even tighter into me does absolutely nothing to calm the shit storm in my head.
The urge to walk out the front door and tell that man to get the hell gone is almost impossible to ignore. Then—right before my eyes—he leans down to kiss my mother. The second before I see a connection, I drop the curtain and storm out of the office.
Heading for the bedroom, Raven follows me, hot on my heels. I head straight for the shower, pulling clothes off as I go. I turn on the water and step right in, the frigid temperature distracting me. The muscles in my arms and legs contracting violently at the assault.
“Fuck.” I smack the tiled wall then dip my face under the stream. The water is already starting to warm up. I stand there for a while, trying to wash away the anger. The hurt. Knowing that she’s doing nothing wrong.
So why did seeing her with that stranger sting so damn bad?
A delicate hand to my back interrupts my thoughts. Raven tugs me back by the hips, pulling me out from the water a bit. She doesn’t say anything, just rubs the tense muscles of my shoulders, slowly working down my arms and then back up to my neck.
“I know this is hard on you.” Her lips press between my shoulder blades. “Talk to me.”
“I don’t know what to say.” I dip my head and avoid turning around to face her. The adult in me knows I’m being irrational. The kid in me, the one who misses my dad every day, doesn’t give a shit.
“She told you she was going to start dating again.” Raven’s voice is soft, talking to me like I’m a small child.
In a way—I am.
“Two fucking days ago.” I pull on the front of my hair. “She said it—two fucking days ago. I figured she would start in a year. Jesus, she was kissing some stranger in my driveway.”
Raven’s light laugh solidifies that I’m being a damn baby. The feel of her running her ridiculously giant luffa over my back is helping to calm my nerves.
“You’re never going to be ready for this. It’s never going to feel right. But you have to learn to accept it, and just be thankful that maybe your mom won’t have to be alone anymore.”
I turn around, finally ready to face my wife. “She’s not alone. She has us and my sister’s family.”
The sympathy in Raven’s eyes is hard to look at. “Your sister is across seas for a year, and your mom visits us for a week at a time. What do you think she does when she’s not here? Who does she eat with on a random Wednesday night? Go to movies with? Who does she talk to when we’re all busy?”
“She has a ton of friends,” I reason. Though, what she’s saying to me is starting to take root.
“So do you.” She keeps working the luffa around my body. I’m beginning to resemble a giant snowman. “Would the boys be enough for you, for the rest of your life?”
I squeeze my eyes shut, realization lighting up my conscience like a firework display. A gentle push guides me under the shower, and I let the water remove the suds that I was covered in. Washing away some of the hurt and anger I have at the situation taking place in my driveway.
I lean down and kiss my wife, long and hard, running my hands over every wet inch of her skin, spending extra time on her belly. “I love you.” I slowly guide her back to the bench seat in the shower, sitting her gently down.
“I love you too. And I’ll be here to help you through this.”
I give her another long lingering kiss. Taste every inch of her mouth. Then I grab the giant luffa and get lost for a while in the task of taking care of her body.
Chapter Five
Katherine
Loading the last dish from supper into the dishwasher, I set off to find my son. I love being here and helping out as much as possible. Until evening rolls around, then I feel like I’m robbing Jonah and Raven of their time together. Alone. With only a short while before the baby gets here, I really don’t want to take away from this precious time they have. I may also be a bit motivated by the man down the street, but I’ll be keeping that information to myself.
“Hey, guys.” I find them curled up on the couch, watching some car show. “I’m going to go for a walk.”
Jonah’s eyes meet mine, his eyebrows hitting his hairline. “Let me see that thing on your wrist.”
“Excuse me?” That little turd is going to try and bust me.
“Jesus, Mom, that fitness tracker has to be smoking with all the walking you do. So, why don’t you tell me where you’re really going?”
I look to Raven, trying to send her an SOS, not wanting to answer the question those hazel eyes are asking.
“See you soon, Katherine. Enjoy the beautiful night.” She winks at me, giving me the green light.
I send her an answering wink, and hightail it out of the house before my son can ask any more questions.
Heading down the street, I notice the garage door is open, and try to calm my nerves, my heart pounding with excitement. The memory of our kiss this morning causing my stomach to flip in anticipation as I head back to Marcus’ house.
I go in through the garage, and take a second to gather my wits. Before I have a chance to get my head on straight, the door flies open and a young man with a thick head of messy blonde hair almost runs me over.
“Whoa.” He reaches out to grab my arm as I almost stumble off the step. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were out here.”
“No, it’s my fault.” My nerves have shifted to full on embarrassment as the young man helps me regain my balance.
“Jesus, Jarrett. You almost plowed Kat over.” Marcus comes out the door next, adding to the already awkward scene.
&nb
sp; “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. He didn’t know I was out here.” I fix my shirt, trying to gather my composure.
“Ah, so this is the infamous Kat.” Jarrett extends his hand, his bright blue eyes shining. “It’s so nice to put a face to the name. The old man couldn’t get me out of the house fast enough. Now, I see why.” He looks back to his dad, a shit-eating grin spreading on his baby face. “Apparently, he had better plans.”
Heat creeps up my cheeks. I’m pretty sure I’m too old to blush at a boy, but damn, I’m feeling like a teenager right now. Except, instead of our parents giving us the third-degree, we both seem to be caught in this world of dealing with our grown children getting in the middle. Thankfully, Jarrett seems to find this entire thing amusing. Hopefully, with time, Jonah will do the same.
“You’re right, I do have better plans.” Marcus smacks Jarrett on the back. “I’ll see you in the morning, Son.”
The easy comradery between the father and son pair cause me to grieve momentarily for Jonah. That he doesn’t have that relationship anymore.
“Nice to meet you,” Jarrett shakes my hand quickly. “Maybe someday, Dad will let me hang around and get to talk to you.” He laughs a bit, and then smacks Marcus on the stomach. He heads for one of the motorcycles sitting in the garage, straddling the one that’s red and black with a lot of chrome. The sound of the engine igniting rumbles my chest. He backs down the driveway slowly before taking off with a deafening roar.
“He doesn’t wear a helmet?” My motherly instincts kick into overdrive.
Marcus laughs a bit. “That boy is impossible to tame. Instead of trying, I decided to stick him in a race car. Wait till I take you down to the track so you can see that boy in action.”
“You want to take me to the track?”
That warm smile I’m finding myself daydreaming about spreads across his face. “I have a feeling I’m going to want to take you anywhere you’ll let me, Kat.”
* * *
Grabbing us both a beer, Marcus situates himself next to me on the oversized lounger in the back yard. We decided, instead of a walk, we’d take in the sunset. Roxy curled up in my lap the second I sat down.
“So, what’s the story behind your purse dog?”
“My purse dog? That wounds me.” He reaches over and scratches the pup’s ear. “She’s a beast.”
“What is she anyway? She looks like a miniature guard dog. And don’t even try to get out of answering this question.” I nudge him with my arm, and then take another swig of beer.
“Okay… the story of Roxy.” He sighs a little bit while looking at her with adoration. His thick salt and pepper hair in a bit of disarray, making me want to run my fingers through it. “After Jarrett’s mom and I divorced about five years ago, I decided it was time to finally get a dog. Jane never allowed one, so of course, my first order of business after getting her out of the house, was to go get the meanest manliest dog in existence.”
He turns on his side to face me, and I do the same, placing Roxy between us.
“I did a little research online, found out there were a few pit mixes that were up for adoption at the local pet supply store. So, Jarrett and I headed out to get a dog. Except, we show up, and before I can even make it to where the dogs I came to see were, this little thing,” he tickles her belly, “started yipping in her pen like a crazy woman. I reached down and snagged her up. She didn’t weigh more than four pounds at the time, just a baby—and Christ—I couldn’t seem to put her down.” His eyes bore into mine. “I’m a pretty good judge of character. Usually, one look is all it takes.”
I pick up on his double meaning, which sends a rush of liquid lava through my veins. “What is she?” I try to sound unaffected by his statement.
“She’s a miniature pinscher. She’s been my baby ever since. It ended up being a good thing she was so small. I can take her to the shop with me and she travels well to all the races. She goes everywhere with us.”
“She’s a lucky girl,” spills from my mouth before I even realize what I’m saying.
Marcus scoots in closer, our noses almost touching. “How long are you staying in Vegas, Kat?”
“I’m scheduled to fly home Monday.”
“Where’s home?”
“Phoenix.”
“Is that set in stone?” His nose brushes mine in the sweetest caress.
“I don’t suppose anything is set in stone.”
He grabs my beer, and then puts them both on the end table beside the lounger. His large hand reaches out and cups my face, the rough pad of his thumb brushing my cheekbone. “You look beautiful in the sunset.”
Before I can even think of how to respond to his statement, he leans in, placing his soft lips to mine. This time they feel familiar and I sink in to him, his hard chest pushing against mine. The kiss feels like more than it did this morning. That kiss—felt like an introduction. Two strangers meeting. This? This one feels like a building block. The beginning of something that has the potential to be more. It’s been so long since I’ve been in the arms of a man. Since I’ve settled into the embrace of a large, hard body. I knew I missed this feeling, but had no idea if I would ever be able to enjoy it again.
Marcus pulls back, his blue-grey eyes smoldering, lids heavy. The stubble showing on his jaw that wasn’t there this morning. “I’d really like the chance to get to know you better, Katherine.” He kisses my chin, then my neck. The sensation sending a shiver down my spine. “Hopefully, give you a reason to want to stay just a little longer.” He kisses me again, then wraps me up in his embrace. Adjusting Roxy so she’s no longer between us and he can slide in even closer to me.
For the first time in fifteen years, a little piece of the lonely that lives in my soul feels lighter.
Like, maybe there is life after death.
Chapter Six
Jonah
Two days have gone by since the driveway sighting. I have no idea what my mother is up to during the day while I’m at training, but I do know that she takes a very long walk every morning, and then another even longer walk at night. I had to give her a guest program on the alarm system, keeping it a simple 123456. Technically, I could see when she comes and goes—if I wanted to be a nosy bastard. But I trust that the girls know better than to turn the alarm off when I’m not home.
“Hey, Joey?” Mom comes into my office. “You got a minute?”
“Sure, I was just paying some bills.” I do a few more clicks while she takes a seat in the chair across the desk.
She still hasn’t mentioned the guy in the driveway, so I haven’t either.
“I was wondering if I could make dinner tomorrow night. Have everyone over for a big meal.”
“Like who?” I have a feeling a bomb is about to be dropped.
“Well, Blake and Layla—I still owe him a thank you for picking me up. Eve, and her new friend. She put on such a nice shower for Raven. Really, any of the fighting boys, just as long as you give me a head count by tomorrow morning, so I know I have enough food.” She squares her shoulders, and then looks at me. “I’d also like to invite your neighbor, Marcus, and his son, Jarrett.”
“Marcus?” Driveway guy has a name.
“Yes, Marcus Dean. He lives across the way. Don’t play dumb, Joey. I’ve seen you watch me from that very window.” She points to the spy window in my office.
That name, Marcus Dean, sounds familiar but I have no idea where I’ve heard it before. I’m not the most neighborly guy, so it isn’t from neighborhood gossip. The fact that I’ve been busted shouldn’t surprise me. Mom has ninja skills when it comes to knowing what the hell is going on around her.
“And you want to bring him over here for dinner?” What’s the rush?
“Yes, I would like you to meet him.”
“Bu—you—just met him.” I raise an eyebrow, trying damn hard to make my point.
She counters me, and then ups the ante by placing a hand on her hip. “So, it’s settled. Dinner’s tomorrow at 6:30. Tell
everyone to come hungry.”
Dinner? Tomorrow? With driveway guy?
What in the absolute fuck just happened?
Chapter Seven
Katherine
What in the world have I gotten myself into? I rush around the state-of-the-art kitchen. Thank goodness Raven was home today and could teach me how to use this ridiculous oven.
Cooking a family meal sounded like a great plan, until Joey started telling me everything he couldn’t eat, things that would inhibit his “training diet”. I thought that list was bad, until he added the things he thinks Raven shouldn’t eat and I about fell over. The facts he started spewing from his mouth about everything from food dyes to preservatives that could be harmful to the baby made me wonder how I ever managed to deliver healthy children.
“Raven, thank you for helping me, honey, but please sit down. Joey will be home any second and if he finds out you’ve been helping slave over dinner, he’ll have my tail.” I start digging out silverware so I can set the table.
“Don’t worry, I’ll hear the garage door open and rush to the chair. He’ll never know.” She winks at me, causing me to fall a little more in love with her.
“He’ll smell the work on you, Raven.”
We both laugh aloud, tears filling my eyes.
“Why would I smell work on her, Mom? She’s not supposed to be working.”
Raven and I both freeze, sharing a look in acknowledgment that we’ve been busted. Dammit.
I turn to see my son leaning against the doorway to the kitchen. “You are a two-hundred and fifty-pound man. How on earth do you sneak in anywhere?” I swear that boy floats.
“Answer the question, Mom.” He’s trying to look serious, but his eyes are sparkling with happiness. “You working my girl to the bone? She’s supposed to be resting.”
“I just—I am.” I drop my shoulders in mock defeat. “You’re now witness to the slave driver of a mother-in-law that I’ve become. The secret is out.”
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