Knocked Down_A Single Dad Romance

by Nikki Ash

  We watch Levi and Maverick play in silence for a few minutes. My thumb massages circles across the top of her wrist and I can feel her hand relax with my touch. When I notice Levi starting to lag, I call out, “Five minutes.” He pouts but agrees.

  “I have a lot of food I made. If you guys would like to come over for dinner, I’ll be home.”

  “We’d love to.” And it hits me that without even thinking about it, I just welcomed this woman into our life. I dated Karen for almost six months and refused to bring Levi over to her house for dinner. I slept with several women over the years but never brought Levi around them. Hell, even when I was fucking the owner of Levi’s daycare when he was younger, I refused to hang out with her with Levi around. I could use the excuse Ava is our neighbor or say it’s because we aren’t dating but both reasons would be a lie. I barely know this woman, but I already know I want to know more.

  Eight

  Ava

  “What were in those empanadas? Nyquil?” Griffin jokes as we stare at a sleeping Levi who is cuddled up with Maverick on my couch. We aren’t even twenty minutes into the movie and he’s out like a light.

  “Very funny.” I shoot him a playful glare.

  “I guess I should get him home,” Griffin says in a noncommittal tone.

  “Or we could let him sleep and I could make us some coffee.”

  He grins and nods in agreement, and I go about making us each a cup of coffee. Once it’s made, I come out of the kitchen and see Griffin’s already sitting on the porch. After making sure the chain lock is secure on the front door, I bring our coffees outside, keeping the door slightly ajar in case Levi wakes up.

  “Thank you,” Griffin says, taking one of the coffees out of my hand. He’s lying on the lounge chair, so I lay on the other one. The porches aren’t big but because I have a corner unit, mine wraps around, giving me enough room for two chairs, a table, and two lounge chairs.

  Griffin takes a sip of his coffee then sets it down on the side table that’s situated between our chairs. “Tell me about yourself.”

  I’m thrown off by his forward request. Needing a minute to think, I take a sip of my coffee, before I ask, “What do you want to know?”

  “Everything.”

  “Hmm…well my parents were born and raised in Honduras. I have one younger brother, Samuel. He’s in his last year of college. We moved here when I was eight so my dad could take a better job. My parents have been married for over thirty years, and the rest of our family still lives in Honduras.”

  Griffin takes another sip of his coffee before he glances over at me, a smirk splayed upon his lips. “Now tell me about you.” My lips twitch and I can feel my nose scrunch up which causes Griffin to laugh. “Do we need to play twenty questions to get you to talk?”

  “I think I like the sound of that, actually. Then you’ll have to tell me about yourself as well.” I stick my tongue out playfully.

  “Okay, I’ll go first. Are you single?” He gives me a mischievous grin and I know he isn’t going to go easy on me. Damn him! Starting with the deep shit.

  “Yes,” is all I give him, raising my brows in defiance. He chuckles when he realizes I’m not going to give him more.

  “You?” I ask in return.

  “Yep. Last relationship ended several months ago.”

  We go back and forth asking and answering each other questions. Some are serious like, ‘What are your dreams?’ I tell him it’s to be happy and content. Some are silly like when I ask him what his favorite pizza toppings are. He tells me Hawaiian is his favorite. When I admit I’m not sure what that is, he informs me it’s pineapple and ham. In return, I tell him we won’t be sharing a pizza any time soon.

  His favorite color is blue. Mine is pink.

  He works out almost every day with his brother. I don’t work out…ever.

  His favorite dessert is yellow cake with chocolate frosting. His mom used to make it for his birthday every year when she was alive. Mine is flan, and my mom still makes it for me almost weekly.

  He wants more kids one day. I want at least two kids.

  He’s twenty-eight years old and I’m twenty-four.

  His favorite show is anything sports related. I tell him I rarely watch television, but I read close to two hundred books last year. This tidbit of info has him choking on his coffee.

  When the questions stop momentarily and I let out a reluctant yawn, Griffin chuckles softly, sitting up. I sit up as well, swinging my legs over the side of the lounge chair to face him, putting us less than a foot apart.

  “Can I take you out?” he asks.

  I want to say yes but the determination in his eyes has me suddenly nervous. We’ve gone from new neighbors to dry humping each other in two-point-five seconds. He was just on a date with another woman last night! I know he said he’s single but he’s obviously dating around. My thoughts drift back to the last two men I let in and how it ended for me—cheated on and brokenhearted. As I stare into Griffin’s gorgeous sapphire eyes, my heart beats against my chest. I didn’t feel one-tenth for the other guys only a week after knowing them like I already feel for Griffin and his precious little boy. Griffin doesn’t just have the power to break my heart. If I give him the chance, he’ll have the power to decimate it.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I say softly. “I really enjoy your company. Can we be friends?” Ugh! Did I seriously ask that? Can we be friends? I close my eyes for a second, afraid of the look he’s most likely giving me. When I open them, he’s smiling, but it’s not the genuine smile he’s given me all evening. Instead, it’s a half-assed version.

  “Sure.” He nods casually and stands up. “I better get Levi home and into bed. Thank you for dinner, Ava.” Huh. I guess he wasn’t feeling the same connection I was. Okay then…

  “Umm…” I stand up, confusion getting the best of me. Griffin hasn’t moved from the middle of the two lounge chairs yet and our bodies collide. My hands come out to steady myself, landing on Griffin’s muscular pecs. His hands grip my wrists before I tumble back, and when he pulls me forward slightly, I lose my balance. My elbows bend and my body crashes into his.

  I glance up as he looks down, his now serious eyes searing into mine. I open my mouth to say something—anything—needing to break the awkward vibe my answer has created. Unsure of what to say, I close my mouth then open it again, hoping something will come out. But it doesn’t matter, because before the words can come out, Griffin’s mouth is crashing into mine. His strong lips wrap around my own as his tongue pushes through. Unlike him asking for a date, he’s demanding my mouth, refusing to give me a chance to say no.

  His hands keep hold of my wrists, holding me to him as our kiss deepens. Butterflies swarm my belly as I get lost in our kiss. He tastes delicious—like vanilla coffee and something that is simply Griffin.

  “Daddy,” a soft voice says, and for a second my jumbled brain thinks it’s hearing things…because why would a child be calling ‘Daddy?’ “Daddy.” And then it hits me…Levi!

  Quickly backing up to separate us, I pull my hands back with enough force that Griffin lets go of my wrists. I forget we’re still standing between the two lounge chairs, and before I can catch myself, I’m falling backwards onto the lounge chair. My butt hits the middle of the chair, but because I was standing against the side of it, there’s no back to catch me…and I topple over the side! My back hits the wall, my butt hits the ground, and my legs fly into the air.

  “Oh shit!” Griffin yells, and although I can see he’s concerned, I can still see the silent laughter in his eyes. I shoot him a death glare and it only causes him to laugh out loud. He. Actually. Laughs. Out loud!

  “Oh no! Ava, are you okay?” Levi shrieks and comes running over. He crawls over the chair and like the gentleman his father isn’t, he extends his tiny hand to pull me up. Griffin coughs to stifle his laughter then leans over and reaches out to grab my other hand. I take both of their hands—only because there’s no way Levi wil
l be able to pull me up, and I’m freaking stuck and need help—and let them pull me up onto the chair.

  I stand up, and without Levi seeing, push past his dad—trying and failing to knock his ass over—and walk back into the house, Griffin and Levi following behind me. Maverick spots me and immediately starts wagging his tail. He jumps off the couch and runs to the front door knowing he’s due for his nightly walk before bed.

  “Dad, I have to go pee,” Levi pleads.

  “Okay, buddy, we’re leaving now. Thank Ava for dinner.”

  “Thank you for dinner!” Levi yells, running to the front door. “Bye Maverick!”

  I unlock the chain and Levi runs out the door toward his home. Keeping the door held open, I let Griffin pass, and as he walks by me, he stops and gives me a heated stare, then he leans down and kisses me on the corner of my mouth. “I don’t give up so easily, Ava,” he whispers into my ear, the coolness of his breath causing goosebumps to prickle across my skin. I stay still, waiting for him to back up, but before he does, he places a soft kiss on my earlobe, gently tugging on it with his teeth as he pulls away. “Good night.”

  And then he disappears down the hallway and into his apartment, leaving me standing here breathing heavily, completely speechless and hornier than I’ve ever been in my life.

  Nine

  Griffin

  “Dad! Play with me!” Levi shouts over the football game. “Let’s sword fight!”

  “In a second, buddy. We’re tied up and if we get this field goal, we win.” Sean and I stare intently at the television screen as the kicker kicks the ball. It goes flying through the air, and just as it looks like it’s going to count, the damn ball bounces off the left upright. The goal doesn’t count and the commentator declares the other team winners.

  “Dammit!” I slam my hand down on the couch. “There goes the playoffs.”

  “You never know,” Sean says, “We still have time.”

  I grab my empty beer and stand to grab a new one when the door opens and in walks Lilly. “What’s up Prim?” I give her a head nod as I walk to the kitchen to grab two fresh beers. Then I sit back down on the couch next to Sean and hand him one.

  “Thanks,” he says to me before he turns to his wife to give her a kiss hello. “How was brunch?”

  She smiles wide. “It was a lot of fun. The perfect girls’ day out. Mom, Bella, Kayla, Faith and Chloe were all there. Oh! And Hayley and Mackenzie were there too. They got back early from their trip. The guys kept the babies, so it was just us women. We finalized the plans for the fundraiser. It will be taking place at the MGM Grand next month, so you both are going to need a tux. Afterward, we went to the spa for manis and pedis.”

  Lilly’s family and close friends started a sports recreational center years ago for kids who need a safe place to hang out after school. They run fundraisers a few times a year to raise money, and Lilly handles it all, while her mom runs the center. All of their family and friends make it a point to volunteer and help out there as much as possible. When Sean and Lilly started dating, it was a huge change going from it being only the three of us to a full house, but they are a good group of people. Faith and Chloe are Kayla and Bentley’s daughters—they have a son, Ryan, who recently joined the Military. Mackenzie is Hayley and Caleb’s daughter—their son, Marco, is married to Bella. And Lilly and Bella are Cooper and Liz’s daughters—they also have a son, Nathan, who is currently traveling abroad with his girlfriend. All of the women are married and are extremely close. Everyone, aside from Lilly, has kids, so Levi loves when we go over to one of their big family gatherings because there are always a shit-ton of kids running around for him to play with.

  “Umm…Griffin…why is Levi playing with a dildo?” Lilly whispers the words, her eyes as wide as saucers. Sean and I turn to Levi, who is running down the hall with some black looking mask thing covering his head with a dick in each hand! What. The. Fuck!

  Lilly’s eyes dart from me to Levi and back again in shock. Unsure of where the hell my kid got a bunch of rubber cocks from, I glance over to Sean. “Are those yours?”

  Sean cackles. “Hell no! I don’t need a fake dick. Mine more than gets the job done.” He gives Lilly a wink and she giggles. “I thought you were genetically related to me,” Sean smirks. “Guess all those women were exaggerating when they bragged about you.”

  I punch him in his arm and he groans in pain. “Those aren’t mine!” I whisper-yell. “I sure as fuck don’t need a fake thing to please a woman.” Putting my beer down, I stand up and head toward Levi.

  “Dad! Can we play swords now?” Levi asks, giving me a look of hope.

  “Hey buddy, can you hand me those…swords, please?” He pouts but does as I ask, handing me the two bright blue dildos. “And what’s that on your head?” I ask as I get closer. It looks like some lacey mask…

  “It’s a warrior helmet!” That most definitely isn’t a warrior helmet.

  “Hmm…let me see that.” I grab it off his head and after inspecting it, I realize it’s not a mask…but a pair of crotch-less panties.

  “Hey buddy, why don’t you go jump in the shower? We can play in a little bit.”

  “But Dad—”

  “Levi.”

  “Fine!” He runs down the hallway and into the bathroom. A minute later, I hear the shower water turn on.

  “Prim…you sure this stuff isn’t yours?” I ask now that Levi can’t hear me.

  “Bro, I would know if my wife owned several fake dicks.”

  “Nope, those aren’t mine.” Lilly shakes her head.

  Unsure of what to do with them, I take them into the kitchen to find a place to hide them when I see the large brown box opened. The mailman asked to leave Ava’s package with me since she wasn’t home. Shit! Levi must have gotten into her box. I’ll have to tape it back up. I don’t want her to think I was going through her package.

  I put the dildos into a high cabinet then grab some tape to tape up the box. As I’m grabbing the box flaps to close it, bright blue catches my eye…the same color blue as the fake dicks sitting up in my cabinet. Opening the flaps, I spot several fake dicks. But that’s not all. There are several pairs of panties, vibrators, some ring looking things, several bottles of what looks like lube, and anal beads.

  “Holy shit! You running a sex store on the side?” Sean laughs from behind me. Lilly joins us, and like the nosy woman she is, starts rummaging through the box.

  “Whoa! Don’t touch that stuff. This isn’t my box.” I grab the two dildos from the cabinet, and after looking on the floor, I find the plastic wrapping and place them back into the box. I’m going to have to tell Ava that Levi was playing with them. I imagine they are wrapped in plastic for sanitary purposes.

  “Whose stuff is this?” Lilly asks.

  “My next-door neighbor.”

  “Damn…that Hispanic chick? Please tell me you’ve been getting to know her…” Lilly smacks his arm and he cackles. “What? Look at this box. The woman is clearly kinky as fuck, and my brother hasn’t gotten any in months.”

  “Dad! I’m done, but I forgot a towel!” Levi yells.

  “Do me a favor and tape up the box.” I throw the tape to Sean before heading back to give Levi a towel. “Here you go, buddy.”

  “Thanks, Dad. Can we play swords now?”

  “Levi, that box wasn’t yours to open and those aren’t your swords.” He wraps the towel around his little body then shoots me a glare.

  “Whose swords are they?”

  “Umm…they’re a neighbor’s. You shouldn’t have opened the box. Unless it’s yours, you need to ask before you touch someone’s stuff. Got it?” I give him the dad look and he nods solemnly knowing what he did was wrong. Normally, I would have him apologize to said neighbor but then he would know they are Ava’s swords and well, that conversation could get awkward fast.

  “All right. Go get dressed.” He runs out of the bathroom and into his bedroom, and I head back out to the living room. When I get to the en
d of the hallway, I see the front door is open and standing in the foyer is Ava. Today she’s not wearing a taco-slash-nacho shirt. Instead, she’s wearing a bright pink shirt that reads, “If you can read this shirt, I was forced to put my book down and re-enter society,” skin-tight jeans that hug her curves perfectly, and tan fluffy boots I always see Lilly wearing. Her hair is down in waves that frame her face, and she’s wearing the most adorable pair of glasses that make her look like a sexy fucking librarian.

  Sean is standing in the foyer with Ava—Lilly nowhere in sight—and they both turn toward me as I walk closer. “Ava.” I nod. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” I walk past my brother, ignoring the smirk he’s giving me. When I get close enough, I whisper so only she can hear, “Did you change your mind?”

  Ava’s nose scrunches up, her cute glasses going up as well. “No,” she whispers back.

  I take another step forward—not giving a shit that my brother is more than likely watching—and lean into her. “You will…it’s only a matter of time.” She visibly shivers and I let out a soft chuckle.

  “Here you go!” Lilly announces as she pushes past me and hands the box to Ava, who awkwardly smiles. Oh fuck! She’s here to get her box of sex toys.

  “Thank you. My old neighbor used to always accept my packages when I wasn’t home.” She looks down at the box. “D-did you open this?” She glances from the box to me and then to Lilly.

  “Ava! Is that box yours?” Levi comes running out in his pajamas, joining the party. “I didn’t know they were your swords! I’m sorry for opening your box. Can we play swords? Pleeeeeeaaasssseeee?” Ava’s eyes bug out, Sean chokes back a laugh, and Lilly looks like she’s in pain.

  “He opened the box. You might want to wash the top two blue…swords…before you play with them.” I do my best to hide my smirk as Ava’s cheeks turn a light shade of pink.

  “Oh my god! Griffin!” Lilly smacks my chest and steps in front of me, blocking me from seeing Ava.