We both laughed, walking hand in hand into the beautiful cottage, then up to our room, where a lavish dinner of fresh fruit, divine finger sandwiches, and chilled wine was already laid out on a red plaid blanket spread on the floor.
“A grown-up picnic,” I said. “It’s perfect.”
“You’re perfect.”
I turned and there he was, standing there with that lopsided grin I’d grown to love, a small box in his hand and his heart on his sleeve.
“What’s that?”
“Open it,” he said. “Happy month-a-versary.”
I laughed, then produced the gift I’d brought him. “Great minds, I guess,” I said with a wink. I opened my box, and gasped when I saw the perfect ring inside.
It was a simple, wide band, with the same tree carved into it. The symbol of life, love, and family. It was hope embodied, and Jonas had chosen it for me. My hands were shaking as I slid it on the ring finger of my right hand.
“It’s a promise ring,” he said. “It’s too soon to get engaged, but I want to make my intention clear." He put his hand under my chin and tilted my face toward him. “I’m in this for the long run.”
I nodded, too overwhelmed to speak, and watched him open his box. He sucked in a quick breath when he saw it, then he looked at the tree on my ring and back to the necklace again. “Does this tree mean something? I thought it was just a tree.”
“It’s so much more,” I said, explaining the meaning.
I knew the instant he realized the significance of the tiny “apples” bejeweled in the tree. “How did you do this, Arthur? Did you have it made?”
“Nope. The jewels were already the same color as our birthstones.”
“Wow. What are the odds?”
“I’d say they’re pretty slim,” I said. “More proof that we were meant to be."
He was still smiling wide when he wrapped me in his arms and kissed me. Then he grabbed my hand and led me away from the meal spread out in the main area. “Dinner will keep,” he said. “Some things can’t wait.”
Jonas
I led Arthur into the bedroom, but bypassed the bed altogether. It was big, and the linens were divine, but the crown jewel of the room was the balcony at the back of the house. When Arthur realized where I’d taken him, he looked around, admiring the lush acre that was planted so that none of the neighboring houses were visible.
The moon cast a soft glow on the garden below, reflecting off the ripples on the small pond near the weeping willow tree.
“This is beautiful,” Arthur said.
“We’re the only ones checked in,” I said, as I unbuttoned my shirt and dropped it on the balcony floor.
He arched an eyebrow, watching me slowly remove my clothes until I was completely naked. The cool wind felt wonderful on my skin, but I was focused on Arthur. I helped him get naked, then smiled wickedly at him and turned to grab the railing.
I heard a low, guttural sound that sounded almost like a growl, then I felt his hands on me, running over my backside and my hips. Then his body was against mine, and he was kissing my neck.
He nipped a little, revving up my excitement as he rubbed himself against my backside. I arched my back until the head of his cock was pressing against me. “I’m ready,” I whispered.
“I see." He put his hands on the railing, and I threaded my fingers through his so that we were holding the same part of the twisted iron together.
“We have all night to make love,” I said, teasing him, making my needs clear. “This time, you don’t have to be gentle.”
He kissed my neck again, then slid inside me, and I moaned from the sheer pleasure of his wide shaft forcing my body to stretch around him. “You’re so fucking hot,” he said, when I arched my back more and pushed against him to take every inch of his shaft.
“You inspire me,” I said; then he began thrusting, and I couldn’t think about anything but him inside me, and the sounds of the world around us as he rode me hard and fast.
When he reached around to grab my cock, I stopped him. “You first, please,” I begged.
His hands tightened on mine, and he slammed into me. It was rough, and fast, and I loved it.
Then his breath caught, and I was flooded with his heat while he clung to me. He called my name, his hips moving so fast I could barely keep up, then fell against my back, drawing deep, shuddering breaths.
Arthur was still inside me. I tensed around him, and he froze. “You didn’t—” he began.
“I will this time,” I said with a laugh.
He was still hard. I worked my hips, stroking and teasing him, until he’d caught his breath and was ready to go again. His fingers dug into my hips and he pulled me roughly against him instead of thrusting into me, the sensation exciting as I struggled to find my footing. Then my body found his rhythm, and I was there on that balcony, naked and bent over, Arthur’s wide cock inside me, staking his claim.
He was still inside me when I came, my moans echoing into the night and carrying up to the sky. Arthur was right behind me, chasing his own pleasure and holding onto me for dear life.
We made love in the bed after that, then he fed me dinner, and we took a bath in the garden tub with jacuzzi jets before crawling into bed completely naked. We left the balcony door open and snuggled into the massive bed together, completely exhausted, and more in love than I’d ever been in my life.
Arthur was everything I’d ever wanted in a man. Taking a chance on a man I’d never dreamed I’d mess with had turned into the best decision of my life.
I was in love. After years of failed dates and one-night stands, it was an amazing feeling.
23
Jonas
“Are we volunteering tomorrow?” Eddie asked, as we pulled up to Arthur’s house Saturday afternoon. “If we are, I need to stop by our house on the way so I can grab some things I forgot. I wanna show Mr. Smith the coin I found.”
“You’ll have to show him next week,” I said with a smile. “Or we can go to Hopeway House another day this week. This weekend is all about family, and we’re going to start by turning off our cell phones and making pizzas together.”
I put my hand out, and he handed over his phone. “Arthur’s never going to take Leo’s cell phone away,” he grumbled.
“Maybe not, but I parent by example, and I’m not going to let you get away with everything Leo’s been getting away with for years. They’ll catch up, and things will be equal. Until then, we do what we’ve always done.”
“Fine,” he said, but he wasn’t mad. He was giving me a hard time, testing boundaries and pushing limits like any other teen.
“Thanks, Eddie. I appreciate you being a good example for Leo. Change is hard enough, but if he sees you continue on without stressing out about it, he’ll know it isn’t that big of a deal.”
We got out of the car and Leo met us at the door, a big smile on his face. “I hope you guys are hungry, because we have every topping imaginable." He leaned closer to Eddie. “I bet I can get my crust bigger than yours.”
“It’s not a competition, Leo,” Eddie said with a dramatic roll of his eyes.
“That’s what you say when you know I’m going to win.”
The two boys took off for the kitchen, and Arthur stepped out. We kissed, then I took his hand and we stood outside in the warmth of the afternoon sun for a few moments.
“Did you hear that?” I asked.
“I know competition is aggressive, but—”
“No,” I said, too excited to hold back and wait my turn to speak. “He could have easily called Eddie a loser. But instead, he used positive, personal language. Rather than pawning his feelings off on everyone else, he’s owning them. That’s a huge step." I shook my head, laughing. “And a little healthy competition is good for teens.”
“We might have to agree to disagree on the competition thing,” Arthur said, winking to show that he was just joking. “Come on. We have so much planned for tonight.”
I held his
hand, stopping him from going inside. “What about Leo? Any headway on the promise ring?”
He sighed. “He’s still upset about it, but I can’t pinpoint why. He likes you, he likes Eddie, and he’s happier than he’s been in a long time. But he’s still angry about the ring." Arthur shrugged. “I asked him why, but he just blew me off.”
“Maybe he can’t explain it.”
“You’re probably right. I’m not going to worry about it. He’s welcome to his opinions, but I’m learning that he has to know his place and I need to know mine.”
“Eddie always tells me to stay in my lane,” I laughed.
“That’s exactly it,” Arthur said.
We walked into the house to find Eddie and Leo already finishing up their pizzas. Leo had the oven on, and together, they were reading the instructions from the family cookbook. Their heads were close, both mouths moving as they read along and did their best to decipher what was on the page. Then they went to the oven, and with only a little heated discussion, they got their pies in the oven and the timer set.
I stood close to Arthur, our hips brushing as we reached across the bar to pick our ingredients. Every touch reminded me of the night we’d shared in the B&B, and all the ups and downs we’d managed over the past two months. It was crazy to think that the decision to give the next guy a chance before I cut and run had made such a difference in my life. And in Eddie’s.
We finished topping our pizzas just as the boys took theirs out of the oven. Without us asking, Leo and Eddie took our pizzas and put them in the oven with a flourish, as if they were waiters and chefs, serving us at a fancy restaurant.
“That was unexpected,” I whispered in Arthur’s ear while the pair rummaged around in the fridge and brought us something to drink.
He nodded and put his arm around my waist as we basked in the glory of our hard work and loving Leo through all his bad choices. What we’d learned at the seminar was working.
I was envisioning our video blurb for the seminar success stories page when the doorbell rang. Leo froze, but Arthur only tilted his head in confusion and went to the kitchen door, which led to his driveway.
I had an unobstructed view of the man standing in the doorway, flowers in hand, a huge grin on his face. He was blond, tall and slender, with dazzling blue eyes.
“Arthur,” he said warmly. “It’s so good to see you.”
Then he kissed Arthur, and my mouth dropped open.
Arthur
I was still trying to figure out who the stranger on my doorstep was when his lips touched mine, and he locked me inside his embrace. I pulled back, gasping, frantic for air and distance from this crazy moment where everything seemed impossible, yet this stranger knew my name.
“Let go of me,” I said, hands on his chest, shoving him hard. I wiped my sleeve across my lips, but I could still taste the cinnamon ice breaker that he’d pocketed in his cheek. “You have me confused with someone else.”
“I could never confuse a man like you for any other,” the man said. He reached out for me, and I slapped his hand away.
The man smiled. “I like a feisty lover. When you said you liked to play hard to get, I was hoping you weren’t just teasing.”
He moved closer again and I retreated, stopping in my doorway to keep the madness out of my house. There wasn’t enough distance between us to close the door in his face without injuring him, but if he tried to kiss me again, my concern for his well-being wouldn’t stop me anymore.
He furrowed his brow and scowled at me. “I can’t stand men who talk a big game online, like they’re some kind of magical being, then you recoil when it’s time to pay up.”
“What are you talking about?" I looked over my shoulder at Jonas and Eddie. They were standing there, dumbfounded, but it was Leo who had my attention. When our eyes met, he turned away, and I knew. “Leave, now,” I said.
“It’s too late to cancel my reservations without being charged. If you weren’t interested in real-life dating, you should’ve told me you wanted to keep it online.”
“Arthur?” Jonas queried from where he stood.
“I’ve got this, Jonas,” I snapped, then turned on the man. “How much will you be billed?” I pulled out my wallet. “I’ll pay it; I just want you gone.”
I heard rustling behind me and turned, keeping my hand on the door jamb to keep the stranger out while my eyes were averted. “Jonas, where are you going?”
“We’ll talk later,” Jonas said. “It looks like you need to get your house in order before we move forward.”
“Jonas, I’ve never met this man. I’m not meeting men online.”
But Jonas didn’t respond. He just looked at me with an expression that broke my heart in two, then took his son and walked out the front door.
I turned back to the man; he was smiling. I’d never wanted to slap the smirk off anyone’s face so badly, and what he said next nearly threw me over the edge.
“Now that your life is a little less complicated, what do you say to dinner?”
“I say, make sure you’re not being baited by someone’s teenager before you make real-life dates with someone." I shook my head. “I don’t know how you fell for it; Leo’s grammar is horrendous. Even when he’s trying to be more adult, he sounds like a teenager. I’m sorry your time was wasted."
I pulled some cash out of my wallet. “I have sixty bucks. It’s yours. Sorry for the trouble, but I don’t have an online dating profile, and I don’t know you.”
The man moved his hand from my door frame to take the money, and I took that opportunity to close the door and lock the deadbolt. I was incredulous when he turned the knob and pushed the door, then growled angrily and gave the wall a kick in anger.
I hurried to the front door to lock it, too, since Jonas and Eddie had exited that way, then watched out the blinds in the living room until I saw the man pull out of the driveway. His tires squealed, and the car fishtailed. He must’ve seen me watching, because he rolled down the window and flipped my house off, then turned his death metal music all the way up so that the walls thumped until he was out of the neighborhood.
I turned to find Leo standing there, his face wet with tears, looking more remorseful and dejected than I ever thought he could. “I can’t talk to you right now,” I said.
“Dad, I’m—”
“I can’t talk to you right now,” I repeated quietly. I turned my back, and he choked on an angry sob before he fled the room and pounded up the stairs.
The house shook when he slammed the door, but it was nothing compared to the quaking of my body as my world came crumbling down around me. My own son had crossed the line to make sure that Jonas would think I was cheating on him.
I didn’t know what to do about that, and right then, in that moment, I knew there was nothing I could do.
I was numb. I was furious, and I was crushed.
24
Arthur
I didn’t speak to Leo that night. I was angry and hurt, in no shape to face the problem with the kindness and patience that my son needed from me. So I did what Leo would do, and slept through my problems.
When I woke up the next morning, the numb feeling had been replaced with crippling despair.
I walked through the house in a daze. Half-cooked, half-eaten pizza was still spread out on the kitchen counters. I wonder who turned off the oven, I wondered, but I was sure it was Jonas. He was always so thoughtful, and he would worry that in my emotional state, I might forget to turn it off and burn the pizza and the house down.
I didn’t know why, but that realization made the pain that had settled in my chest nearly ten times heavier. It would’ve been easier if Jonas was a thoughtless jerk.
I knocked on Leo’s door and entered without waiting for a response. He was sitting on his bed, arms wrapped around his pillow, looking every bit like the little boy I’d gone to pick up at the group home so many years ago.
“Do you hate me?” he asked quietly.
“Why d
id you do it?”
He took a deep breath and exhaled an avalanche of tears, breaking down into fresh sobs and rocking with his pillow clutched to his chest. “Because I don’t want you to leave me!” he shouted when he finally spoke.
“I’m trying so hard to be the son you always wanted, and I just can’t. I can’t be like Eddie. I can’t do anything right, and I know you’re just going to throw me away like everyone else did. I’m damaged, and I’m never gonna be good enough.”
He flopped onto the bed, and his shoulders shook with each sob. His words sank in one devastating declaration at a time.
I’m trying so hard.
I’ll never be good enough.
I’m damaged.
Things we’d all thought at one time or another, but somehow moved past. My heart shattered into a million pieces as the implications set in.
My own son had set me up with a stranger on the internet because he was afraid that we would blend him right out of our new family.
I sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing his back, running my fingers through his hair like I had when he was little and his feelings were too big to handle.
We sat like that until his sobs quieted and he turned his head my way. He looked off into his pain, eyes glazed over, his thoughts surely a mess of hormones, broken dreams, and the trauma of all he’d endured in his short life.
“Do you hate me?”
“No, Leo. I don’t hate you.”
“But you’re mad.”
“I’m upset and confused, but I think I’m starting to understand.”
“I’m sorry." He wiped the tears from his face. “Is Jonas going to leave us now?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know, Leo. I really don’t.”
“What can I do to fix this?”
“You’re going to have to own up to what you did and admit your mistake.”
“They’ll think I’m a jerk.”
I chuckled. “I don’t want to shock you, but I think that ship has sailed and returned to port a few times, Leo. You haven’t exactly been easy to handle.”
Dr. Perfect: A Contemporary Romance Bundle Page 36