“Your man is yummy,” Tee announces, an evil glint in her eye.
“Yeah, he makes beautiful babies, too,” I brag.
“Yeah, I’m coming over tomorrow to see my little boy again,” she says. Tee came over last week and we spent the day at the beach with Jye.
“You gonna talk or you gonna dance?” I joke. Accepting the challenge, Tee pulls me closer and we start to grind. Tee shimmies in a sexy move, and I swerve my hips to the music. Soon everyone else joins us, except James who is still sitting by the bar watching. I can’t help but notice that his eyes are glued to me, my every move. He's literally devouring me with just his gaze. When he starts to nibble on the corner of his bottom lip, I turn away. I’m not ready to go there with James, not with so many things left unanswered.
I pull Lexi in closer and give her a warm smile, wanting her to feel included. I laugh as Nikki and Layla do a choreographed dance, knowing them, it was something from high school. Yes, they still remember some of the routines. I shake my head at them, and look over to see Simone chatting with some guy. Maybe one of us is going to get some action tonight. Well, besides Layla, of course. That woman is getting the business every night. The blush on her face every time anyone brings it up is answer enough.
I glance back at the bar to see James still sitting there, but now he’s not alone. There’s a woman standing next to him, a little too close for my liking. I narrow my eyes on the two of them, especially after she rests her hand on his arm. I’m about to walk over when I see Tee heading that way and taking a seat next to James. Oh dear, I can just imagine how this is going to play out. Sure enough, a few seconds later the woman stomps off, and James is palming his face in what looks like exasperation. I walk over, not even caring that I’m grinning devilishly.
“Sasha, control your cousin,” James says with a chuckle.
“I’m your sister-in-law,” Tee reminds him.
“How could I forget?” James asks dryly.
“What did you say?” I dare to ask.
“I just asked him if he’d had that STD check since we were together last week,” Tee says with a grin. I shake my head at her, secretly proud.
“Didn’t want you to come over here, Sasha, we all know how you can get,” Tee teases.
“Hey! I’ll have you know, since becoming a mother I’ve toned myself down. I haven’t gotten into any trouble since I had Jye,” I say proudly, standing a little taller.
“Really? Because Trey texted me while you were over there with him and told me a few things,” she says, waggling her eyebrows.
“Who’s Trey?” James interrupts, his casual demeanor changing to something a little more serious. His body tenses, waiting for the answer.
“Sasha lived with Trey in Scotland,” Tee tells him, not adding in the fact that Trey is family.
James instantly turns to me. “You lived with another guy, with our son?”
“Trey is my cousin!” I rush out, before he comes to his own conclusions.
“Good,” is his infuriating answer. I roll my eyes and turn to face Tee, who is looking highly amused.
“We need more drinks, cuz,” she says thoughtfully.
“Yes, we do,” I wholeheartedly agree.
***
Chapter Seven
Sasha
The next morning, I groan out loud as a ray of sunshine hits my face. Time to face the consequences of drinking. I look over at the clock on my bedside table to find out that it’s only eight am. I need to get my butt up so I can pick up Jye, after a long hot shower and a greasy breakfast, of course.
I make my way to the kitchen, freshly showered, and frown when I smell bacon. My stomach instantly rumbles, just as I hear Jye laughing. I’d know my son's laugh anywhere. I quicken my steps, taking in the scene as soon as I enter the room. James is cooking breakfast, and Jye is in his feeding chair, sitting at the table. James is wearing nothing but a pair of basketball shorts, sitting perfectly low on his hips. His muscular back ripples with each movement, and I can’t help but admire the view. I purse my lips together as I see James make a funny face at Jye, and Jye bursts out laughing like it’s the funniest thing he's ever seen. When James notices me standing there, he offers me a playful smile.
“I picked up Jye for you,” he explains.
“I can see that,” I tell him, walking over and giving Jye a hug and a kiss.
“How did you get in?” I ask James, wondering whether my mother gave him a spare key.
James gives me a funny look. “I brought you home last night, and tucked you in. I never left. I took your key so I could get back in.”
“Where did you sleep?” I ask him slowly, already knowing the answer. His pleased smile confirms it. He slept with me, and I didn’t even realise. How much did I drink last night?
“I thought I’d watch Jye so you can get some rest and make you breakfast. I know you need a huge greasy breakfast after a night out,” he says.
“Thank you,” I say sincerely, slightly surprised at his thoughtfulness and the fact that he remembers.
“Take a seat, food is almost ready,” he says. I take a seat next to Jye. A few minutes pass before he serves Jye and me, carefully cutting up Jye’s food for him. My heart melts. This man was made to be a father.
“Thank you,” I repeat.
“Ta!” Jye says, his way of saying thank you.
“You are both very welcome,” James says as he serves his own food.
“What are your plans for the day?” I ask him.
“I was hoping we could all do something together,” James says as he takes a bite of his toast.
“Sounds good,” I murmur, moaning around a bite of crispy bacon.
“Is there anything you love more than food, besides Jye?” James jokes.
I think on it. “Not really.”
“I may use this to my advantage,” he muses out loud.
“Ha! You can try,” I say with a giggle. We finish our breakfast and then I give Jye a bath and dress him for the day. James jumps in next and returns freshly showered. Something occurs to me. “Where did you get a change of clothes from?”
“I dropped home and packed a bag before I picked Jye up,” he says casually, like it’s a regular occurrence. I sigh, at a complete loss for words.
“Okay, where would you like to go today?” James asks.
“How about the indoor play centre? Jye loves it there, and they also have a nice café,” I mention.
“You just ate!” he chuckles.
“What’s your point?” I ask him. He just smiles and walks towards me, kissing me softly on my cheek.
“I love having you back in my life, Sasha,” he admits in a gentle tone, before walking away and picking Jye up into his arms. I swallow heavily, my eyes still locked onto his when he says, “You ready to go?”
“I’m ready,” I tell him, a double meaning to my words. I’m ready to revisit everything between James and me.
I’m ready to listen.
***
Jye is playing in the ball pit and James and I are standing by it, watching him.
“I never cheated on you,” he blurts out with no preamble.
“I saw you with another woman, you wouldn’t explain why. Then the infamous ‘no one’ line, oh and then you never explained what happened afterwards.”
“I tried to ring you to explain! You never answered. I came to your house, you refused to see me. You cut me out,” he says.
“Do you blame me? How would you feel if the roles were reversed?” I ask him. The instant clench of his jaw is answer enough.
“Remember when you asked me what I did for a living, and I told you I played in the stock market, but I also worked for an organization?” he asks.
“Yes. I thought it was pretty vague,” I admit.
“Right. I couldn’t explain it to you at the time. I still can’t explain it all to you because of confidentiality. You saw me with her, but I wasn’t allowed to talk about it. So I couldn’t give you the explanat
ion you deserved at the time. I thought I'd wait until it was over and then I could tell you, but by then you wanted nothing to do with me. It was almost as if you hated me,” he says.
“I don’t understand, James.” He's about to open his mouth when his phone rings.
“Tatiana, I’m kind of in the middle of something.”
“Shit, okay.” He hangs up the phone and I know exactly what he's going to say.
“I’m sorry, babe, its work. I gotta head out, but I’ll come by tonight and we will finish this, okay,” he explains, his eyes begging with mine.
“Fine, we’ll catch a cab home,” I say stubbornly.
“No, I’ll get Kade to come and get you,” he says, his tone stern.
“Don’t bother!” I retort sharply.
“Look, I’m sorry but I have to go. Not that I want to, but I have to,” he says, looking frustrated.
“You have to what? Run whenever your girlfriend calls? Nice to see you have your priorities straight,” I say bitterly. I almost regret the low blow when I see the look on his face.
James narrows those baby blues one me, his posture rigid. “She's not my girlfriend. I’m going to work, Sasha. We'll talk about this later, okay?”
He kisses both Jye and me, apologizing again. When Tatiana calls, he runs. I know there's more to it than that, but clearly I don’t know what it is yet. I’m not gonna lie, I’m pretty pissed off by this point.
Jye plays for another hour, when suddenly Kade arrives.
“Hey, Sasha,” he greets, his eyes brightening when he sees Jye.
“Hey, little man! He looks just like James did when he was a kid, it’s eerie,” Kade says.
“You didn’t have to come, Kade. We were gonna take a cab,” I tell him.
“No way, James would've killed me. Besides, it's no problem, I love seeing Jye,” he says kindly.
“You can drop by anytime and see him, you know.”
“Really? I’d love that. I’ll bring Grace next time. If she knew I was here without her, I’d never hear the end of it,” he says with a chuckle.
“Thank you,” I tell him hoarsely.
“For what?” he asks, confused. He picks up a ball and throws it back into the pit.
“For being civil towards me, even after…”
“I’m not gonna lie, Sasha, I was pissed,” he says softly.
“I know,” I say.
“But if James isn’t holding a grudge, neither am I. It doesn’t fix anything, so let’s just move forward,” he says sagely.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” I tell him.
“My wife tells me that every night in bed,” he says, waggling his eyebrows playfully.
I roll my eyes.
***
Chapter Eight
James
After what I just saw, I’m going to need a drink. I walk into the kitchen and pour myself a scotch. Straight. After an exhausting night, one of the worst I’ve seen in a while, I definitely deserve it. A sigh escapes my mouth as I sit back into the barstool. Today needs to be over already. I know Sasha's going to be pissed at me because I never showed up at her place tonight. I never even got to explain, and Sasha is way overdue to hear what I have to say. Kade called me to say he got them home safe and sound, for which I'm grateful. I decide to call Sasha up, hoping she's not already asleep.
“Hello?” she answers, her voice husky from sleep.
“I woke you up, I’m sorry,” I quickly say. I should have known she'd be sleeping.
“It’s alright, is everything okay?” she asks instantly.
“Fine, I just wanted to hear your voice, and to tell you that we need to talk. I want to work things out with you, explain everything to you. I’m not seeing anyone, or anything like that, Sasha. You’re the only one I want to be with,” I explain, trying to make her understand where I am right now, my intentions with her.
“We’ll talk, James,” is all she says, but it’s enough. We both say good night and hang up.
I look around my huge, empty house, and my chest hurts. They should be here, with me. Where I can protect them, be there for them. Love them. Instead I’m all alone, without my family. No more messing around, I need to get them home where they belong. I down the rest of my drink. Tomorrow is a new day.
***
Sasha
After talking to James on the phone last night, I’m hoping he drops by so we can finally talk. I’m not sure what to do with the hope that I’m suddenly feeling. Hope that James, Jye and I could be a family, hope that we could start anew. Hope that James has an answer for the events that took place. My internal dialogue driving me crazy, I decide I need to talk to him, and today. I drive with Jye to his house, bringing a packed lunch for all of us. When I pull into his driveway I see a police car there. Worried, I quickly unbuckle Jye and take him in my arms. I practically run to the front door, and start knocking frantically. James suddenly pulls open the door, his eyebrows raising when he sees me.
“Is everything okay? What’s wrong?” he asks, giving us both a once over.
“I thought something was wrong with you! Why is there a police car here?” I ask him, rushing out the words. James’ eyes widen and he starts to nibble on his lip ring.
“No, nothing is wrong, Sasha, come on in,” he says, opening the door wide for us to enter.
I put Jye down, and take his hand in mine as we make our way into James’ house. I freeze when I see a pretty blonde sitting at his kitchen table. She has natural beauty, with short blonde hair and no makeup.
“Sasha, this is Tatiana, Tatiana, this is Sasha,” he introduces. An awkward silence ensues, and I’m grateful for Jye when he walks up to James and hugs his leg, offering a distraction.
“Hi,” she says softly, after a few seconds.
“Hello,” I respond, not knowing what else I could possibly say. Tatiana, James’ ex, is a police officer. I must say that I didn’t see this one coming.
She clears her throat, and then says, “Well, I better get going.”
I take Jye outside to play as James walks her to the front door. Why does she still come over? Is he going to tell me that they're getting back together? The thought makes me want to cry. Jye runs over to the sandpit and starts to dig in. After what was probably only a minute but felt like an hour, James comes back and stands next to me.
“We’re just friends,” he says, rubbing his hand down my back. I move slightly away, out of his reach. “Sasha…”
“How would you feel if you dropped by my house and an ex of mine was there?” I counter.
“This is a completely different situation, Tatiana and I work together,” he says. I glance over at him in confusion.
“Okay, I know you’re not a cop,” I tell him, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“You know I make my money from the stock market,” he starts.
“Yes, but that doesn’t explain where you sneak off to all the time whenever she calls you,” I say sharply.
“Retract your claws, Sasha, and let me explain. Please,” he says sincerely.
It’s the please that gets me. “Okay.”
“I help run an organization. We help abuse victims get out of their situation by taking them away to a safe and secure spot. They're offered therapy and anything else they may need. Then we help them start over, so they're happy, healthy, and no longer in jeopardy. Tatiana helps with the abuser, taking the necessary steps to ensure they don’t go after their victims. She sets up the houses, and works closely with social services,” he says whilst staring at Jye, not me.
I’m silent, feeling slightly choked up. This man, he's good right down to his bones.
“Say something, Sasha,” he says, sounding worried. I step towards him, and wrap my arms around his waist. His strong arms instantly respond, cocooning me in his warmth.
“Why did you hide this?” I ask, confused.
“I mainly work the high profile cases. The woman you met, she was the wife of a very powerful man. I still can’t re
ally talk about it, Sasha, but you could have been put in danger, I just needed you to get safely out of there. I would never cheat on you, ever,” he says as he stares into my eyes.
“So you never answer your phone because?”
“These jobs get intense, Sasha. When you see a woman battered, bruised and hiding in a corner, you’re not really thinking about answering your phone. I put my all into helping these women. Sometimes they want me to stay there so they feel secure. Most of the time I need to drive far to get to them or safe houses, so that’s why sometimes I’m gone for a few days. I know I need to be more available now that I have a family, and I’m going to try my best to make that happen.”
“You’re a good man, James,” I say softly, in awe.
“Does that mean you forgive me?” he asks.
“I do, I’m just wondering why it took you this long to tell me the truth,” I say boldly.
“I tried,” he says quickly.
“Not hard enough!” I spit out. James sighs, and crosses his arms over his chest.
“He’s amazing,” he rumbles, looking at our son, effectively changing the subject.
“He is,” I agree.
“Where do we go from here? I want you, the both of you. I want us to be a family, and there’s nothing I’m not willing to do to make that happen,” he says. My heart races.
“I want that, too, James.”
His smile in response is devastating.
***
Chapter Nine
James
I nervously rub the back of my neck, feeling like a damn school boy. I’m taking Sasha on our first official date since we decided to try and work things out between us. This has to run smoothly, and I’m definitely feeling the pressure right now. I knock on her door, strumming my fingers on my thigh as I wait impatiently. Jye is with my mother for the night, she came and picked him up earlier. She was so excited to have some one-on-one time with her grandson.
A minute later Sasha opens the door and graces me with her beautiful smile. I hand her the bouquet of orange tulips, knowing they’re her favourites, and then take a moment to appreciate just how gorgeous she really is. She's wearing jeans that look almost painted on, a red strapless top, and fuck me boots.
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