Mr. Klein is Fine
Page 4
Her eyes lift up to mine. “I didn’t want to bother anyone.”
“This isn’t like you’re asking me to help you move, Linds. This is informing me that I’m a dad so I can hold up my end of parenting. This shouldn’t all be on you. I played just as much part in getting you pregnant. This is my responsibility, despite what you might think.” She’s quiet, so I ask, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wasn’t sure it was your kid,” she says with a hint of shame. “I . . . I slept with another man that weekend, before you. Bobby. He was nothing compared to you and if I’d known I was going to see you that weekend, I never would have even entertained the idea of Bobby, but I did. By the time I realized I was pregnant, both of you were gone. You were off playing baseball and Bobby got a job in another state. I just thought not finding out whose it was would be easier. That was until Dylan started asking questions about his father. Then I had no choice. I contacted Bobby, he took a DNA test, and it came back negative, leaving me with just one other option . . . you.”
Jesus Christ.
“I swear I was going to tell you, I just didn’t expect to do it at the conference.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that either.” When she doesn’t say anything, I decide to drop the bomb I’ve been thinking about the entire weekend. “I want to be in Dylan’s life.”
Her eyes lift to mine, panic searing through them. “Are you going to take him away from me?”
“What?” I reach out and take her hand. “No, Linds. I . . . hell, I just want to get to know him. I would never take him away from you. Do you really think that little of me?”
Her eyes slowly shut as she lowers her head. “I’m sorry. I’m just . . . God you were so angry, my mind bounced to the worst-case scenario, like you were going to seek revenge or something.” She shakes her head. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I was angry. I didn’t handle it right. I was shocked as shit. I didn’t even know you had a kid, let alone had one with me. It was a lot to take in.”
“I don’t blame you. I blindsided you.” She glances up at me, the smallest of smiles playing on her lips. “What a weekend, huh?”
I chuckle. “Fuck, I have no idea what the hell any of those seminars were about and there was no lazing on an innertube, either.”
“Sorry.”
I tip her chin up. “Don’t apologize.”
She wipes a tear away and sucks in a deep breath. She reaches to the ice cream carton and holds it out to me. “Ice cream? It’s how I like to drown my feelings.”
“I’ll have some ice cream if you let me stay and show me pictures of Dylan.”
She smiles brightly. “Gladly.”
Going to stand, I quickly grab her hand and force her to look at me. “Linds?”
“Yeah?”
“I should have done this back in college. Frankly, I’m an idiot for not realizing how good I had it with you, but . . . could I take you out on a date sometime?”
“You want to date me?”
“I do. Desperately.”
She bites her bottom lip. “We’ve never dated before.”
“We haven’t. I think we need to fix that.”
Smiling, she asks, “Want to start tonight? This could be our first date.”
“As long as we don’t have sex, I’m good with that.”
“You don’t want to have sex with me?” she asks, confused.
I shake my head. “No. I think we know how good that can be. I want to get to know you more. I want to get to know Dylan. I want to see if we can become something.”
“Become something?” she asks, her hand trembling in mine.
“We can start small, just dates, nothing more, then you can introduce me to Dylan when you’re ready. And we can see where this goes.” Taking a deep breath, I add, “I like you, Linds. A lot. My fucking heart goes crazy when I see you and you’re the only girl who does that to me, which means something. I’m an idiot for not asking you out earlier. But I’m here now, wanting to make something of this pull I feel whenever I’m around you.”
The corners of her lips tilt up. “I feel the pull too.”
“So you’ll go out with me?”
“I mean, we do have a kid together.”
“It’s only logical.”
She chuckles. “So are we going to do this? Finally date? Try to make something of this chemistry?”
“We are.” I grip her cheek and pull her in close. Inches away from her face, I say, “Not letting you get away this time, Linds. No fucking way.” And then I bring her lips to mine and claim her.
And her mouth on mine, it feels so right, like heaven. And this is only the beginning.
Thank you so much for reading. Want more? Don’t worry, Gunner and Lindsay have so much more to say, find them in SEE ME AFTER CLASS which is about ARLO and GREER. Arlo has some naughty, naughty tendencies and he can’t seem to hold them back whenever he’s around Greer. Read HERE.
Also, if you’re interested in Knox and Emory and their love story, or just like some HOT baseball boys, start with THE LOCKER ROOM. Read HERE.