I laughed again. When we finished eating, I asked him where he’d like me to take him, and he offered to get a taxi back home.
“No, I’m the reason you and Luka are out, and it looks like it could start raining any moment. I’m happy to take you home.”
That’s how I came to learn that Luka and his dad lived less than three blocks from my office in one of the trendiest downtown neighborhoods in Atlanta, GA.
If I hadn’t already dragged him out and almost smashed his face, I would’ve invited myself into the beautiful old Victorian house, just to appease my architectural curiosity. But that’d have to wait for another day. I helped him get the baby seat out of the tiny back seat and shook his hand as he took the little one inside out of the cool spring day.
As he left, I noticed the almost perfect bubble butt and wondered for the first time in my life if I wasn’t a daddy chaser after all.
Trevor
Peter was different than I thought he’d be. I wasn’t really that surprised when he showed up at my office angry about his mother and me snooping in his life. Hell, I’d have thrown a rib out if my mom had done that, but after he’d gotten his frustration out, he calmed down pretty fast.
Linda was right. The man was drop-dead gorgeous. I had no pretense he’d be interested in me, though. And even if he was, I was in no position to date anyone. Luckily, my hand was still in fine working order. Not that I had the energy to even do that since I was surviving on less than two hours sleep between Luka’s temper tantrums. That baby had no problem expressing his wishes or, more accurately, his demands. All those commercials where the mom is cuddling an infant who is all happy and snuggly are lies. At least they were lies when it came to Luka.
No, even if Peter was interested, I was not available. I must have sighed out loud because Aunt Doris glanced up from the crossword puzzle she was doing on the table next to my desk.
Chuckling, she teased, “Thinking about a certain someone?”
“No comment,” I replied without looking at her.
“You know that man who dropped you off was quite the looker.”
“Aunt Doris, that was my client’s son!”
“Client’s son or not, he was still a looker.”
I sighed again and decided it was best to ignore my aunt. From experience, I knew she was an insatiable romantic. If the library full of romance novels, most of which were signed by the author, wasn’t any indication, the fact that she tried to fix me up with every eligible bachelor she came across, straight or gay, since finding out I was bi would’ve been enough.
Of course, I should’ve known ignoring my aunt wouldn’t really work either.
“So,” she began, and I sighed, knowing I wasn’t going to get any work done. At least not until I satisfied her curiosity. “You know I’ll keep Luka if you wanted to go out on a date.”
“Aunt Doris, I’m exhausted most of the time. I barely have enough energy to get my work done, I sure don’t have enough oomph to deal with some needy lover.” I turned and looked at Luka, who was sleeping in his bassinet next to me. “One needy man in my life is quite enough, thank you very much.”
Aunt Doris chuckled but didn’t let it go.
“You know, you’ll need to get back out there sooner or later, and Luka is sleeping longer every night. He’ll be on a regular sleep schedule soon enough.”
“Until then, I have to keep my head down and try to get enough work done to survive.”
Aunt Doris didn’t respond right away, and I thought we were done with the conversation when she said, “If your parents were involved, maybe they could help out, you know, financially.”
The bitterness that erupted in the form of a laugh shocked even me. “My parents have never been supportive, Aunt Doris. They gave Grandpa child support, but that was more because my dad was afraid the congregation would find out he broke my arm.”
Aunt Doris sighed. “I’m sorry they aren’t more supportive, Trevor. Your grandpa tried to get your mom more involved, but she’s so attached to your dad she wouldn’t budge for fear of offending him.”
“My dad’s a total ass, Aunt Doris, and mom isn’t much better. I know she’s your sister, but the truth is we’re all better off without them in our lives. I shouldn’t have even tried over Christmas. Now that they know I’m bi, I’m sure things could even get worse. I kick myself for even going over there.”
Aunt Doris sat quietly again. I could feel the tension, or maybe it was sadness coming off her. I turned around and looked at her.
“You and Grandpa have always been more my parents than either of them ever was. I really don’t need them in my life. Hell, it doesn’t even hurt anymore. Mostly, I’ve figured out I just need to stay away from them and let them live their lives, and I’ll live mine.”
Aunt Doris put her pencil down next to the crossword book and met my expression. “I admit, I feel guilty keeping Luka from your mom, but I understand why we aren’t telling her. When we were kids, we used to talk about having a family. I never really wanted to have my own kids. Even when we were young, I thought there were so many people in the world, I didn’t need to add to it, but your mom seemed obsessed about having kids. When we grew up, she got married right away, and then you came along shortly after that. She was devastated when she’d learned she couldn’t have any more children, so for me, I think I keep waiting for her to get her head out of her ass and figure out you are what she really wanted.”
“Yeah, that isn’t gonna happen as long as my dad is around. He’s always hated me. Even when I was little, he’d say hateful things about how I was a nuisance. That I was just in his way. And for the record, Mom heard him and never said anything to contradict him.”
Aunt Doris looked down at her lap before speaking. “I know, honey. Your grandpa and I talked about what you’d been through. We probably should’ve stepped in earlier, but again, we both remembered how much your mom had wanted kids. We were confused.”
“It’s okay,” I replied as I turned back to the laptop. “Grandpa and I talked about it when I first moved in. I’d never really felt like they were my family. You and he were always my parents, and I longed for the days when one of you would come pick me up. When I finally moved in, it was like I’d won the lottery. I’m happy things worked out as they did. Now I know who they are and what they are to me.” When Aunt Doris made eye contact, I said, “You don’t have to worry about my mom or dad or how we are or aren’t getting along. You’re my family. They are distant relatives. I’ve got everything I need and the fact that you’re helping with Luka as much as you do, well, that proves the point even more.”
Aunt Doris had tears in her eyes. “You know I love you, Trevor. So did Dad.” She turned toward the bassinet. “He’d have been impossible to live with had he been here when Luka came into our lives. I can’t imagine how spoiled that baby would’ve been.”
“He’s pretty spoiled now.”
She chuckled again, wiping at the tears. “He’s perfect, and you know it.”
I smiled as I looked over at Luka’s sleeping form. “I’m pretty partial to him.”
Aunt Doris came over and put her hand on my shoulder. She peered into the bassinet with me. “Yeah, me too.”
We stayed like that for several minutes admiring the little one. “I’m working tonight at the shop,” Aunt Doris said as she turned.
“I noticed you’re picking up hours again. Is there a problem?”
“Not really, we lost a couple people with the summer term break coming up, and until school starts back this fall, we probably won’t be able to replace them. Just par for the course,” she replied.
“Have you ever thought about selling?” I asked.
She looked at me for a moment and smiled. “Your grandpa went to work in that shop when he first moved here. He and mom loved working there, and Rita and I used to play under the racks when we were little. It’s such a part of our lives, I couldn’t imagine letting it go.”
Not for the first tim
e, I wanted to encourage her to sell it and let it go. The clothing shop had been Grandpa’s dream, and he’d loved it like it was part of the family. Still, I also knew Aunt Doris hated the new clothes, and when she wasn’t needed, she avoided even stepping into the place.
“I don’t think Grandpa would mind if you decided to sell. Besides, you’ve always been more of a vintage gal than designer.”
Aunt Doris laughed. “Yeah, but vintage is losing its appeal. The shop pays the bills. If I sold up, I’d have to get a real job.”
We’d had this discussion off and on since I moved in at age ten. Aunt Doris volunteered all over town. At the homeless shelter, the soup kitchen, at a thrift store run by her hippy friends and various other organizations I’d lost track of. She was as hard a worker as Grandpa had ever been, but working for a living, well, that was never her strong suit.
“I don’t know, Aunt Doris. The kids at school seem to be wearing vintage clothing all the time. Have you considered bringing a line of vintage into the store?”
She just laughed. “I brought it up once with your grandpa, and he almost had a heart attack. Could you imagine my funky vintage clothing next to the couture lines?”
“I guess not,” I admitted. “But if you aren’t going to sell, now that Grandpa is gone, and my mom isn’t going to pitch in to help, you’re going to have to figure out how to make that store more to your liking.”
Aunt Doris just shrugged. “It’ll all work out. It always does, after all.”
I smiled. “There’s the Aunt Doris I know and love.”
She smiled too. “Don’t you have work to do? All this talk of me working is giving me a headache.” She stood up, kissed the top of my head like she always did when I was being dismissed, and disappeared into the kitchen.
Aunt Doris is as strong a personality as the rest of my Croatian family. I knew without a shadow of a doubt she’d figure the whole couture issue out and make it her own. Just like she did everything else in her life.
Peter
No matter what I did, I couldn’t get the young father out of my head. It surprised me since I’d barely thought about another guy since Martin and I had split. That adorable sideways grin, the way he looked at his infant son, the cute bubble butt I watched while he climbed the stairs as I stood by the car watching him go into his home. All that seemed to be playing over and over in my mind.
It had been just under two months since I’d taken him home when I finally figured out an excuse to see him again. My boss pulled me into a meeting with Leonardo Richmond, a forty-year-old steampunk model turned entrepreneur. He was expanding his Neo-Victorian line of gadgets and clothing to the East Coast of the United States. Leonardo saw my classical architectural designs and wanted to hire us. He thought I could modernize the Victorian architecture he was working toward into the steampunk renaissance he was hoping to achieve.
I immediately thought of the houses in Inman Park and the Gothic design of Trevor’s home in particular. I quickly pulled up a picture I’d taken right after meeting Trevor and showed it to Mr. Richmond.
“My thought was to veer away from commercial property and create a first-floor level that mimicked a Gothic home similar to this one. Is that what you had in mind?” I asked.
When he saw the picture, his eyes lit up. “I knew you were the man for the job. But it can’t be just the old Victorian design, the architecture has to pull the public in by saying it’s both modern and Victorian at the same time.”
“Not unlike your clothing line?” I asked.
“That’s right, both sexy and historic.”
I smiled, knowing exactly how I’d pull this off. “I happen to know the owner. If they allow it, I’d like to have you tour the property with me, and you could share with me the elements of the design you like and the ones you want me to dispose of.”
The man’s face beamed, and when I looked at my boss, he was smiling too. Silently, I thought there was nothing so great as catching two birds with one net. Not only did I impress my new client, but I also had the perfect excuse to visit Trevor again. And if I were really lucky, I’d talk him into going out with me.
After the meeting, I immediately walked the short distance to Trevor’s home and knocked on his door.
A moment passed before a woman who appeared to be in her mid-to-late thirties opened the door and smiled at me.
“Hello, ma’am,” I said. “My name is Peter Reed, and I’m an acquaintance of Trevor Kovachich.”
The woman invited me in then took my hand. “I’m Doris Kovachich, Trevor’s aunt.”
“Nice to meet you. Is Trevor here by chance?” I asked.
“No, I’m afraid not,” she replied. “His son had a doctor’s appointment this afternoon. But he should be back around five. Would you like to come back then?”
There was something in the way the woman was smiling at me that made me suspicious. Having grown up with a meddling mother and aunts, I’d become hypersensitive to family who were up to something just by seeing their expressions. Had I not had an agenda, I probably would’ve skipped out on the invitation and waited to come back when I knew he’d be home.
A vision of one of Richmond’s steampunk contraptions quickly flashed through my mind. I immediately thought that if I were going to talk them into letting me tour the home with my new client, I’d have to grease all the parts of the machine.
So, I smiled as brightly as I could. “Well, yes, ma’am, I’d like that. Can I bring something with me and treat the two of you to supper? I’m guessing the little one keeps your hands full.”
The woman grinned, and there was no missing the glint in her eye. “That would be lovely, Peter. Why don’t we say six o’clock then?”
“Perfect,” I replied. “How’s pizza? There’s a nice place around the corner.”
“That’d be perfect, we both like meat lovers’.”
I smiled at her. “It’s a date then. I’ll see you both at six o’clock.”
As I left, I felt a little off-kilter as I’d never invited myself over to a potential date’s home for pizza before. And the ulterior motives in his aunt’s face were nothing if not unsettling. However, those who played strictly by the rules never won, so even though it was all a little strange, I decided to go with it.
When I arrived with pizza in hand, both Trevor and his aunt looked just a little harried. Luka, the baby, was wailing his lungs out. When Doris came to the door, she apologized, saying they might need to take a raincheck.
“Can I take a turn holding him? Sometimes a different pair of hands can make a difference.”
I had no idea if that were true or not. Still, I didn’t want to lose the opportunity to meet with them about touring the house, and even if I was only able to keep the baby entertained for a moment while they got some rest and had a bite to eat, then it was worth it.
The feral glint I’d seen earlier was gone, and I only saw gratitude in her face. “It certainly couldn’t hurt any,” she replied.
When I walked in, Trevor was in the house’s parlor walking in circles with the crying baby. He turned, and I could tell he was surprised when he saw me. “Peter came by earlier, and I invited him to dinner. I forgot to tell you since Luka was so upset,” his aunt said.
Trevor attempted a smile, but I could tell the crying was getting the better of him. “Here, give me a moment with the baby,” I offered. “Sometimes, babies like me.”
Trevor hesitated for a moment. But when he turned toward his aunt, she nodded, and he relented. Doris took the pizza from me, and Trevor slipped the baby into my arms.
My arms were warm from carrying the pizza, which is probably why the little one calmed as quickly as he did. He began quieting down almost immediately.
Both the other adults stared at me with wonder, like I’d performed a miracle, and I certainly wasn’t above taking credit for his calming down.
It’s just natural I guess that when a baby is put in your arms, you turn into a human rocking chair. I gently b
ounced the little one in my arms as I told his dad and aunt to go have pizza while I’d kept the little one busy. They both agreed, and the look of wonder never left their faces.
I followed them into the kitchen behind the parlor. I immediately appreciated the renovation that had converted what was probably a library at one point into a large kitchen that spanned the back of the house. It wrapped around the back of the large staircase that was the first thing I’d seen when entering through the front door.
Both of them tore into the food while I admired for the first time how cute this little one really was. I’m not what you’d call a baby person, despite the fact that I’d been stuck with baby cousins all my life. My mom was quite a bit older than my aunts, so I was born first, and the two years between me and my first cousins had made me the perfect babysitter.
As the little one fell asleep in my arms, I walked around humming to him, hoping this would last long enough for me to ask for the tour. And maybe if I was lucky, a drink with his weary-looking father.
By the time Trevor and his aunt had finished eating, Luka was fast asleep, and Trevor stood to take him from me. His aunt stopped him, though. “You know, there’s a ninety percent chance if you pick him up, he’ll start screaming again.”
Trevor’s hands immediately went up into the air. “Good point,” he said. “Sorry, Mr. Reed. I’m afraid you’ve got yourself baby duty. I don’t think either of us could take another screaming fit for a while.”
I laughed quietly. “No problem. Any idea why he was so upset?”
“Oh yeah, he had his six-month immunizations, and he was none too happy about it.”
“The boy has a way of making his feelings known,” Doris added.
“I see that,” I chuckled.
“So I’m assuming you didn’t come over here just to babysit my bundle of very loud joy. How can we help you?”
I cocked an eyebrow at the we part, amused at how he’d included his aunt in the conversation.
Another Chance With Love (Chance Series Book 2) Page 5