by Claire Adams
I held his hand as we walked into the restaurant and slid into the booth next to him, my heart overfilled just from being with him. I wanted a family. A son. Being with Vince almost let me pretend that the impossible was suddenly possible. Maybe I wouldn’t end up alone in life.
“Can I look at the menu?” he asked politely.
I requested a menu from the waiter and handed it to Vince when it arrived. “Here you go. There’s so many. Good luck.”
He smiled up at me. “Which is your favorite?”
“I like them all.” I reached over and rubbed his back. “See which you like and we’ll get that one for sure.”
“Have you made up your mind?” Bailey glanced our way, waiting for our answer.
“Cheese please!” Vince and I answered in unison.
Little Cat laughed heartily upon hearing us, finding it funny that we both had the same interest. Bailey called the waiter and gave him our orders. After the waiter had taken our orders and menus, Bailey stared at me but didn’t say anything.
As the orders came out, the kids tore the pizza up. They ate with big smiles, grateful to eat something tasty. I enjoyed the treat, adding another restaurant in my got-to-go-back-to list.
After a few minutes of eating, our table was cleared away. The plates were clean as well as the glasses. It was amazing.
I made sure Vince took his injection after we ate, being as careful as I possibly could. The cute little guy had completely forgotten about Hunter’s reminders. Maybe because he was busy playing and chatting with a new playmate.
When it was time to go home, Bailey held my arm and pulled me back. As the two kids held hands and walked to the parking lot, she turned to face me, a smile on her pretty face. “You know, I’ve never seen you be this mature. I’m so proud of you. You’ve become a great mother to Vince.”
“Thanks, Bailey. That means a lot to me.” I held back tears at the thought of being Vince’s mother in the future. It sounded like bliss, but I hated to get my hopes up. Hunter and I were sleeping together and even living together, but would that end as soon as my place felt safe again?
“Well, I mean it.” She gave me a quick hug. “Call me. Sooner than later, please.” She walked to Cat and scooped her up as I jogged up and took Vince’s little hand.
A great mother to Vince.
It hit me right in the chest, but that was because of how badly I wanted it to be true.
Chapter Twenty-Five
One Week Later
Hunter
“So, how many books have you read today?” I walked over to Vince as he read another new book from Mrs. Tomms. He was seated at my desk, quietly enjoying his new set of books.
“Too soon to ask, Daddy. I just started this new set Mrs. Tomms gave me.” He did not bother to look up at me. His attention was on the new adventures he would be exploring. I gave him a pat on the shoulder as a well-done job sign. Before I could turn my back to him, he finally asked me.
“Dad, Cat’s having her birthday party tomorrow. Can we go with Kylie?” He put the book down, looking up to stare into my eyes. It was as if he’d wanted to talk about it for a long time, but felt hesitant.
I recalled how many times I had disappointed him. It might have been the reason why he was pretending to be busy reading all week. It would buy him some time in thinking how to open up about Cat’s birthday celebration tomorrow.
I thought about my schedule. No clients had called to meet with me, nor previous customers to practice at the gun range. It was a pretty good day to take a rest from work and go spend time with Kylie and Vince.
“Yeah, buddy. We can go to her party tomorrow.” This time, I was certain I’d be able to keep my promise. I would talk about my plans with Garren and grant him a day off as well. He deserved it for working so hard at the gun shop.
“Thanks, Daddy! Kylie said she’ll buy something for Cat. I bet she will get the best present for her ever!”
“I bet so too, buddy.”
Vince returned to his seat, smiling from ear to ear, which warmed my heart. He was treating Kylie more and more like a mother figure in his life.
I felt the same. I’d fallen for the beautiful blonde. I just had to get my fear outta the fucking way and step into our relationship fully. Soon. I kept promising myself that I would soon.
Garren’s warning rose up in my head, reminding me about Linda and forcing me to promise to be careful. It wasn’t just my heart on the line. Kylie would never do that to Vince. She couldn’t break his heart.
She wouldn’t leave me behind either. Would she? Fuck.
I shook my head and tried to get away from feeling like such a loser. Walking out to breathe some fresh air, I exited the gun shop. As I looked down the road, I spotted Kylie’s car pulling up.
All the negative thoughts drifted away as I saw her face. It felt like having her around was the only cure to keep me from thinking the worst. Whenever I saw her, all my worries melted away.
I walked toward her car, opening the door for her. She got out with a bright smile on her face. She glistened under the sun’s rays, her beauty illuminating before me like a precious gem.
“So, what brings you here?” She was carrying a paper bag from the convenience store. Handing it over to me, I peeked to see what was inside the bag.
I saw several juice drinks in bottles and packages of cheese bread in it. “Thank you for this.”
She smiled back, her eyes still on mine. “You’re welcome. I stopped by to tell you about Cat’s birthday party tomorrow. Did Vince tell you about it?”
“Yeah, he’s pretty excited about the gift you’re getting for Cat.” I pointed back to the gun shop. “He’s in there reading some more of the books your mom gave him. She’s too good to him.”
“He’s a great kid, Hunter. We love him to death.” She smiled and ran her fingers through her long locks, causing my thoughts to move back to our last night together, which was over a week before, if not more. I wanted her so bad it hurt. What the fuck was holding me back?
“He is. I’m sure he’d like to see you.”
“Great, I’ll go see him in a little bit. I wanted to see if I could go practice shooting today again? The last time I shot was when we went hog hunting, and I didn’t do nearly as good as I thought I should have.”
“You were amazing, baby.” I reached out and ran my hand down her forearm, taking her hand. “Best female shooter I’ve been around.”
She laughed, captivating me. “And you’ve been around a lot of us?”
“Nope, and I’m not digging myself into that hole. Let’s get back to talking about shooting practice. I’m all in.”
“Wait. Now?”
I smiled. “Absolutely. Let me tell Garren that I’ll be right back.
“Thank you so much.” She turned and walked to her car.
I walked into the shop and called out to Garren. “Going back to the range. You good with Vince in here?”
“Sure am, buddy.” He glanced up from doing some paperwork with a big, burly dude. “Have fun.”
“Thanks, man.” I walked back out into the warm sunlight and lost my breath. The most beautiful girl in the world walked toward me, the look on her face filled with adoration, and a gun case in her hand. I’d fucking died and gone to heaven. “Come on, beautiful.”
I held out my hand for her to take. She took it, entwining our fingers as we walked into the back yard where the gun range was. I felt my heart beating faster again due to the bliss of having her in my life.
As we reached the gun range, Kylie put her case down on the table and took her gun out. I observed how she reloaded the gun by herself perfectly. She was independent in preparing the gun for shooting, doing everything without any supervision from me.
I sat on one of the benches, watching as she exhibited her gun shooting skills. For a novice, she was great. She knew how to handle the gun well. Her grip was pretty good, learning quickly from the past training I did with her.
She pointed the
gun down to one of the wooden, human-formed targets. After a few seconds of concentration as she locked her target, she fired her gun. I watched the target that bore a hole in the upper arm. She missed her aim for the heart.
Adjusting her stance, she breathed out audibly as she locked her gaze on the target again. In a matter of seconds, she fired another shot. I checked the target, which now had a second hole straight on the left part of its chest.
Every cell in my body was pulsing. Shooting and guns were my life. I hated the reason why she was involved with them now too, but fuck me if I didn’t love seeing her handle a weapon. I reached down and pressed my hand against my cock, which was growing thick and hard down the inside of my thigh. I was far too big of a man for her not to notice.
I forced myself to focus. Perhaps it was a lucky shot.
“That okay?” Kylie mouthed as she looked at me and asked for an approving sign.
I shrugged, expressing my doubt about her aim.
She looked at the target once more and positioned for a third shot, proving her skills and that her second shot was not a lucky blow.
She fired once more and hit the target. I looked at the decoy and found that it had a hole in the middle of its head. My jaw dropped as I stood and turned to her, still in awe to see how much she had improved.
She removed her safety glasses and earmuffs, putting her gun back in its case. My mouth still opened in astonishment, she turned to face me with a smirk on her face. Her hands were on her waist, acting like she was the boss, and in some ways, she most certainly was.
“So, what do you think about my shots?” Her eyes moved down my body, and her lips turned up in a smile.
I closed my mouth and turned my gaze toward her. “I think you’re incredible.”
She stepped closer and pressed herself against my chest. “Did that make you hard, Hunter?”
“No. You did.” I pulled her in for a quick set of kisses. “Where’d you learn to shoot so fucking well?”
She laughed as she pulled from me. “I learned from the best.”
She walked past me, taking the paper bag with snacks, and entered the gun shop as if nothing had happened. I took my earmuffs and safety goggles and placed them back on the equipment chest as I followed her inside.
Entering the gun shop, I heard her and Vince having a light and gleeful conversation. She took a drink from one of the juice bottles and offered him another one.
I watched them from afar as Vince showed her the pictures from the book he read. He was thrilled to have a picture book this time, and Kylie made him feel like the king of the world with her attention.
“By the way, before I forget. You know what, Vince? I bought Cat’s present before I came here.” She smiled as he jumped up and bounced on his feet.
“I wanna see! I wanna see!” He gripped her hands and continued to bounce around.
“Not until tomorrow.” He frowned and then begged again, but Kylie laughed at his reaction. Vince was trying his best not to laugh himself, but after a few moments, he burst into laughter. The two shared a blissful laugh, even causing Garren to come out.
“What’s going out here, giggling sillies?” He smiled.
I walked over and crossed my arms over my chest as I stood beside Garren. “It does sound like they’re having way too much fun over here, right? We should put them to work!”
“Work? No way.” Kylie winked at me and reached over to rub Vince’s back.
“Dad, Kylie already bought Cat a gift, but she doesn’t want to tell what she got her.” My son was complaining to me, hoping that I could compel Kylie to tell him what the gift.
“We can’t push people to tell what they don’t want to tell. Remember that, buddy?” I smiled and reminded him of our previous talks.
“Don’t worry; I’ll help you buy Cat a gift. Something that’s better than mine,” Kylie said, lighting Vince up.
He hugged me and Kylie, wrapping his tiny arms around us. I stared at Kylie with questioning eyes, seeking an answer from her. She returned the same, unsure of why my son hugged the two of us.
I looked at Vince; his eyes were closed, smiling as if he was dreaming a sweet dream. He tightened his grip around us, binding us in a small circle.
“I have the best family in the world.” His words startled me, but his voice was so sweetly happy.
A smile spread across my face as his words echoed in my eyes. I wrapped my arms around Kylie and Vince, hugging them too.
The best family in the world.
Sounded pretty good to me.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kylie
The next day, we packed up after Hunter’s errands and headed over to Bailey’s for Cat’s party. We arrived at Bailey’s a little late, but late was better than never. Vince was carrying the present as we got out of the car. Hunter and I walked behind him, watching the little boy run to the other kids playing together.
“You’re late!” Bailey came to meet us, a tray of colorful cupcakes in her hands. I kissed her cheek, greeting her warmly. I went to give her the present I bought for Cat, but she refused it.
“No, you’ve got to give that to Cat. She’ll love getting something from you.” She directed us to the tables and showed us our seats. We watched as the kids got along together even though some of them were just meeting for the first time. Kids were great like that. So open and accepting.
Bailey offered her tray to us, giving us some cupcakes.
“You’ve got to try these. Pick two or three,” she persisted, and Hunter and I couldn’t deny her. Both of us took two each, taking a bite as Bailey sat down at the table with us.
“Thanks, Bailey, these cupcakes taste awesome. You’ve got talent, girl.” Hunter finished his first cupcake and was going for his second one.
Bailey smiled at him, her eyes silently scrutinizing Hunter. It was their first time meeting, and Hunter was making a good impression on my best friend from what I could tell.
“I’m happy you liked the cupcakes. You should have come earlier so Vince could have played longer with the kids in the neighborhood.” She looked pleased about Hunter. He smiled modestly at her, staring back at me as if he were apologizing.
“It’s my fault. I asked for them to wait for me so we could all come together. I had to attend to some personal matters and got delayed on the way here. Sorry for that.”
Bailey nodded. “Oh, I see. Come on, let’s eat. The buffet table’s waiting for you!”
She stood up and went to the table. I looked at Hunter and smiled before we followed Bailey’s lead. The table was filled with delicious food courses for both adults and kids. There were plenty of pasta dishes and chicken on the menu, as well as hotdogs and sweets. I took a little bit of everything, even the kiddie treats. Every dish laid out on the table looked sumptuous.
As I returned to my seat, Hunter was already eating, looking like he was at home. I sat back down beside him, joining in the fun of trying everything with small, tentative bites. Hunter watched Vince out of the corner of his eye, watching his son and making sure he was doing okay.
“He said he’s not hungry.” Hunter looked at me, seeking my opinion on what to do. I smiled at him to somehow ease his worries, telling him that I’ve got his back.
“After I finish my plate, I’ll call Vince and have him eat just a little.” He seemed relieved and returned to his meal. I continued eating as well, grateful for Bailey’s party. We needed some fun together as a family.
Bailey returned to our table with Cat. She was holding her little daughter’s hand as she approached us. The cute and cuddly girl wore a Snow White costume, resembling her favorite Disney princess. She kissed my cheek and laughed with a joyful glee.
“Happy birthday, little Snow White.” I gave her the present I bought yesterday. She kissed my cheek as a sign of her gratitude.
“Thank you.” Her sweet little voice was too adorable to neglect. I squeaked in response, staring at Bailey to express my amusement at her little daughter.
She raised her brow before smiling.
“I told you, Kylie. This kid’s going to be a superstar someday.” Cat stared at her mother and pulled the hem of her skirt. Bailey leaned down, and Cat cupped her little hands around her ear, whispering something. My best friend’s face lit up, and she laughed.
Vince came running toward us, trickles of sweat on his forehead about the time I started to ask what Cat said.
“I’m going back outside. Just wanted to check in,” Vince said, breathlessly.
“Hey, you’ve got to eat first.” I took out a towel from his bag and wiped his forehead and back. His big grin was clear evidence that he was having a blast at the party. He nodded and followed me as I took a plate for him and asked which of the dishes on the buffet table he wanted to eat.
When we returned to our table, Bailey was on the low platform speaking into the microphone. She was thanking everyone that came today, especially the kids who played along with little Cat.
“Now, I present to you Cat’s special guest, Mr. Dave, the Magician!” She left the platform, and it was taken over by a jovial man in a glittery magenta tuxedo and a golden cane. He entertained the kids as he showed them some magic tricks.
Bailey returned to our table, sitting beside me to join our little group. Vince had just finished his meal, and Hunter took him inside the kitchen for his shots, which were in the fridge, staying cool. A few seconds later, Hunter dropped down beside me with a soft grunt, and Vince skipped back toward the magic show.
“You could pass as a nurse,” Bailey kidded at Hunter.
“You’ve gotta try to give your kid the best, right?” he answered, putting his attention on his son. He watched Vince from afar, then turned his attention back to Bailey. “By the way, can I take some cupcakes home with me? I would not mind putting on a few pounds with those sweets. They’re worth it all the way.”
Bailey laughed it off, finding Hunter’s compliment over the top. “No problem. Kylie doesn’t like them anyway. She always tells me that hers are better than mine.” She elbowed me, teasing me. I gave her a skeptical look and rolled my eyes.