by Laura Lee
I shrug. “I don’t know. He was never really exposed as a kid, I guess. It’s not a big deal.”
“Are you serious?” he asks incredulously. “You love sports year round. How can you be with someone who doesn’t share something that takes up so much of your time?”
I take a moment to remind myself that Riley hasn’t been an active parent yet. “Yeah, I do love a good game, but it’s not the same anymore. I catch them when I can, but Nathan and my job take up most of my time now. If I do want to hang with the group and watch something, Jackson doesn’t mind. He’d rather do his own thing than suffer through something that doesn’t interest him.”
Riley opens his mouth to say something but the elevator dings, indicating a stop on my floor. I see Brody step out and start walking our way.
He nods when he sees us. “Hey, cocksucker, I thought you were going to wait for me outside?”
Riley turns towards him. “That was before you were late, asshat.”
Brody laughs and then zeros in on Riley’s hand which is now gripping my waist. I follow his gaze and immediately step back so Riley’s hand falls to his side.
I rub the back of my neck and open the door. “C’mon in, guys.”
RILEY
SHIT, I CAN’T BELIEVE Brody just walked in on that. The touch was purely innocent. Okay, mostly innocent, but I know he picked up on the tension in the air. I have no doubt he’s going to grill me about it later. I can’t stop thinking about what Drew said. I do need to watch myself. Devyn is involved with someone and I need to respect that, despite my suspicions that they have very little in common. It’s just so damn hard when I feel so comfortable around her even after all these years apart. I touched her countless times during our friendship —it’s second nature almost. Sure, being together that one night changed that—it’s much more sexually charged now—but it still feels like the natural thing to do.
We follow Devyn inside. The place is nice. Homey. The walls are light gray with large windows overlooking the city. Their living room is right off the entryway and the attached kitchen is towards the back. Framed photos are everywhere but I can’t really make them out without looking too obvious. I make a mental note to look later.
Drew gets up from the leather recliner and greets Brody with a man hug/shake thing. “Hey, dude, how’s it hangin’?”
“Down to my knees, brother. Down to my knees,” Brody replies.
Drew laughs. “In your dreams maybe.”
Devyn rolls her eyes and takes the chair Drew had just vacated. Nathan immediately climbs on her lap and starts shoveling orange crackers into his mouth.
I kneel in front of them. “Hey, buddy.”
Nathan grabs a handful of little orange fish from his bowl. “Hey, dickweed.”
“Nathan!” Devyn scolds.
Drew laughs. “That’s my little man.” He leans over the arm of the couch and gives Nathan a fist bump.
Devyn glares at Drew. “You’re not helping. Go put money in the jar.”
Drew groans and starts walking towards the kitchen.
“The jar?” I ask.
Devyn smirks. “Yeah, Drew is single-handedly funding Nathan’s college education. Every time he or Nate say a bad word, he has to pay up. We all know the kid didn’t get that part of his vocabulary from me.”
I laugh. “I guess I’m going to have to watch what I say in certain company, huh?”
“Yeah, keep laughing, asshole,” Drew says. “You just wait.”
“Unca’ Drew! Add another dollar!” Nathan says excitedly.
“Damn it!” Drew shouts.
Brody cracks up. “There goes another one.”
Drew mutters something under his breath as he digs out his wallet and shoves several bills into the jar. “Consider this a deposit. I have a feeling I’m going to earn it today.”
DEVYN
BRODY LEFT BEFORE THE night game saying he had to collect on a bet but Riley stayed through all three. I’m internally freaking out about how easy it is being with him. Watching him interact with our son is so much better than I had imagined. Who knew he’d be such a natural with kids?
Nate clung to him the whole day, hanging on every word. I wonder if he can sense something. One thing that I’ve learned as a parent is how intuitive kids can be. Nate blows my mind constantly. Speaking of mind-blowing, Riley has me floored when it’s time to put Nathan to bed.
“Can I do it?” he asks.
I crinkle my brows. “Do what?”
“Put him to bed.” He ruffles Nate’s hair. “Would you like that, buddy?”
Nathan pumps his fist in the air. “Heck yes!” He tugs on my pants. “Momma, is that okay? Please?” He extends the last word.
I smile. “Sure, honey. Why don’t you go pick out a book and Riley will be there in a minute?”
Nathan bounces down the hall into his room.
Riley grabs my hand. “Thank you.”
I stare at our joined hands. “Um, yeah. Sure.”
We stand there in silence looking at each other.
Drew gets up from the couch and stretches. “Yeah…so I have to be on shift early tomorrow so I’m going to bed too. You kids have fun. Don’t do anything I would do.”
Riley smirks as Drew closes the door to his bedroom. “Doesn’t he mean don’t do anything I wouldn’t do?”
I chuckle. “No, I’m pretty sure he said what he meant. Don’t get me wrong…Drew’s incredible; he saved me when I didn’t have anyone.” I shift on my feet as I catch his somber expression from my comment. “Anyway, he’s really just a big kid at heart. He definitely doesn’t act his age most days.”
Riley tugs on my hand and pulls me in for a hug. “Hey, I don’t think apologizing for everything is even close to adequate, but you know that I wish I were there, right? Through everything? I don’t think I could ever regret anything more in my life.”
Tears form in my eyes. God, I missed this. “Riley, I—”
“Eeeewwww!” Nathan says. “Are you guys going to make a baby or somfin’?”
“What?” we both ask as we break apart.
“Christopher says that babies get in their mommy’s tummies when grownups hug.”
Riley raises his eyebrows. “Who’s this Christopher kid?”
I laugh. “A friend of his at preschool.” I kneel down to Nathan’s level. “Honey, you see me hugging other grownups all the time. That’s not where babies come from.”
“Well then how do you make ‘em?” he asks.
“Isn’t this conversation supposed to happen much later?” Riley mutters.
I kiss Nathan on the cheek. “I’ll tell you when you’re a little older.”
“Aw, mom!” Nathan whines.
I laugh as I stand up and look at Riley. “He’s all yours. Good luck with that.”
Riley takes Nate’s hand and starts walking down the hall. Nathan continues asking about the birds and bees and Riley looks petrified as he dodges each question. He casts a backwards glance as they step into the bedroom. I give him a thumbs-up and a smile as he mouths, Help.
RILEY
I PLOP DOWN ON the couch next to Devyn about forty-five minutes later. “I can’t believe you just threw me to the wolves like that!”
She laughs. “Oh please! That’s not the worst he’s ever given me. You should’ve been there when he asked, ‘Mom, why does my wiener get big when I touch it a bunch?’”
My eyes widen. “What? He gets boners?”
“Yep. Playing with his junk is his new obsession. It’s totally normal at this age. Kids are curious. He doesn’t really understand what he’s doing.”
My jaw drops. “How do I not know this? I’m a guy! I don’t remember being obsessed with my junk until I was at least thirteen.”
She starts laughing so hard tears are coming out of her eyes. God, she’s beautiful. “You’re obsessed with your junk, huh?”
“What? No, that’s not what I meant,” I smirk. “These days, I’m much more obsessed with boob
s. Come to think of it, it was pretty much the same back then too.”
She looks down at her chest. “Yeah, well, sorry I don’t really have the goods to help you out there.”
I follow her gaze. “Boobs are boobs, Devyn. Big or small, I love them all.”
She looks up and catches me staring at her chest. “Yeah, right. That’s what every guy says when he gets stuck with someone who has small boobs. I know you all really wish we looked like porn stars.”
I clench my jaw. It pisses me off that she still has these insecurities. If Jackson were a real man, he would’ve squashed them by now. I lean forward and look directly in her eyes to punctuate my next words. “Are you really doubting me? Do I need to prove it, Devyn? Say the word and I’ll make sure you have no question about it.”
DEVYN
“SAY THE WORD AND I’ll make sure you have no question about it,” Riley says.
Oh God, why did he have to say that? Now all I can think about are unbidden images of me and Riley together. Naked and sweaty —in all sorts of compromising positions. The sexual tension in the air is palpable. I think I groan. I’ve never felt something this electric with anyone but him. Jackson’s the only other man I’ve slept with, but I dated other guys before. The chemistry was never even close to what Riley and I have. Sadly, not even with Jackson. Sure, I’m attracted to him, and our sex is…good. But with Riley, I could practically orgasm just hearing his voice. I feel like some sex-starved demon possesses my body right now.
I take a few deep breaths before replying, “Riley, I think it’s time for you to go home.”
He blinks a few times. “Is that what you really want?”
Yes. No. Ugh, I don’t know.
I close my eyes. “It’s the right thing to do.”
“Devyn, look at me.”
My eyes snap open. “What do you want me to say here, Riley?”
“I want the truth. Do you really think I can’t feel how much you want me right now? Do you really want me to leave?”
I steel my resolve to do the right thing and not be ruled by my stupid hormones. “Yes, I really want you to leave.”
His jaw tics as he stands up. “Fine. Go ahead and lie to yourself if it makes you feel better.” He walks to the front door and opens it. Before leaving he adds, “But Devyn, you and I both know that won’t last long. You need to think long and hard about what you’re going to do about it. I think you know me well enough to know where I stand on the subject. And if there’s any confusion, I’d be happy to clear it up. Just say the word.”
RILEY
I CAN’T BELIEVE ANOTHER work week is ending. I haven’t seen Devyn in almost two weeks mainly because we’ve both been working such crazy hours. We’ve talked every night about the daily minutia of our lives but mostly about Nathan. She’s sent me dozens of pictures, told me stories about his childhood, her pregnancy, all the stuff I’ve missed out on. It still kills me that I wasn’t there but I love hearing about everything from her point of view. She’s so animated when she talks about our son. Hearing her laugh about something totally inappropriate he said during the day is priceless. I’ve tried shifting the subject, dying to get more information about her relationship with Jackson, or how she feels about the possibility of us, but she shuts me down every damn time. I’m so desperate to hear anything and everything about Nathan though that I let her.
We decided that we’re going to break the news to him slowly by scheduling family outings. I smile when I think about that. I have a family of my own. It’s not just me and my folks anymore. Speaking of, they took the news much better than I expected. I took full blame for the situation. I wanted to make sure they never faulted Devyn for her actions. We both made shitty decisions back then but it was ultimately my pushing her away that created the domino effect. They’re flying up next week to meet the two people I love more than anything and I can’t wait to show them off.
It’s been tough putting any plans into action so far because Dev’s been working twelve hour days, six days a week. She normally does the nine-to-five thing but she’s trying to nab a big client so she can get promoted. Her pitch is next week and she promised we’ll schedule something afterwards. I Googled kids’ activities around Seattle and already have a huge list of things I want to do with them.
My phone vibrates in my pocket and I smile when I see her name on the display. “Hi there.”
“Hi. How was your day?”
“Good,” I reply while moving throughout my condo switching off lights. “I have news.”
“Yeah?”
I slip out of my jeans and climb into bed. “Yep. I made an offer on a house today.”
“You what?” she shrieked. “Didn’t you just buy the condo?”
“Nah, it’s a rental. I didn’t want to buy anything until I knew where I’d be settling down.”
“I’m confused.”
I laugh. “Well, you see…there’s this girl that I thought was living in Portland. Seattle is the closest place where I could become gainfully employed but I planned on commuting if need be. I was originally looking at real estate halfway in between. Turns out, Seattle’s where I’m supposed to be.”
She’s silent for a moment. “Riley…”
“Yeah, baby?”
She blows out a breath. “I don’t know what to say to that. Jackson and I—”
I groan. “Can we please not put a damper on my big, exciting news? I’m not going to lie. I want both of you there with me. Of course I do. But I’m not asking you to commit to anything, Devyn. You should definitely know that Nathan will have his own bedroom though. And a big backyard. Maybe even a dog.”
“A dog, huh? What if I told you he’s more of a cat person?” I swear I can hear her smiling through the phone.
“Pft, he’s my boy. There’s no way he’s a cat person.”
She laughs. “So, where’s this house at?”
“Mercer Island. My realtor said it has one of the best school districts in the area. I made that my top priority when we were searching since Nate will be starting kindergarten soon.”
She gasps. “You’re really in for the long haul with this parenthood thing, aren’t you?”
I smile. “Balls to the wall, baby.”
DEVYN
HE BOUGHT A HOUSE? In an incredible family friendly area no less? What am I supposed to do with that information? I’ve intentionally avoided discussing my relationship status with Jackson but Riley’s spiel about school districts makes me realize that he never considered the possibility that I wouldn’t be with him. Nate can’t attend school in Mercer Island and live with me in Belltown. Riley wants the whole package and nothing less.
My hands are shaking so bad I’m having trouble holding the phone to my ear. I don’t know if it’s from excitement or trepidation. “So when do I get to see this fancy new house?”
“Well, I don’t close until the fifteenth but we can do a drive by anytime you want. I can always call the realtor and make an appointment if you want to see the inside too.”
I smile thinking about showing Nathan where his new bedroom will be. “That’d be nice, Rye. Why don’t we plan that as one of our outings?”
“You’ve got a deal, Dev.”
RILEY
BRODY EYES ME CAREFULLY. “So…Devyn, huh?”
I take a sip of beer, trying to figure out where he’s going with this. “What about her?”
He shoves a french fry in his mouth. “Fuck, dude. Give me a little credit. I’m not blind.”
I stare at the wall of TV screens. Several college games are showing but I stopped paying attention when he mentioned Devyn’s name. “Blind?”
He flips me off. “Don’t treat me like I’m an idiot, asshole. I’m talking about the fact that Devyn’s kid looks exactly like you. I always thought he looked familiar but I didn’t put it together until I saw the two of you in the same room. And not only do you have a kid that you failed to mention, but Drew’s hot sister is the goddamn magic pussy you’ve bee
n obsessing over the entire time I’ve known you. What are the odds, man?”
“For the record, I didn’t know about Nathan until I came here.”
He raises his eyebrows. “No shit?”
I nod. “No shit. But what makes you think Devyn is the girl I’ve been talking about?”
He rolls his eyes. “Because I have eyes, douchebag.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Care to explain?”
“Hmm…let’s see.” He holds up his index finger. “First of all, you look at her like she’s a walking wet dream. I know she’s hot, dude, like really hot, but your look says that you don’t need to imagine undressing her because you already know what’s underneath the clothes. Which makes sense I suppose since you made a baby, but this is more. It’s like she’s your personal goddess or something.”
Yeah, that’s about right. I didn’t realize I was being so obvious about it. Damn it!
“And second of all?” I ask.
He holds up a second finger. “Secondly, she looks at you like you hung the fucking moon or something.”
“She does?”
His eye roll is even more exaggerated this time. “Yes, dumbfuck, she does. The rest wasn’t too hard to put together. There’s an obvious familiarity between you two. And it’s more than two people who got naked once upon a time. You told me that the M.P. was your best friend throughout your first four years in college. Your comfort level with her matches that. The fact that Drew looked like he was severely constipated the other Sunday helped too. I just did the math and it all added up.”
“Maybe he was constipated?”
He laughs. “Did you miss the part where he disappeared for twenty minutes saying he had to ‘drop the kids off at the pool’?”
“Nope,” I say. “Because that’s when Nathan said, ‘Uncle Drew, don’t you mean you’re going to make a chocolate sundae for the sewer monster?’”
Brody is cracking up at this point. “Man, I love that kid!”
I smile. “He’s pretty great, isn’t he?”
He gives me a serious look. “What are you going to do, man? You know she’s got a boyfriend, right? She’s been with the guy forever.”