by Parker, Ali
“I don’t know,” I confessed. “I like working on this program, especially with Autumn. Maybe I should take a step away from the business for a while. After that client left…”
I stared into the last few sips of my coffee, as though I could divine the answer to my question in there. Though I was pretty sure that was meant to be tea leaves.
“Or maybe you’re enjoying spending time with Autumn,” he suggested. “Maybe that’s what it is. Do you think you’d be as committed to this project if it weren’t for her?”
“I honestly have no idea,” I admitted. “I like being around her so damn much, Raymond.”
“Yeah, I can tell,” he teased, kicking me under the table. “The way you talk about her, I think it’s pretty obvious to everyone in this place.
“Yeah, well, I haven’t had a date in nearly ten years. Allow me to actually enjoy one when it comes along,” I shot back, finishing up my coffee and gesturing to the waitress for another.
“Hey, I’m not holding it against you,” Raymond assured me. “I think it’s cute that you’ve found someone after all this time. And I’m a little smug that it was Olivia who set the two of you up.”
“I don’t even know if I could count that first time as a date.” I shook my head.
“Hey, don’t try and take all the credit here,” Raymond shot back. “It was totally Olivia’s doing.”
“All right, I concede.” I held my hands up. “Your wife gets the credit.”
“Damn straight.” He leaned back in his seat triumphantly, but the sudden movement jolted the baby, and she snuffled and woke up. She stretched slightly, pushing her little fists away from her body, and I couldn’t help but smile. I could still remember my son at that age when he’d been so tiny, I’d been terrified at the thought of letting him out into the world at large because he seemed too vulnerable and delicate.
“So things are going well between you and Autumn,” Raymond finished up, and I nodded.
“Sure are,” I agreed and reached over to touch his daughter’s little hand. “Though I can’t take my eyes off this little lady at the moment.”
Raymond watched as she shuffled and sniffed again in his arms at my touch, and I leaned back before I woke her up entirely. He returned his gaze to me and cocked an eyebrow.
“You ever think about having any more kids?” he asked. “With Autumn, maybe?”
“Hey, hey.” I held my hands up. “We’ve only been hanging out a few weeks. Let’s put the brakes on the wife and two kids for now, all right?”
He grinned. “All right. But it must have crossed your mind. I mean, she’s so good with kids, being a teacher and all, and it seems like Hunter loves her.”
I eyed him for a moment and shrugged. If I was being honest with myself, I had allowed my mind to stray a little bit toward what a future with Autumn might look like. How would it feel to be working from home and hear her come through the door, toss her shoes off, and throw her coat onto the rack and then find me for a kiss? How nice it would be to take her out to Hunter’s favorite spot and play games together all evening as a family—and yeah, sure, maybe even having another kid when the time was right if she was open to it. But we hadn’t so much as talked about what a future would look like between the two of us, and I would freak her all the way out if I was to suddenly start talking marriage and kids. When you had a child, it felt as though all dating automatically clicked up to the next level of seriousness whether you liked it or not. Autumn had to know that, but that didn’t mean I had to slide straight into “but where is this going?” mode when we hadn’t even had our second official date yet.
“Yeah, sure, but things are still so fresh,” I pointed out. “I think it would scare her off if I was to start trying to pin her down to a commitment in the next few dates, don’t you?”
“I don’t know, man.” Raymond shrugged. “I mean, when I met Olivia, things got serious pretty quickly. I knew she was the one, and that was it for me.”
“Yeah, but I bet you weren’t talking about getting her pregnant on the second date,” I pointed out, and he chuckled.
“Okay, point taken.” He raised his eyebrows. “I was wondering if you thought about it yet.”
“You’ve got babies on the brain, that’s the problem,” I remarked. He glanced down at his daughter, who had slipped back to sleep in his arms.
“I mean, can you blame me, when she’s the introduction I’ve had?” he replied. I knew exactly what he meant. No matter how hard it was, no matter how little sleep you got, no matter how crazy you felt as you were trying to keep yourself together sometimes, parenthood was addictive, thrilling, and impossibly fulfilling. I would have done it all again if I had gotten the chance, if the right person had come along at the right time and had wanted the same things I did. Maybe that was Autumn. Or maybe I needed to get to know her a little better before I started jumping to those conclusions.
“Yeah, I get it,” I agreed, and both of us fell silent for a moment, reflecting on the place fatherhood had in our lives. It was so strange to see Raymond at the start of his journey when I felt as though I was a veteran of mine, but I was proud of him. He was going to be an amazing dad to that little girl. I could see it in the way he looked at her as though he couldn’t believe his luck. Besides, he’d basically been a second father to Hunter his entire life, so it wasn’t like he was coming to this totally fresh.
“Hey, speaking of Autumn,” I began, and he glanced up at me as though he had forgotten I was even there.
“Yeah?”
“I was planning to take her out again this weekend.” I grinned. “Think there’s a chance you could watch Hunter?”
“You know we’re always happy to,” he replied. “Olivia loves having him around.”
“Excellent, thanks.” I smiled at him. “You know, if I didn’t have you around, my dating life would be a hell of a lot harder.”
“So what’s your excuse for the last ten years, huh?” he teased. “We’ve been around all this time, and you’ve barely made it out of the house.”
“All right, point taken.” I shook my head at him, laughing. “Isn’t it enough that I’m getting out there now?”
“Sure is.” Raymond nodded. “And I have a good feeling about you and Autumn. I think you’re going to go all the way. Really.”
I shrugged and took a sip of my fresh coffee. I didn’t want to admit it for fear of jinxing what I already had, but deep down in my gut, I felt that way too.
35
Autumn
“Hey, what are you guys up to?” I asked, crouching down next to the row of computers Hunter and Amelie were working on together.
“A campaign in Breadsticks.” Hunter pointed to the screen, and I creased my brow as I peered at it, trying to make sense of what was going on in front of me. If I was being totally honest, most of this stuff sailed straight over my head, but as long as they were enjoying it and it seemed age-appropriate enough, I was fine with it.
“Wow, looks great!” I remarked enthusiastically, and Amelie and Hunter exchanged grins and turned back to their screens. I got to my feet to leave them to it and wound around the rest of the room, where about a half dozen students were hanging out in small clusters on computers and playing their favorite games. They all looked as though they were having a great time, and that was the main thing. I glanced at the clock. Only a few minutes remained before I had to call time on this, which was a shame because it was getting better every time we met.
I was surprised by how well the after-school activities had taken off, especially the game club, which was a new addition to the roster and not something the school had experimented with before. I was glad the club I’d chosen to run was going down pretty well so far, that everyone seemed to be having a good time and making new friends. All I’d needed to get the quieter kids to interact was some video games and some quiet time. Who knew?
I had been keeping an eye on Hunter in particular since he’d been one of the kids I’d been mos
t worried about when it came to socializing with his peers. Amelie, the girl who seemed to have taken him under her wing, was smart and outgoing and didn’t have trouble making new friends. Perhaps if they got along well together, she would be able to draw him into her wider group.
A little zing of excitement flashed in my chest at the thought of seeing Holden soon. He always came to pick up Hunter from the activities, even though he could probably have afforded to pay someone to do it for him. A lot of the parents in this city did when they could. I thought it was sweet he still made the effort to come in and get his son himself, and hey, it gave me a chance to catch up with him before our date tomorrow night. I wondered what the hell he had planned, what could top what he had come up with last time. I bit my lip as I considered a night in instead. Yeah, all that time alone together, to do whatever we wanted? That would work for me.
“All right, guys.” I clapped my hands together, drawing the attention of everyone in the room and pushing those age-inappropriate thoughts to the back of my mind for the time being.
“That’s it for today,” I told them to a chorus of groans and some muttered protestations.
“But you’ll all be back next week, right?” I smiled at them and found a few faces peering up at me with excitement at the thought of it. Yeah, they would be back. And that was the most important thing.
As they all went to gather themselves up, I headed over to talk to Hunter and check in on how he was doing.
“How’s it going, Hunter?” I asked casually, as though I’d happened to pick him out of the rest of the group because I wanted someone to chat with. The last thing I needed was for any of the kids to feel like I was treating him differently or with some kind of special attention because of his problems.
“Good.” He grinned up at me. “I can’t wait to come back next week.”
“What are you working on with Amelie?” I asked. I was sure I wasn’t going to understand a word that came out of his mouth, but there was no harm in asking, right?
“We’re building a town together.” He glanced over at her, and she held up her hand for a high-five. He gave it to her and then laughed.
“I wish we could stay longer,” he admitted.
“But it gives you something to look forward to next time, right?” I pointed out, and he shrugged and nodded. For a second, he looked so much like his dad that it caught me off guard. It wasn’t in the way his face or his body was arranged, but in a gesture he made, a movement that reminded me he had been raised by Holden and had spent his whole life absorbing his habits and eccentricities.
“Yeah, I guess so,” he agreed, and he went to grab his bag. As he hitched it onto his shoulder, he glanced around to make sure nobody else was going to hear him and then turned to me with a serious expression on his little face.
“Thank you for doing this club.” He gestured around. “I really like it.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” I smiled at him, and he nodded at me again and slipped his arms through the straps of his bag, gripping them like he was going on a mission. Before I could say anything else, he ducked away, as though he was a little embarrassed by the admission that he liked the gaming club and was grateful to me for starting it. Kids his age were so funny. Sometimes they seemed like real children, and other times, they had that overtly self-aware teenaged thing going on like a reflection of the adolescents they were going to be. I shook my head as I watched him head out, glad I’d made an impression on him. He was talking to me a little more than he had before, and I knew that had to be a good thing in the long term. If this thing with Holden and me was going to work out, I would need to get along with his son.
As though I had conjured him with a thought, I suddenly looked up and noticed Holden standing in the door, watching me. He was leaning on the doorframe with a smile on his face and looked as though he could have stood there all day taking me in.
“Dad, can I go talk to Amelie for a minute?” Hunter asked, looking up at his father with wide eyes. “I want to work out what we’re going to do next time we get on the computers.”
“Go ahead, Hunter.” Holden nodded, and Hunter hurried off to find his friend, leaving the two of us alone.
“Of all the after-school clubs in all the world, and you had to walk into mine.” I grinned at him, knowing I was mangling the quote and not caring one little bit. I was just glad to see him.
“Seems like he’s been having a good time.” Holden nodded after Hunter.
“Yeah, I think he’s enjoying it more every time he comes in,” I said. “Seems like he and Amelie are getting closer, and she’s got a lot of friends in the school. It’ll be good for him if she takes a shine to him, and I think she’s getting a little crush on him.”
“Why wouldn’t she?” he replied playfully. “Takes after his father in the looks department, after all.”
I laughed and felt that tingle deep down in my belly. Being around him felt like a gift, any time that we could steal together a thrill, even when I knew he would have to be off again soon to get Hunter home.
“So are we still on for tomorrow night?” He cocked an eyebrow at me. I nodded.
“Sure thing,” I promised. “And can I ask what you have planned for me?”
“You know I like the surprise.” He tapped his nose.
“Yeah, I do,” I groaned. “But I never know what I’m supposed to wear!”
“Anything you want,” he assured me. “Trust me, I’m not taking you to the opera.”
“Oh, and here I was sure we were going to take in some actual culture this time around,” I shot back.
“What about ice cream isn’t cultural?” he protested.
“Fair,” I conceded, and we smiled at each other from across the room. I wanted to steal another kiss, to make out with him like we’d done in my classroom before, but that was a little risky given that there were still a bunch of kids milling around, and their parents could have stuck their heads in at any moment to talk to me.
“I guess you’ll have to wait till tomorrow to find out, huh?” he remarked, cocking an eyebrow.
“Guess I will,” I agreed. “I can’t wait.”
“Well, I suppose I should leave you wanting more,” he said with a sigh, and I laughed again.
“Oh, so you’re suddenly playing hard to get now?” I teased. “Very good.”
“Hey, a gentleman always has his tricks.” He shrugged and smiled. “See you soon, right?”
“See you soon,” I agreed, and I watched as he headed out of the room and left me to my own devices once more. I let out a breath. When I was around him, I felt as though I was filling up like a balloon, drinking in his flirtation and our chemistry until I was brimming over with the stuff. I had a big, goofy smile on my face, and it was going to be sticking around there for a good long while. Up to and including our date tomorrow night, I would wager.
Zoe brushed into the room, glancing over her shoulder to watch as Holden walked off. She raised her eyebrows at me and closed the door behind her, cocking her head to the side as she did so.
“Well, well, well, looks like you’re getting some after-school action at the moment,” she teased. I rolled my eyes and laughed.
“We’re not getting up to anything on school property,” I replied, conveniently choosing to forget our hot little make-out session the week before.
“I would be if I had my claws in someone like him,” she replied bluntly. “He’s super hot, Autumn. You’re a lucky woman.”
“Yeah, I know.” I nodded. “Guess I attract the hotties, right?”
“Well, someone has to,” she agreed. “Any luck finding out if he’s got any billionaire buddies he feels like sharing with me?”
“I don’t think you’re going to have much luck there, but I’ll keep my ear to the ground for you,” I promised. She shrugged.
“Guess I’ll have to take the initiative and go out and find one myself.” She sighed as though it was some terrible chore. “You guys going out again soon?”
I nodded. “Tomorrow night. I’m looking forward to it.”
“I’ll bet he’s got something ridiculous planned,” she said.
“I have no idea. He won’t tell me.” I pulled a face.
“Ah, a little bit of mystery only adds to the romance.” She wiggled her fingers in a mystical fashion. “Text me tomorrow and let me know how it goes, okay? Or the morning after if it goes well.”
“Will do,” I agreed, and I turned to start tidying up the classroom. Zoe helped me, chatting about the day thus far. But my mind was on everything tomorrow evening—and tomorrow night—could bring, and that buoyancy began to fill me up once more. It was going to be amazing. I knew that much.
36
Holden
I heard a knock at the door and got to my feet. She was here. She was finally here. I felt as though I had been waiting for this for months, even though it had only been a couple of hours since Hunter had left and given me time to prepare for my date. I was cooking a selection of Chinese dishes and had laid out the wine and the candles in an attempt to set the mood. I had no idea if it was coming across as cheesy or romantic, but as long as she was there, I didn’t give a damn.
I went to the door and pulled it open, finding her standing there in a pair of jeans and a light T-shirt that hung off her body in the most perfect way, drawing attention to her delicate collarbones and soft, creamy skin. I wanted to lean forward and take a bite of her, but I figured that might have been a little forward.
“Hey.” She smiled at me, and she leaned forward to plant a soft kiss right on the corner of my mouth. It sent a flood of electricity through my entire body, and it took everything I had in me not to grab her, drag her to the bedroom, and work out all the tension that had been building between us all this time. Instead, I stepped back and gestured for her to come in.
“Man, it smells great in here,” she said as she came through the door. “Are we eating in tonight?”