ONE MORE TIME

by Reynolds, Aurora Rose

  “And I don’t think you should, but your mom isn’t convinced.”

  “Anyway.” I shake my head, thinking this conversation is pointless. “We just wanted to see if you need a ride.”

  “Not yet. Your mom’s out with a friend, so I’ll wait until she tells me she’s home and head that way.” My stomach turns, and I hold Tide’s hand a little tighter. I grimace as I think about the fact that my mom is probably out with another man right now, and my dad knows about it, but instead of dealing with the situation head-on, he’ll sit here and drink his cares away. “Do you guys want to join me for a drink?”

  “No thanks, we’re just about ready to leave.” I shift on my feet, feeling awkward. If I had a normal relationship with my dad, I would kiss his cheek or give him a hug, and tell him I love him, but our relationship is in no way normal, and really, I don’t remember the last time I hugged either of my parents. “Get home safe, Dad, and if you need a ride, you can call me.”

  “All right.” He looks disappointed. “I’ll see you two at the party.”

  “Yep.” I spin on my heel, seeing Gia and Colton head back toward the table we were sitting at.

  When we reach them, I grab my coat and slip it on, glancing at our drinks on the table that were barely touched, and meet Gia’s gaze. “Will you be disappointed if we leave?”

  “Not at all,” she says softly, glancing at my father who is still watching us looking disappointed.

  “I’ll walk you guys out,” Colton says taking his wife’s hand.

  “You okay?” Tide asks me quietly as we walk toward his truck, and I glance up at him.

  “Just annoyed that the first time you met my dad, he was drunk, but not sure if it matters, because he will likely be drunk the next time you meet him too.”

  “I’ve met him before, Aria. He just doesn’t remember me.”

  “Great.” I sigh, and he stops walking, then turns me to face him, taking my chin between his thumb and forefinger and tipping my head back.

  “I told you before, babe, I don’t give a fuck what your parents think or do. I care about you.” He touches his lips to mine, then leans back. “We’re on the same team, okay?” He waits for me to nod, and once I do, he takes my hand and walks me the rest of the way to the truck, where Gia and Colton are standing.

  “I’m sorry about tonight, guys.”

  “Don’t apologize. It’s not a big deal,” Gia tells me quietly before tipping her head back to look at her husband. “I’ll see you at home in a few hours.”

  “Yeah, baby.” He kisses her forehead then her lips before he comes to give me a hug. “We’ll find time to really celebrate soon, Aria.”

  “I’d like that.” I give him a small smile, then grab his arm. “If my dad can’t get a ride home, will you call me?”

  “Sure.” His face softens before he looks at Tide. “We’ll talk later.”

  “Yeah, man,” Tide agrees, and they bump fists before both men help Gia and me into the truck.

  When the doors are closed and it’s just Gia and me inside, I feel her hand come to rest on my shoulder and squeeze. I wait for her to say something, and when she doesn’t, I realize that real friendship is not speaking for the sake of filling the silence… but just being there in silent support.

  Chapter 11

  Aria

  I STARE OUT the window of the pizzeria, wondering how today is already here. The night we saw my dad at the bar, Tide told me that he wanted me to have dinner with him and Olivia on her birthday. At the time, it felt so far away, but this last week has been a whirlwind of dealing with contracts, working on my new series, and spending every free moment I have with Tide. And with everything happening, I didn’t have a lot of time to worry, but now that I’m sitting here, the butterflies fluttering in my stomach are making me nauseous. I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous than I am right now or felt like more was on the line.

  “I’m so nervous.” I shake out my hands in an attempt to get them to stop shaking, then turn to glare at Gia when she laughs. “This isn’t funny.”

  “It’s a little funny.” She picks up Gino from his carrier when he starts to fuss. “Also, it’s so sweet that you’re nervous about meeting Olivia, when I have no doubt she is going to love you on the spot. She’s a good kid.”

  “But what if she doesn’t like me?” I ask, and Gia looks up at the dozen pink and gold balloons floating above my head, then at the big birthday bag that I brought with me, sitting on the table.

  “She’ll like you.”

  “You can’t buy love, Gia.”

  “You’re right about that, but she is going to think it’s sweet that you bought balloons and a gift for her birthday when you didn’t have to, and she’s going to see how happy you make her dad and love you even more.”

  “Or she’s going to hate me because I’m with her dad,” I mutter, and she sighs.

  “Don’t stress about stuff that hasn’t happened. Just wait until you meet her.” She hands me Gino, and I drop my chin to look at his cute little face.

  “You’re right. I’ve just always been the person who plans for the worse-case scenario, then if things turn out good, I’m relieved, and if they turn out bad, I’m not disappointed,” I admit as I touch my finger to Gino’s cheek, and he smiles as he latches onto my finger.

  “I get that,” she says, then asks quietly, “Do you want kids?”

  “Yes.” I lift my head to meet her eye.

  “Then everything will be okay.” She looks across the room when the bell rings, and I do the same, feeling my heart lodge in my throat. Over the last few weeks, I’ve seen dozens of pictures of Olivia on Tide’s phone, but seeing her in his arms, wearing a frilly dress and tights, with her hair curled, a cute little crown on her head, and a wide smile on her pretty face, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more adorable.

  “Aunt Gia.” Olivia wiggles for her dad to set her down, and once he does, she runs to Gia and jumps into her lap.

  “Happy birthday, sweet girl,” Gia says as Tide leans down to kiss my cheek.

  “You okay, babe?”

  “Yeah.” I smile at him, feeling more relaxed with him close, then look at Colton and hold Gino out toward him. “I’m going to guess you want him.”

  “Always.” He grins at me.

  “Angel,” Tide calls, and Olivia turns to look at her dad while my heart sighs, hearing her nickname. “Come here. I want you to meet Aria.”

  Her eyes come to me as she hops off Gia’s lap and walks toward her dad, looking a little nervous but not scared or annoyed, which is a relief. “Hi.” She lifts her hand toward me, and I grab it as I fight the urge to wrap my arms around her.

  “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Olivia. Your dad has told me so much about you and shown me a million pictures. He’s very proud of you.”

  “He showed me pictures of you too. You’re really pretty.”

  “Thank you.” I smile as I reach out and touch her birthday crown. “Are you having a good birthday so far?” Today, she had school, so Tide went to have cupcakes with her and her class, and since Anna has her for the weekend and is having a party for her, she allowed him to have this evening. I know that after school he planned on taking her to see her grandparents before meeting Gia and me here, and I guess somewhere along the way, he picked up Colton, who must have gotten someone to cover the bar for him.

  “Yes.” She looks at her dad. “Are we still going bowling after pizza?”

  “We are.”

  “Do you want to be on my team?” she asks me.

  Oh God, I’m going to cry.

  “I would love that, but I think I should tell you that I’m not very good at bowling.”

  “It’s okay.” She grins. “We get bumpers, so we’ll win anyway.”

  “Cheater,” Tide mutters, and she looks at me, shrugging one shoulder, which makes me laugh. “All right, trouble, how about we order our pizza?”

  “Okay, Dad,” she agrees but soon loses interest
in me, deciding what she wants to eat, then Gino starts to coo and laugh as she makes funny faces at him.

  “Told you it would be okay,” Gia says, and I roll my eyes at her, which makes her grin. I rest against Tide’s side and watch his daughter with Gino, picturing her with a little brother or sister of her own and wondering if Tide wants more kids. It’s not something we’ve ever talked about before. There hasn’t been a time when the topic of children has come up, but after seeing him with Olivia, I know it’s something that is going to be on my mind now.

  “She likes you,” Tide whispers in my ear, and I turn so we’re face-to-face.

  “I think she is probably the kind of kid who likes everyone, which means you’ve done a good job with her.”

  “No, she likes you. Normally, she’s really shy meeting new people. She just knows good people when she meets them.”

  “You always know what to say.”

  His eyes drop to my mouth, and I lick my lips before I turn away to grab the menu, not wanting to be tempted to kiss him, which is something I’m always tempted to do when he’s close.

  ________________

  “No way!” I cry when my bowling ball bounces off the bumper, ending up in the gutter on the opposite side of the lane. It wouldn’t be so bad if that was the first time it happened, but this is the fourth time I’ve been up to bowl and the fourth time I’ve had a gutter ball since we started. And worse, I’ve only knocked over seven pins in total. Spinning on my bowling shoes, I turn to face Olivia and toss my arms in the air. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” She laughs, picking up her ball. “We’re still winning.” I give her a high-five when she walks past me, then watch as she rolls her ball like a pro down the middle of the lane, knocking down all the pins and getting another strike. I clap and dance around, not caring that I look like a dork, because she’s laughing, and I like the sound of her happiness.

  “Great job.” I look at the scoreboard and smirk, because she is beating all the adults and really doesn’t even need the bumpers. I just think they make her feel more confident. “I vote to be on your team every time we bowl.”

  “I vote to be on the girls’ team next time,” Gia says, mock-glaring at her teammates as she carries her ball down to the edge of the lane before holding it between both her legs and throwing it like a little kid would. When she knocks down all but three pins, I decide to try throwing it like her next time, and surprisingly it works, because I knock down ten pens, which means I end up dancing again. I turn around, expecting to find Olivia as excited as I am, but my dancing comes to an end and my stomach bottoms out when I see Anna standing with Olivia, Tide, and Colton on the upper level of the alley.

  I pull my eyes off them and look at Gia, watching her press her lips together as she shakes her head. Not sure what to do, I go to where she’s sitting with Gino and take a seat next to her. “Is everything okay?”

  “She just showed up, Tide spotted her, then he and Colton went to meet her, and Olivia followed right behind them.” I look at them again and realize why Tide chose Anna. They fit together, both of them tall and beautiful, which isn’t surprising, since they made a kid as cute as Olivia. “Hey,” Gia says, nudging her shoulder into mine. “You have nothing to worry about when it comes to her and him. That ship sailed a long time ago.”

  “They fit though. Don’t they?”

  “Obviously that’s not true, because they aren’t together.”

  “I guess you’re right,” I agree, reminding myself that he told me to trust him. “Should I go up there?” We both look that direction.

  “Do you want to go up there?”

  “Not really.”

  “I wouldn’t either.” I hear the frown in her voice when Anna grabs hold of Tide’s bicep. “Why do women do that?”

  “What?” I dig my nails into my palms as my stomach knots with jealousy.

  “Fight for a man they have never fought for in the past, when they know that man is moving on?” She turns to look at me. “Colton’s ex did the same thing, and I just don’t get it.”

  “Maybe they realize what they’re going to miss out on.”

  “Or maybe—” She covers Gino’s ears. “—they are just assholes.”

  “Maybe.” I can’t help but smile.

  “Babe.” Tide’s deep voice startles me, and I tip my head back to look up at him as he comes to stand in front of me with Olivia at his side. “Olivia is gonna head home with her mom.”

  “Oh.” I try to hide my disappointment as he holds out his hand to help me stand. “Is everything okay?”

  “Fine. Anna was in the area and thought she’d save us the trip of driving her home and just stop by here to pick her up.”

  A million things are on the tip of my tongue to say, but I hold them in, knowing they won’t help right now. And judging by the twitching of his jaw, they will only make things worse. Looking down at Olivia, I take her hand. “I had so much fun with you.”

  “Me too.” She looks over her shoulder, and I glance that way, seeing Anna standing at the top of the stairs with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at Colton, who seems to be blocking her way. “Your balloons and gift are in your dad’s truck. Do you want to take them with you?”

  “I’ll give them to her when I walk them out,” Tide cuts in, squeezing my hand.

  Right. I focus on Olivia. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Bye, Aria.” She gives me a quick hug around my hips, and before I can hug her back she runs off to her mom. I tip my head back to look at her dad, sure that he’s pissed, and surer there isn’t anything I can do about it.

  “I’ll wait here with Gia.”

  “Be back in a minute.” He dips down to brush his lips against mine, then heads up the stairs ignoring whatever it is that Anna is saying instead focusing on Olivia. I watch them go and then help Gia buckle Gino into his carrier and load up the diaper bag. After we return our shoes, we head to the front of the bowling alley to wait for the guys and end up spotting a sparkly blue unicorn hanging on the wall in the arcade that we agree Gino needs. When we see that we only need five hundred tickets, we try our luck at Kill the Toad or whatever it’s called. You would think that two grown women would be good at knocking out some object when it pops out of a hole, but as Gia and I lose game after game, we learn quickly that’s not true. With each of us taking turns holding Gino, who is mesmerized by the lights and music, we toss our money into the machine, becoming more determined every time we lose. Even when Tide and Colton come back in and find us, we don’t give up.

  “Are you and Gia gonna need rehab for this new habit?” Tide asks against my ear while wrapping his arms around my waist, causing me to shiver and miss one of the toads when it pops up, and I end up losing the game.

  “You made me lose out on one hundred tickets,” I complain, and he smirks at me as he takes the bopper from my hand, then he feeds ten dollars into the slot.

  “Stand back and watch the master.”

  Crossing my arms over my chest, I watch him play and lose in just a couple minutes, which shouldn’t make me happy but it does.

  “Wow.” I clap. “That was amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more impressive. You really are the master.” I laugh as he wraps his arms around me and dips me backward, nibbling my neck and making me giggle.

  “Let me try,” Colton says, and I smile at Gia when he puts in a twenty-dollar bill and she rolls her eyes. “How much cash did you two put in this thing before we came in?” Colton asks when he loses six times in a row.

  “Probably twenty dollars, maybe a little more.” I shrug.

  “So we’ve put in fifty dollars trying to win a stuffed animal that probably costs one dollar to make?” He shakes his head. “I should see if they’d just sell me the damn thing.”

  “That’s no fun.” Gia hands me Gino and takes the bopper from her husband before he can end the game.

  “You got this,” I tell her, moving to her side, and I don’t know if it�
��s frustration or what, but she ends up hitting every single frog and winning every game until the money runs out. Grabbing the tickets as they shoot out, we carry them to the front, sure that we’ve gotten the five hundred we need. As the older women behind the counter runs them through the counting device, I want to laugh as the total pops up on the screen, because we are nowhere close to where we need to be, and our options are either candy or some small plastic trinkets. Choosing the candy, we leave the bowling alley, shoving handfuls of Skittles into our mouths and laughing like hyenas, with both our guys chuckling at how ridiculous we are.

  When we reach the parking lot, I give Gia a hug, reminding her that I’ll see her tomorrow to go dress shopping, and wave goodbye to Colton. I get into the passenger seat when Tide opens the door. “Thanks.” I smile down at him once I’m seated and he steps into my space, placing his hand on my cheek before he kisses me, soft and slow, taking his time. When he pulls away, I blink my eyes open, unsure why this kiss felt different… sweeter than all the others we’ve shared.

  “Buckle up, baby,” he orders, stepping back and slamming the door. Closed inside the cab, I watch him prowl around the hood while I put on my seatbelt, then wait for him to get in behind the wheel.

  “This evening was fun.”

  “It was,” he agrees, taking my hand and dragging it over to his lap. “Sucks that Anna showed up.”

  “Yeah, but I really enjoyed spending time with Olivia before then.”

  “She enjoyed it too. Next week when I have her, we’ll plan some stuff to do together so you two can get to know each other better.”

  “I’d like that a lot.”

  “Have you ever been canoeing?”

  “When I was younger, but not since then.”

  “I’ve got one. We can load it up one day, and the three of us can take it out on the lake, then go someplace for a picnic. It’s pretty this time of year with the leaves changing.”

  “That would be fun.” I squeeze his thigh, and his hand covers mine.

  As we settle into contented silence, I stare out the window while he drives us through town and reflect on all the things I’ve gone through in my life. As hard as it is to admit, I know that without experiencing the pain I have, I wouldn’t be able to fully appreciate the simple happiness I have now. A lot of that happiness having to do with the man at my side.