“And you need to change how you deal with Leo. He’s crying out for attention, and the way you reacted just proved to him that he’s not good enough.”
He opened his mouth like he was going to argue, closed his mouth again, and let out a huge sigh. “I’m not happy about what you did tonight, and I’m a little perturbed about this right here. But a real man admits when he can do better, even if that message is coming from a kid.”
“So you’ll try?”
“I’ll try. But no more pot, okay?”
“It was CBD oil, and I won’t without permission.”
He ruffled my hair and pulled me in for another hug. “I’ll talk to Arthur in the morning. We could both use a little guidance, and I think I know exactly where to go.”
Leo
Arthur was on my ass as soon as we were out of the driveway. “Leo, what were you thinking? Come on, man. You know how Jonas is.”
“Chill, Arthur,” I said, leaning back in my seat and smiling. “It wasn’t even CBD. It was the herbal relax blend with the chocolate flavoring.”
Arthur looked at me, surprise all over his face. “Really? What was the point of that?”
I shrugged. “He’s a total stress case. I was trying to calm him down. It’s good for him.”
“It is; but Leo, that’s a decision for his father to make. You don’t get to say whether someone else’s kid use herbs in a vape pen, no matter what we both think about it.”
“Whatever. Did you have a good time?”
“I was having a great time until we came home and Jonas was sure you were giving his son drugs.”
“Maybe he shouldn’t be unreasonable,” I shot back. “He should ask, instead of just making assumptions.”
Arthur pulled the car over, put it in park and turned in his seat to look at me. I expected him to be the same old Arthur, about to explain to me why the world didn’t get us; but he was angry, and I backed away until I was against my door.
“I need you to listen and understand me very clearly,” he said. “You are a child, we are the adults. Jonas doesn’t need to ask you anything before making assumptions. You need to quit acting out and trying to cause problems.
“Don’t think I’m too stupid to realize that you did that right when we got home on purpose. You were trying to cause a scene, and it’s not going to work.”
“Fine, whatev,” I said, turning to look out the window.
We drove the rest of the way in silence, and as soon as he pulled into our driveway, I got out of the car and ran to my room. I slammed the door behind me and leaned against it.
Closing my eyes against the hot tears that threatened, I slid down the door and sat on the plush carpet. For a moment, I forgot where I was and almost stood up; but then I remembered that I was home, safe, and I would never have to worry about what might be crawling around on the floor, like I had before Arthur had adopted me.
I swiped at my eyes with my sleeve and shook my head. Jonas was not going to take my life away from me. I couldn’t be like Eddie, and there was no way Jonas was ever going to see me as anything other than a total screwup. I had to do something, and it had to be bigger than just a few herbs in a vape pen.
I opened the internet on my phone and an ad popped up. I was about to swipe it away when it hit me. This was it. The answer to my problems, and the only thing that would make sure I had my dad all to myself. I clicked the ad and couldn’t help but smile.
“I’ll make sure Jonas never calls Arthur again.” I laughed, then filled out the online form and put my plan into motion.
19
Jonas
I was still struggling with what had happened the night before when Arthur’s number appeared on my cell phone screen. I toyed with the idea of letting it go to voicemail, but in the end, I decided that I couldn’t hold Arthur responsible for every stupid decision Leo made. “Hey,” I said, grabbing it at the penultimate ring before it went to voicemail.
“Don’t say anything,” Arthur said. “I need to tell you that I’m sorry; you were right about Leo needing a different style of parenting." He took a deep breath. “And not that it makes it any better, but that wasn’t CBD in the vape pen.”
The air rushed out of my chest. “What?”
“Leo was just being an ass. It’s an herbal blend, one hundred percent the regular herbs you can get from the grocery store in the health food department. He stuck a chocolate flavor cartridge in it to make it more tolerable. It’s like kava kava, and St. John’s Wort, and something else. Totally harmless. But I know that’s not the point.”
“I don’t know what those things are, but if you say I can pick them up anywhere, then I believe you.”
He let out an audible sigh on the other end. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
“Listen, I had a great time last night, and I was thinking. There’s a guest speaker at our church this afternoon.”
“I thought church was Sundays,” he said.
“It is. But we have volunteering again tomorrow, and this speaker isn’t church. I know I’m supposed to be the expert in teen development, but I have to admit that I’m out of my depth with teens and blending families. The guest speaker is covering blending families, and how to help kids learn to go from acquaintances to siblings.”
“Siblings?”
“I know we’re not there yet, but I’ve been thinking about going, just to hear what he has to say. And after last night, I think we should both go.”
“Church isn’t really my thing.”
“That’s all right, because this isn’t church. It’s at a church, and it’s supposed to be a really good program." I shrugged, even though he couldn’t see me. “It couldn’t hurt to learn a little bit more about how to help our boys make this transition a little easier.”
He was quiet for a moment, but I just waited. One thing I’d learned about Arthur was that he did things on his own time, and he was much more amenable if I didn’t push. I knew I had him when he finally sighed.
“All right,” he said. “But just because I go doesn’t mean I subscribe to everything they’re saying.”
“Of course not. I don’t expect that I’ll go for everything he says, either.”
“What about the boys? We obviously can’t leave them alone again.”
I laughed. “See, we already agree on something. I was already going to go, so I have Gina booked until late tonight; we can have dinner afterwards, if you’re up for it."
When he didn’t answer right away, I hurriedly added, “I know I overreacted last night, and it’s okay if you need a little romantic space after that, and—”
“Stop,” he said, his deep chuckle setting my soul aflame. “You reacted fine last night. My kid screwed up, and he needs to see that it’s not acceptable. Don’t ever make excuses for your authentic feelings. You love Eddie, and you’re protective of him. You wouldn’t be a good father if you weren’t.”
I felt the tension drain out of my body. “I don’t know how you do that.”
“Do what?”
“Just accept people and their actions at face value like that. You’re so balanced and so calm.”
“Selling health and wellness isn’t just about pimping herbs." He laughed. “Sorry, someone said it to me just like that, and I never got over how insulted I was. But really, wellness is your whole being, inside and out. You can’t medicate a crappy attitude away, or Leo would be much more pleasant to be around.”
This time, we both laughed. “You’re just amazing, Arthur. I mean it. I’ll have to pick your brain about some of the non-medicinal things you do. I’ve been told I’m wound pretty tight.”
“I like you tight,” Arthur said, and I felt the familiar yearning to hold him well inside me. It felt like a lifetime since we’d made love, and an eternity until we would find time to be together again.
“You’re quiet. Did I say something wrong?”
“No,” I said quickly. “I was just thinking about last night, and how I couldn’t wait to s
ee you again.”
“You’ll see me in a few hours,” he said, his tone heavy with meaning.
“That’s not the same. You know what I mean. It was just—” I broke off, not sure how to describe the time I’d spent in his arms. “You are the piece that has been missing from my life for a long time. I just can’t get enough.”
“I know the feeling,” Arthur said. “I’ll meet you at your house, and we can ride over together.”
“Sounds good,” I said, then hung up the phone and tried to still my fluttering heart. This was more serious than I’d expected it to be by now, and for the first time in as long as I could remember, the thought of spending the rest of my life with one man didn’t terrify me.
I was ready. I just hoped that Arthur’s feelings went as deep as mine.
* * *
Leo was grumpy on the way over to Jonas’s house later that day, but when we got closer, I could see his excitement grow despite the walls he kept putting up. He genuinely liked Eddie, and the teens had fun together.
When I pulled into the driveway, I grabbed Leo’s backpack before he could. “This is staying in the car,” I said. “I don’t want a repeat of last night.”
“You’re such an ass, Arthur,” he said, but I could tell his heart wasn’t in the jab. He knew he’d messed up.
Not fighting me over the backpack was as close as I was going to get to an apology, for now. But I was hoping to pick up some helpful tips at the seminar.
Jonas smiled and gave Leo a warm hello as they passed on the walkway, but Leo didn’t say a word. Our eyes met and Jonas just shrugged, jogging to the car and smiling. “He’ll get there,” he said, his voice hopeful. “He puts on a good show, but I’m chipping away at his defenses.”
“Your car or mine?”
“Yours is fine. You never really get to drive.”
“All right, let me just put my bong in the trunk, and—” I trailed off, and his eyebrow shot up. “I’m joking. I am going to put Leo’s backpack in there, though.
“I can’t guarantee that he doesn’t have something ridiculous in his pockets, but he was surprised I took his backpack. I don’t think he had a plan B for today.”
“Hey, sometimes that’s all you can do.”
I let him point out the way to the church, my left hand on the wheel, my right hand holding his. When we finally got there, the massive, elaborate building filled with gorgeous stained glass took my breath away. I started to pull my hand from his, but he stopped me.
“It’s okay here,” he said, knowing exactly what I was worried about. “I wouldn’t go to a church that belittled who I am as a person. Especially since I have a son."
He looked into my eyes and smiled. “And if you were the only one with a son, I would still care just as much about making sure they never felt shamed for who their family was.”
Relief washed over me. “That’s good to hear. I was a little worried.”
He shook his head, then kissed the top of my head. “There will be a lot of couples like you and me.”
“I doubt anyone has found a man as wonderful as you,” I said, only half teasing. “But I’m sure many have tried.”
He blushed ever so slightly, and I kissed him impulsively, then pulled away and flicked my eyes in the direction of the church. “It’s time to get started.”
“We could leave,” he said, his expression saucy, eyes twinkling with mischief.
“No. We have all our lives to enjoy each other. But it will be a lot simpler when we have our kids on the right path." I grabbed a notebook and a pencil. “I’m ready for this.”
He grin was still a mile wide when we got out of the car and he took my hand. We were in this together, and we were going to emerge victorious.
Our sons depended on us, and it was nice to finally find a man who took that responsibility as seriously as I did.
20
Arthur
When we arrived at Hopeway House Sunday morning, I was still feeling excited about everything Jonas and I had learned the day before. And when Mrs. Granger smiled and handed us each a blueprint for a separate project, I felt like the universe had aligned.
“You’ll be working side by side, so if you want to hand the boys the plans for the locking pantry that will go inside the garden shed, you can. Or you can divide it up however you want." She smiled. “You can even work on one, then the other, as a foursome. It’s entirely up to you.”
Jonas looked at me, and I nodded. It was the perfect opportunity to put some of the things we’d learned at the seminar to use. I cleared my throat, certain that the information would go over better with Leo if he thought it was my idea.
“I think now is a good time for us two dads to get to know each other’s kids a little better. I’ll pair with Eddie on the locking cabinet, and Jonas and Leo can assemble the garden shed.”
I could feel Leo’s energy as he turned sharply and looked at me, but I didn’t look his way, and I didn’t give him any indication that I was paying attention. He was being dramatic as a defense mechanism because change made him feel uncomfortable. After learning about all the ways teens use emotional blackmail to control situations they’re afraid of, I’d decided that I wasn’t going to feed the drama.
Jonas noticed, too, but he made no mention of it. When Leo finally leaned back, resigned to his fate, a slow smile spread across Jonas’s face.
“I see you two have figured things out,” Mrs. Granger said, clearly not talking about the projects. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”
I didn’t give Leo a chance to say anything. I smiled at Eddie and motioned toward the door. “Let’s go take a look at what we’re up against.”
Eddie looked at his dad, but Jonas was looking at Leo. Eddie knew when he was outmaneuvered. And unlike Leo, he wasn’t going to fight it.
As promised, the two projects were close together, and there were not enough tools to go around. Even working on two separate projects, we ended up working together a lot. I focused on the task at hand, really enjoying Eddie’s energy, and the calm, methodical way he approached problems.
Leo wasn’t quite as laidback about working with Jonas, but as I watched Jonas handle every curveball that Leo threw his way, I fell a little more in love. Leo was no match for Jonas, now that he’d learned a thing or two about navigating the challenges of blending a family.
“Damnit!” Leo yelled, and my heart skipped a beat.
I knew that sound, and it took everything I had not to run to him. The hammer he’d been wielding bounced off the ground and skidded to a stop at Eddie’s feet.
Eddie picked it up on his way to grab the first-aid kit from a picnic bench nearby. He handed both to his dad, then came back to our area and kept working.
I was only half paying attention to what I was doing while I listened to Jonas care for my son. “Let me see it,” Jonas said calmly. “You don’t have to look if you don’t want to, but I can’t help you if I can’t see how bad it is.”
Leo bit his lip and turned his head, but he didn’t shed a single tear. The corner of Jonas’s mouth twitched when Leo opened the hand that was holding his thumb, but Jonas recovered quickly.
“It’s not that bad, but you’re definitely going to lose that nail.”
“Gross,” Leo said.
“It doesn’t look like it will be a problem, but if it starts to feel like it’s swelling beneath the nail, let us know.”
“Why, what does that mean?”
Jonas chuckled, gently cleaning the area and bandaging the entire thumb to give Leo a buffer, so bumping it didn’t hurt too badly. “It just means there’s blood pooling beneath the nail. It’s a super easy fix, but if you let it go too long, it’s painful.”
“How do they fix it?”
“They drill a tiny hole in the top of your nail to release the pressure.”
Leo wrinkled his nose. “That’s disgusting.”
Jonas shrugged. “It’s just part of building things." He tied off the bandage and admired his
handiwork. “How does that feel?”
“All right.”
“Good. Let’s get back to work. We wouldn’t want the other team beating us.”
Leo stood a little straighter and shot a glance in Eddie’s direction. Then he did something none of us expected, and stuck his tongue out at Eddie. The gesture was playful, and the first time in years I’d seen my boy let loose and just be a kid.
I bit back my emotions, and when Jonas caught my eye, I mouthed the words Thank you. He nodded, and we went back to our projects as if the most miraculous transformation wasn’t taking place right in front of our very eyes.
It was hours later when I unwrapped Leo’s thumb to assess the damage. “It looks a lot better,” he said before I could say anything.
“It doesn’t look bad at all, now. Does it hurt?”
“Not much. I don’t need a bandage." Instead of tossing the ball of gauze onto the ground, he wadded it up carefully, then looked around the parking lot. “Can I throw this away?”
“Sure,” I said.
I checked my missed calls while I watched him jog across the parking lot to the trash can by the front doors. He even made a point to wave at Jonas and Eddie. A single voicemail waited for me. It was Principal Moss, and she sounded almost giddy.
“I just received a call from the director of the program at Hopeway House. It seems that both boys have made significant headway, and after speaking with her, we’d like to invite both boys to come to school as early as tomorrow. If Leo needs an extra day to transition, Tuesday is fine as well. If you have any questions, please call me. If not, I’ll see you and Leo soon.”
Leo was making his way back to the car when Jonas stopped his car next to mine and rolled his window down. “Principal Moss call you?”
“She did,” I said, beaming. “I think we should do something special.”
Jonas nodded, and Eddie looked a little confused. “Main Attraction.”
“Perfect,” I said, just as Leo reached the car.
Dr. Perfect: A Contemporary Romance Bundle Page 34