by Laura Lee
“You’re not coming in?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “No. I don’t think that would be wise right now.”
I shift my body towards him. “Jackson, I really think we need to have a talk.”
“So talk.”
“Here? Can’t you just come up for a little while?”
He sighs. “Devyn, if you have something to say to me, please just say it already.”
I take a deep breath. “I kissed Riley.”
“Did he kiss you, or did you kiss him?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes, I think it does.”
I bite my lip. “He kissed me…but then I kissed him back.”
“I see,” Jackson says, perfectly composed.
“C’mon, Jackson, how can you be so calm about this? I just told you I kissed another man! It’s okay to be angry.”
“Oh, I’m angry,” he says. “But I think there’s already been enough shouting this evening.”
“What? What does that mean?”
His face flushes. “You were in a fucking bathroom, Devyn. Fifty feet from our table. Ever hear of something called bathroom acoustics? I heard everything. The entire group heard everything. Well, except when at one point the conversation ended entirely. I suppose that’s when the kissing commenced.”
I blanch. “Oh my God. Jackson, I’m sooo, sooo sorry. I never planned for anything like this to happen.”
He releases a cynical laugh. “What the hell were you thinking, Devyn? Do I make you that unhappy?”
“What? No, of course not!” I try grabbing his hand but he pulls away. “Jackson, I am truly sorry. You’re a good man. You’ve been so wonderful to me and Nathan.”
“Just not good enough,” he mutters.
“Jackson, this has nothing to do with you.”
He rolls his eyes. “Really, Dev? It’s not you; it’s me. That’s your excuse?”
I take a deep breath and blink back my tears. “You deserve someone who didn’t give their heart away years ago. When we got together, I really thought I was ready to move on. And things between us have been good. But I’ve always held back. I know you know that, Jackson. I just don’t think either one of us was willing to admit why.”
He sighs. “So you’re going to be with Riley?”
“I don’t know,” I say, “but continuing this relationship isn’t fair to either one of us. Riley’s reappearance brought feelings to the surface that I thought I buried a long time ago. I need to figure out what I’m going to do about them.”
“So we’re breaking up?”
I nod as a single tear falls. “We’re breaking up.”
RILEY
I DRIVE AROUND FUMING until I end up at the house I just bought. I park against the curb and just stare at everything this house represents. It’s everything I’ve dreamed of but none of that matters if Devyn isn’t in the picture. Well, that’s not totally true, because I will be a constant presence in my son’s life no matter what, but we can’t be the family unit that I’m picturing if she’s married to that asshole! How could she accept his proposal? Wait a second…was she wearing a ring? Could he have lied? Fuck! I can’t remember! I saw nothing but red as he continuously touched her every chance he got.
I take a few deep breaths to calm down. Only one way to know for sure. I pick up my phone and dial her number.
She answers right before my call goes to voicemail. She doesn’t say anything but I can hear her breathing.
“Dev, are you there?”
She blows out a breath. “Yeah, I’m here.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Do you really need to ask that, Rye? My head is messed up. This probably isn’t the best time to talk. I need to sort through some things.”
Is she crying? “Devyn, talk to me.”
She sighs. “Jackson and I broke up.”
Did I seriously just hear that? “So you’re not going to marry him?”
“What? Who said that I was ever going to marry him?”
“He did,” I reply. “Well, not exactly. But he told me that he proposed and then implied that you said yes.”
She groans. “I’m such a horrible person.”
“Why would you say that? He’s the asshole who lied!”
“Don’t call him names, Rye. I’m the one who lied to him for two and a half years. It’s bad enough that I’ve been lying to myself. He didn’t need to be dragged into it. He’s a good man. He’s just not the right man.”
My ears perk up. “And who is?”
She ignores my question. “I need you to do me a favor.”
“Name it.”
“I need you to call your realtor. I want to show Nathan his new bedroom this weekend.”
I’m smiling so wide my cheeks hurt. “Does that mean what I think it means? Are you agreeing to move in with me?”
“Yeah, Riley...I am. Balls to the wall, baby.”
DEVYN
“HERE IT IS,” RILEY says.
We just pulled in the driveway of Riley’s new home. Our new home, rather. God, that’s so strange to say but at the same time, it feels so right. The house is a Craftsman style, painted light blue with white trim. I smile when I see the white wooden swing hanging by some chains. I can easily picture relaxing on it under the covered porch, lying on Riley’s lap, with a cold beer in hand. The yard is meticulously landscaped and has a few mature trees offering shade.
“It’s perfect,” I say.
Riley smiles as he exits the vehicle. “Wait until you see the inside.”
I get out of the car and open the back door to help Nathan out. He immediately runs up the stairs and tries the front door.
Riley laughs. “Whoa, slow down there, buddy. I need to enter the code to get the key.”
Nathan scrunches his brow. “How come we hafta have a secret code?”
Riley looks at his phone and punches in the combo his realtor gave him to unlock the key box. “This funny looking thing is just temporary. It will be gone once the sale of the house is final.”
Nate bounces on the balls of his feet as he waits for Riley to open the door. As soon as the lock unlatches, Nathan sprints inside.
“Nathan! Wait for us!” I say.
Riley takes my hand and leads me inside. He grabs the back of Nathan’s shirt as he runs by. “Hold up, dude.”
Nathan stops mid-stride. “Aw, man!”
Riley chuckles. “I thought the three of us could look at the house together. Does that sound okay with you, buddy?”
Nate rolls his eyes. “If we hafta.”
I grab his hand. “Yes, we have to. Now behave yourself, mister.”
“Aw, mom,” Nathan whines.
Riley smiles. “So, what do you think?”
The main level consists primarily of one big open space with dark plank wooden flooring throughout. The living room takes up the front portion and boasts a gas fireplace with large windows that allow tons of natural light to filter in. A gorgeous kitchen with an oversized island is towards the back. The cabinets are white, the countertops are quartz, and the appliances are stainless. There’s a nice-sized space in between that could easily accommodate a six-person table.
“It’s ginormeous, mommy!” Nathan exclaims.
“It sure is, baby. Riley, this is incredible. It looks like something off HGTV.”
Riley chuckles as he moves about opening doors for me to peek inside. “Coat closet, powder room, and pantry. The bedrooms and laundry are upstairs.”
Riley tugs on Nate’s hand. “Do you want to go see your bedroom?”
“I get my own bedroom?” Nate asks.
Riley nods. “You sure do.”
Nathan scrunches his face and looks up towards me. “But where will you be, Mommy?”
I make eye contact with Riley as I reply. “I’ll be right here with you, baby. The three of us are going to live here together.”
“What about Unca’ Drew?”
I kneel in front of him. “Uncle Drew is
going to stay right where he is. I’m sure he’ll come over for lots of visits though. And if you miss him, I can take you to see him too.”
“Promise?”
Riley ruffles his hair. “We promise. You wanna go pick out your new room?”
Nathan’s face lights up. “I can pick?”
Riley nods. “You sure can. Mommy gets the biggest bedroom but you can choose your room from the other two.”
“Then you get the one I don’t want?” Nate asks.
Riley gulps and looks at me. “That’s up to your mommy, dude. She gets to choose where I sleep.”
I feel the blush creeping into my cheeks as his words sink in. He’s going to let me set the pace. Even though I’ve agreed to move in, he’s not going to pressure me into a relationship with him. We haven’t really had a chance to talk about it yet, but I meant what I said earlier. I’m pushing full throttle here; I’ve waited long enough for this opportunity. The three of us can finally be together every day. Riley and I can be together as a couple and we can raise our child together. I can’t think of anything that I want more.
Nathan giggles. “So she can make you sleep in the toilet?”
Riley laughs. “Yep. She sure can.” He holds out his hand. “Let’s go pick out your room, buddy.”
Nathan grabs on and Riley extends his free hand towards me. I clasp our fingers together and follow as he leads us up the stairs. There are two rooms for him to choose from, each one about ten by ten in size with a full bath in between.
Nate points to the one on the right. “I want that one!” He runs into the room and starts pretending to be an airplane.
Riley stands in the doorway watching him. “Hey, dude, are you going to be okay in here for a few minutes? I want to show Mommy her room.”
In reply, Nathan continues spreading his arms and making plane noises.
Riley turns to me. “You ready?”
I nod. “Lead the way.”
RILEY
I TAKE HER INTO the master bedroom. She trails her fingers over the light gray walls and walks across the room to perch herself on the window seat. She tilts her face towards the sun and looks out the window.
She presses her hand on the glass. “Oh, wow! You can see the water from up here.”
I smile. “You like it?”
“I love it, Rye. It’s absolutely perfect.”
I offer my hand to help her stand. “Let me show you the master bath.”
She takes my hand and allows me to lead her into the attached bathroom. She looks around the room from the marble double vanity to the rainhead shower and finally to the deep soaker tub.
She raises her eyebrows suggestively. “A tub built for two. Brings back some good memories.”
“Huh. Look at that. I didn’t even notice.”
She laughs and smacks me playfully. “Right.”
She peeks into the small walk-in closet and steps back into the bedroom.
I shove my hands in my pockets. “So…”
She tucks a hair behind her ear. “So…”
We share a heated glance but don’t say a word. I can’t stand not touching her anymore so I stalk towards her until she backs into the wall. She gasps when I place my hands on her hips and lean over to whisper in her ear.
“You’re not really going to make me sleep in the toilet, are you?”
She chuckles as she wraps her arms around my waist. “Hmm, I haven’t decided yet.”
I place soft kisses down the nape of her neck. “No? Maybe I can help you decide.”
She moans when I pull her against me. “How are you going to do that?”
“I have some ideas…”
She ghosts her hand over my denim-clad erection. “Such as?”
I groan as I press into her palm. “Honey, you keep doing that and I’m about to show you every idea I’ve ever had up against this wall.”
She shivers. “That sounds promising.”
I pull back to look her in the eyes. “You think so?”
She bites her lower lip. “Very much so.”
I smile as I hover over that sexy mouth of hers. I pause for a second, giving her a chance to back out before I press my lips against hers. She responds instantly, opening so I can slide my tongue between her lips. Fuck, she’s so warm and tastes so sweet.
I deepen the kiss, thrusting my tongue inside her mouth as I grind my body against hers. She pulls me into her, practically climbing me like a tree trunk. She keeps making these sexy little whimpers like she’s so hungry for me, she can’t get enough. Desperate to feel her bare skin, I glide my fingertips beneath her shirt and brush the underside of her breast.
She gasps. “Oh, Rye.”
“Whatcha doin’?” Nathan asks.
Shit! We both break apart instantly. I didn’t even hear him come into the room. Devyn smoothes her shirt down. She looks down and sees the tent in my pants and smirks. She steps in front of me so I can hide behind her as we face our son.
“Hey, buddy,” she says.
“Why were you making those funny sounds, Momma?”
Her eyes widen. “Um, your daddy and I were um…we uh…we were just making silly animal noises.”
Holy shit! Does she realize what she just said? Did Nathan catch it?
I know the moment it hits her. Her jaw drops and she gives me a look that says, Oh my God, did I really just do that?
I adjust myself and hunch down to the floor. “Hey, bud. Remember when you asked me if I was your daddy?”
Devyn’s eyes widen. Oops, I guess I forgot to tell her about that.
Nathan nods. “Yep.”
“And do you remember what you said to me?”
“That it’s okay if you wanna be my daddy but you have to wuv my mommy.”
I smile. “That’s right, big guy. And do you remember what I said to you after that?”
He bounces on his feet. “Uh huh. You wuv her.”
I glance up at Devyn and she has tears pooling in her eyes as she silently watches our exchange. “That’s right. I did. So are you okay if I’m your daddy?”
Nate scrunches his little face while contemplating my question. “Can I punch you in the nuts?”
I bark in laughter. “What? No, dude. You can’t punch me in the nuts. You probably shouldn’t do that to anyone.”
“Are you gonna get mad at me like Momma does when I say a bad word?”
I smile. “Probably. So what do you say? Can I be your dad?”
He shrugs. “I guess. As long as you don’t act like a duth-bag.”
“Nathan!” Devyn scolds.
I crack a smile. “I’ll do my best, buddy.”
DEVYN
MONDAY MORNINGS ARE HARD enough but the fact that I can’t stop thinking about Riley is making it worse than usual. I keep flashing back to our little make-out session at the new house and what happened afterwards. I smile when I think about how the whole daddy reveal went with Nathan. I’ve been building it up in my mind for so long I never considered he’d be so nonchalant about it. I know it’s too early to know for sure, but my gut is telling me that he’s going to naturally accept Riley being a part of his life.
There’s a light tap on my cubicle wall. “Hey, Devyn. Do you have a few moments?”
I look up and see Gary Styles, the VP of Creative Marketing. “Sure, Mr. Styles.”
He smiles. “Now, Devyn how many times do I have to tell you? Please, call me Gary.”
I blush. “Sorry, Gary.”
He nods behind him. “Let’s head to the conference room.”
I stand up to follow him. “Sure.”
We walk down the hallway that bisects the art department from the copy department until we reach the glass-enclosed conference room towards the end. Mr. Styles…er, Gary, pulls out a chair for me at the long, rectangular table.
“Please, have a seat.”
I notice that Norah from Human Resources is here as well. What the heck is going on?
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
I scrunch my brows. “Make what official?”
Gary folds his hands together on the table. “I spoke with the people from Sage Management this morning.”
That’s the account I’ve been working so hard on. Did something go wrong? “And? Did they decide to go with someone else?”
He chuckles. “On the contrary. They’ve agreed to a three-year contract with the possibility of renewal. They were incredibly impressed with your ideas. They said, and I quote, ‘You’d be a moron not to do everything in your power to keep that one happy.’”
“They did?”
He nodded. “Indeed. So…that’s why I’ve invited Norah to this meeting. You’ve been with us for almost three years now and we’ve been nothing but impressed with your work ethic, creativity, and drive. As you know, Rena Schwartz recently moved over to the media department which leaves us with an opening for Creative Director. We’d like to offer that position to you. Should you accept, you’ll take the lead on the Sage account as well as a few other long term clients. You’d have your own office complete with administrative assistant. You will lead the art and copywriting team you work with now and report to me directly. In addition to this, there’s a substantial salary increase. So what do you think? Do you want the job?”
I’m smiling so wide my cheeks hurt. “Of course, sir. I’d be honored.”
He stands and shakes my hand. “Great. I need to head into another meeting so I’ll leave you here with Norah to work out the details. Congratulations, Devyn. You’ve earned it.”
“Thank you so much. You won’t regret it.”
“I have no doubt,” he says as he walks out of the room.
RILEY
I’M WALKING INTO THE production plant for a meeting when my cell phone rings. I duck into a small alcove and pull it out of my jacket pocket. I smile when I see Devyn’s face on the display.
“Hello, beautiful.”
“Hi,” she says excitedly. “I have news. Do you have a few minutes?”
I look at the time. “I have a meeting in about ten minutes so I can spare a few. What’s this news of yours?”