“Yeah. Gregory seems nice.”
“Don’t be quick to say so. He would’ve embarrassed you had you stayed a moment longer.” We switch places so I’m under the water. “Do you want to spend the day with us or go back to campus?”
“I don’t think I’m ready for a full day with your son, especially after your daughter freaked out on me.” She glances away and then sneaks a peek at me, as if checking to see if I’m okay with that answer.
“That makes complete sense.”
We finish showering, hang out in my room for a few extra minutes while Jamie arranges for Erin to come pick her up. Then we sit in the living room where Gregory now plays a video game until Jamie gets a text and she stands with her bag. I walk her to the door, but before I can open it, she places a hand on my chest.
“For both our sakes, please don’t walk me out. Neither of us is ready for Erin to talk to you.”
I chuckle. “Okay.” Leaning forward, I kiss her cheek. “See you in the morning?”
“Bright and early,” she confirms as I open the door for her.
I stand in the doorway and watch her hurry to the waiting car. She flashes me a smile just before she gets into the car. Then, I close the door and return to the couch.
“So. Kayla knows, huh?”
I flick my gaze over to my son. “How do you know that?”
“She texted me, told me, and since she knows I’m here, she begged me to tell her when Jamie left.” He pauses his game and looks at me. “Did you really kick Kayla out?”
A sigh slips past my lips before I can stop it. “I told her to leave, yes, but only because she was being disrespectful. I would have asked you to leave if you had done the same thing. I would’ve asked Jamie to leave had she done it.”
“Well, do you want me to tell her Jamie is gone?”
“That’s fine.”
He texts his sister before resuming his video game. It doesn’t take but thirty minutes before there’s a knock on my door. I’m both surprised and a bit thankful that she’s knocking. Even though now it’s technically safe for her to barge in, it’s past time that she stop doing so. Today was obviously her lesson in learning that.
I open the door and step aside for Kayla to enter.
“Gregory told you I was coming?” she asks. “You don’t seem surprised I’m here.”
“He told me.”
We sit down on the couch and Gregory surprises me by being the first to speak. “Don’t drag me into this, Kayla. I like Jamie and I don’t care how old she is. You’re on your own here.”
“How can you like her? You just met her today!”
Gregory glances at me. “Actually, I met her last weekend by accident.”
Anger rolls off her in waves. “You knew and you didn’t tell me? I immediately told you once I found out!”
“That’s not the point here, Kayla,” I interrupt. “You two can fight about that later, but for the record, I asked him not to tell you. What did you come here to talk to me about?”
She angles on the couch toward me, crisscrossing her legs to get comfortable and clasping her hands. “Dad, you can’t be serious about dating her. She’s way too young for you. It’s creepy that she’s practically my age and you’re dating her. You were supposed to date someone your own age! How did you even meet her?”
I wait a second to see if she’s going to add anything else before answering her question. “She needed to get away from campus and parked just outside to go running. I was out running and saw her sitting on the curb, crying. She had a bad day turn worse because she had a flat tire.” Kayla rolls her eyes. “She knew how to change it, but I offered to change it and get it fixed anyway. We went out to eat afterward.” Kayla shakes her head like it’s the most absurd thing she’s ever heard. “What is your problem with her?”
“I don’t know!” She throws her arms up. “There’s just something about her that has gotten on my last nerve since we had to do that project together. She’s such a social person and she flirts with every guy she talks to. You shouldn’t trust her.”
My mouth pulls down in a heavy frown. “I can’t believe my little girl is judging someone she doesn’t even know.” Kayla leans back a little with the hurt my words caused. “I know the age difference makes things awkward. It made me hesitate and wonder if I’d gone crazy, but Jamie is a good person and I like her. Right now, that’s enough for me. I planned to tell you about her in a couple of weeks after I’d been seeing her a little longer, but now you know.”
“Daddy.”
I hold up my hand. “You don’t have to like it.” I glance back and forth between her and Gregory, so they’d know I’m talking to both of them. “But this is my decision, not yours. I know what I want in a woman and so far, Jamie gives me those things. She makes me happy. That should be good enough for you. That said, you will not disrespect her in my house. It doesn’t have a thing to do with choosing her over either of you, but with you behaving like I raised you.”
Kayla opens her mouth. I don’t know if it’s to agree or object or plead her case, but I interrupt her yet again. “Jamie told me to pass along a message for you in response to what you said to her this morning.” Kayla tenses. “Her family has money, so she doesn’t need me to be her sugar daddy.” It might be harsh to throw her words back in her face, but she can’t go off on people either. “And neither of us want to start a new family, as you so kindly worded it.” It doesn’t feel right to go as far as to say Jamie can’t have kids, to spill that secret of hers to my daughter, so I don’t bother. Lastly, I say, “You should think about apologizing the next time you see her.”
“You won’t stop seeing her?”
“Would you stop seeing Logan if I asked?”
“That’s not the same! I love Logan.”
“In the beginning then?”
She glances down at her hands and I know the moment the answer hits her because her shoulders slump. “You would never ask me to do such a thing.” I’m not quite so sure about that. If I truly thought he was a bad guy, I would ask her to think about not seeing him. “I don’t know that I can get used to this, Dad.” She looks back up at me.
“All I ask is that you try.” It’s the best I can ask of her. It’s the only thing I can ask of her. I know if the situation was reversed, I’d struggle with the idea of it, too. But if Kayla came to me and begged me to accept it, I would try for her. I hope that she’ll do the same for me.
“That man is too hot for our own good,” Erin says with a shake of her head as she backs out of Brent’s driveway. “This is the second time I’m having to pick you up, so if anything happened last night, I want the juicy details.”
“Yes, we had sex. Yes, it was fantastic. To top everything off, his daughter surprised him with a visit this morning and we have a class together. It’s safe to say she doesn’t like me or approve of her dad seeing me.”
“Oh, wow. I know I’m a bit envious of how hot your boyfriend is, but I’m totally good with not having any of that drama in my life. Is he still going to see you despite how his daughter feels?” she asks.
“Yeah. Enough about me. What’s going on with you?” I feel like every time we get together lately, we only talk about me, which makes me a terrible friend.
“Well, you might not have believed me last night, but I did go to the library. I didn’t get much studying done because I met a guy.” For the rest of the ride back to campus, I listen as Erin recaps her night with the guy she met. She seems smitten and excited about their upcoming date.
Back on campus, I return to my room where my roommate still sleeps. My phone vibrates with a call from my mother and to be a good roommate, I step out into the hallway to answer.
“Hey, Mother.”
“I’m surprised you answered, seeing as how you’ve been ignoring my calls.”
After a quick moment of debate, I decide to take Brent’s advice. “I’m sorry. I’ve been seeing someone and between him, work, and school, I’m pretty busy.”
Mother is quiet for a few seconds before she says, “You have a boyfriend? That’s fantastic news! You need to make a visit home soon, so we can meet him.”
My head falls back against the wall. Damn it, Brent! The last thing we need to do is drive to Charlotte and have a meet-the-parents session. I sigh and say, “We’ll see. We’re both very busy.” She’d have a fit if I immediately told her no. The mention of a man does partially do the trick because she wants to know about him instead of pestering me about how I’m feeling about my sister’s pregnancy.
I have to endure and evade her intrusive questions for who knows how long before she finally lets me hang up. The next time I see Brent, he will definitely know that his bright idea backfired. It does bring up the question of how my parents will react when they eventually find out about us. Will they react like Kayla or will they be supportive? The last thing I need is to give my parents more reasons to be disappointed that I couldn’t even find a man good enough for them.
The thing is, Brent is good enough. I can already see that. If they can’t, then they’re blind. It’s as simple as that.
Later that day, I’m at work and things are a bit slow. I haven’t had a customer in half an hour and only one in the half hour before that. It’s very odd, but I’m not complaining. With nothing in particular to do, I help a co-worker return clothes to their racks for our section. When a pair of hands clutch my waist, a startled yelp leaks from my mouth as a person chuckles behind me. The hands turn me and I’m face to face with Brent.
I slap his shoulder. “Are you crazy? Why would you scare me like that?”
“For fun.” He grins. “I wanted to talk to you, but I knew you were working, so I decided to drop by. Plus, it was either this or work. I chose you.”
A stupid smile overtakes my face. “I’m glad to hear that. But first, I have a bone to pick with you.” Brent’s eyes crinkle in concern. “I decided to tell my mother what you said, that I’m too busy with a guy to worry about anything else. It backfired big time. My parents want to meet you now.”
To my surprise, Brent smiles. “Let’s do it then.”
“What?” I squeak.
“Your parents can be jackasses. If I meet them and they say something rude to you while I’m there, I get to tell them off in the nicest way possible. It would be a pleasure to tell them what you probably want to say but don’t.”
I laugh. “You’re terrible. I need to keep you far, far away from my parents.” Although, it warms my heart to hear that he’ll stand up to them. “What did you come here to tell me?”
He takes the clothes from my hands and holds them for me while I continue to work. “I talked to Kayla after you left.” My eyes fly over to meet his. “She’s going to try to get used to the idea.” He sounds way more hopeful than I feel. “We also decided we’re going on an Alaskan cruise for my birthday.”
“Oh, that’s awesome! I bet y’all will have a ton of fun.”
“I’m sure we will. Would you like to come with us?”
I drop the shirt I’m holding and Brent bends down to pick it up. “Are you crazy?” I ask for the second time tonight. “How do you know we’re ready to be trapped on a ship for what? A week? Plus, Kayla doesn’t even like me.”
“We have a couple of months to get her to like you and I’d love to be trapped on a ship with you.” His smile almost makes me say yes on the spot. “It’ll be right after finals. Use that trust you give so easily and say you’ll come with me. Be my birthday present.”
“How much is the trip? When do you need to know? Walk and talk,” I add when I spot a customer at the register. He tells me how much the trip costs, the dates, and that if I choose to go, it’ll be us in a room and Logan, Kayla, and Gregory in another. The idea that I’ll be tagging along on a family vacation makes me uneasy, especially considering the current circumstances. I don’t know what to do.
The customer leaves and I turn to face a hopeful Brent.
“I don’t know, Brent,” I admit. “You’re asking me to come on a family vacation and as far as we know, you’re the only one okay with me coming.”
Brent grabs my belt loops and pulls until the front of my thighs touch his legs. “It’s not really a family vacation. It’s my birthday trip. If it’ll make you feel better, I can clear it with the kids before we book your spot. But you have to come, Jamie.” He dips his head and kisses my neck. “You make me extra happy and I want to be extra happy on my birthday trip.”
Oh, now how can I say no to that? “You play dirty,” I whisper, causing him to chuckle and look at me.
“So, if the kids are good with you coming, you’ll come?”
“Yes, I’ll come.”
Brent grins, sweeps me up in his arms, and kisses me. My body relaxes in his arms. Just as I reach up to sweep my fingers through that crazy good head of hair he has, he pulls away and says, “Sorry. I’ll let you work now that I know you’ll go with us.” He steps away from me.
“I’m going to have to keep an eye on you, Brent.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re a man who makes sure he gets what he wants. It makes me a little wary.”
Brent laughs, kisses my cheek, and says, “See you in the morning, hon,” before walking away.
“It’s official. You’re coming with us,” Brent says when we meet again to run Tuesday morning.
“Did you have to bribe them?” I ask, causing him to laugh.
“No. I asked if they would care if you came with us, they said no, and I said good because the only way you would come is if they were okay with it.”
I still can’t believe I’m agreeing to go on a trip with him and his family, or that I’m going to Alaska, which sounds really cool. At some point, I suppose I should let my parents know.
As we head inside for Brent to cook breakfast as part of our post-run routine, my cheeks ache from grinning at the sight of a big box of hot chocolate on the kitchen counter. This is especially perfect because I didn’t have time to stop this morning to buy one.
“Brent, you are perfect. Thank you.”
He glances over from his spot at the stove and smiles. “Welcome. Just wanted to make sure I had some if you ever wanted it. Mugs are in that cabinet if you want some this morning.” He nods toward a nearby cabinet.
I’m nearly giddy as I go about fixing myself a mug of hot chocolate. What he did may not be much, but it was still a thoughtful act and I’m excited about it. I love my hot chocolate, especially in the mornings.
“What days off do you have this week?” Brent asks.
“I’m off tonight and tomorrow.” I take a sip of my hot chocolate and ogle his entire backside from his shoulders to his butt to those delicious runner’s legs. “But I have a stupid paper to work on tonight.”
“Would you like to do something tomorrow then?”
“We could always have a night in. Or go out to dinner and then come here.” How do calves even look that good and muscular?
Brent’s laughter snaps me out of my staring and drags my gaze upward to see him looking at me from over his shoulder. “See something you like?”
“Most definitely.”
“I asked you which you’d rather do. Stay in tonight or go out tomorrow?” He brings over two bowls of eggs and grits and then grabs himself something to drink before sitting down next to me.
“Do I get to spend the night if I come tonight?”
He smiles. “You’re always welcome to spend the night, hon.”
Before I can reply, his phone rings from somewhere nearby. He lets it ring, but then it goes off again. Brent stands and goes to answer it. When he groans, I worry about who’s calling.
“Hey, Shannon. What can I do for you?” His eyes widen a bit and then he says, “Oh, congrats. That’s great. When are you telling the kids?” A few seconds pass while he listens and then he frowns. “You don’t need to do that. There’s no need for me to come. You can’t stand me, Shannon. Why would you invite me?” Brent rol
ls his eyes at whatever she says for at least a minute or two. “Fine. Let me know and I’ll show up. Bye.”
He grumbles under his breath as he sets his phone down on the kitchen counter and returns to the table.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
“No. My ex-wife’s boyfriend apparently proposed and she said yes. They are having a quick, small wedding in a few weeks and she’s inviting me. Insisting I show up! The woman doesn’t like me. Why do I need to go to her damn wedding anyway? She’s getting married. Great. I don’t need to be there because I’m the ex-husband. Right?”
“I would think so,” I hesitantly answer. “Maybe it’s because you’re the father of her children?”
Brent glares at me as if I’m his ex-wife. “That’s part of it. Supposedly, she’s over her intense dislike of me and thinks this will help us start fresh. It sounds like a load of bullshit to me. I don’t need to start fresh and I don’t need to attend a damn wedding.”
“So don’t go.” I don’t understand why he’d go if he doesn’t want to.
“You don’t understand my ex-wife. For some reason, she thinks I need to be there and she pulled out every reason imaginable including reminding me how I ruined her life and made her suffer in a terrible marriage. If showing up for a stupid wedding will actually get her off my back, I’ll go.” He stabs his breakfast with his spoon and slowly, a smile rises on his face as he looks at me. “And you’re going with me.”
“What? No way. I draw the line at ex-wives’ weddings, Brent.” I stand and carry my bowl and mug over to the sink. “And you have no time to beg because I have to leave.”
“There will be plenty of time tonight,” he reminds me.
I kiss him on the cheek since he just put a spoonful of food in his mouth. “Don’t make me change my mind,” I tease. “Text me when you want me to come over.” He goes to stand to walk me out, but I push him down with my hand on his shoulder. “Finish eating and I’ll see you later.”
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