There was a moment of silence where I just looked into her eyes and tried to adjust. It was hard to believe that I’d been waiting for the past decade to hear those words, but I couldn’t help the lightening in my chest when she said she forgave me for that stupid prank, finally. I reached a hand between us to brush my fingers over her cheek, smiling softly. She mirrored my smile.
Suddenly, she was smirking at me, and she barked out a laugh.
“You know, I’m sure our moms would be happy if we told them we finally made up.”
I arched my eyebrow. I guessed that, too, but why bring it up now of all times?
“Don’t tell me you haven’t realized,” she said, seeing my expression. “The strings of coincidence between them—your mom calling me out to a family picnic, my mom calling you out to a family barbecue…”
“Oh, that’s what you meant,” I scoffed. “I’m pretty sure they staged the whole thing. I was positive when she said she’d be taking Sophia away with her for the weekend. It’s not exactly her first time out of town, but Sophia’s barely left town without me.”
“My mom didn’t even tell me where she was going,” she admitted. “And there’s this friend of mine…” she smiled. “Not sure if you remember her, Mary. She works at the school with me, and she’s been rooting for us for the longest time.”
“Oh?” I laughed. I vaguely remembered the Mary she was talking about. I’d met her plenty of times at the school. “Well, then. I guess this is good for us, huh?”
She arched an eyebrow. “How?”
I grinned. “Everyone’s been waiting for us to make up, it’s like they want us to be together. Hell, I’m pretty sure Sophia is in on it, too, because you couldn’t imagine how much she talks about you, singing your praises and asking me what I think of you.”
Her face flushed with pleasure as her lips twitched up into a smile. “R-really?”
It was cute that she picked that to be bashful of, but, instead of bringing attention to it, I nodded.
“She seriously loves you. Usually, she isn’t all that happy when I’m around other women.”
Jessica looked amused. “Maybe because they keep taking your attention for themselves. Word around here is that you’re a pretty hot bachelor, you know.”
“Maybe that’s it, then,” I murmured. “She’s been curious about you since she found out we used to go to school together. I didn’t mean to tell her, but my little girl’s smart enough to tell that we seemed to know each other from before. She’s been half in love with you since you came to town.”
I watched in amusement as the flush on her face only deepened. Of course, I stopped feeling amused when she suddenly took my hand away from her face and twined our fingers around each other. I arched an eyebrow at her, even as my heart beat faster in my chest. The smile she aimed at me was soft, and she leaned forward to give me a light peck on the lips.
She turned bashful, her eyes lowering, before rising back to meet my gaze. “We can talk about things. And what we’re going to tell people. Especially Sophia.”
A slow grin was growing on my face as the implications lined up in my mind. She was allowing me to tell Sophia that the two of us were together. I wasn’t entirely sure how she would take it, because up until now it's only been her grandma and me. I knew that she liked Jessica as a teacher, but to have her as a permanent figure in our lives was a completely different story and I started to get nervous about Sophia not liking the idea.
I tried to save face, so I moved forward to kiss her again. She huffed a laugh against my lips as I rolled her onto her back and laid on top of her, but she wrapped her limbs around me and held on tight. She gave me the reassurance that I needed that everything was going to be all right.
Chapter 11
Jessica
The bell to end classes rang, and, almost immediately, the students in my class were moving to pack their things away, eager to leave school. I smiled wryly as I watched them, but since we were done with the class and I’d already assigned homework, they were fine.
I was leaving school early, for once. I planned to lock the room once everyone was out—the school had copies of all the keys, anyway—so I put my things together and stood up to wait.
“Everyone, take care,” I called out as they started to leave, one by one. “I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.”
There were shouts of agreement, and a few wished me the same. I stood by the door as they all walked out, Sophia being the last to leave the class, waiting for me outside.
“Hey there, Sophia,” I said as I closed the door behind us. “Did your dad tell you anything about today?”
She nodded her head as she held her hand out for mine. I took her little hand, and we made our way outside.
“Yeah. Dad told me you’d be coming with us today.”
I breathed a sigh of relief that he had told her. Though almost immediately I was anxious, wondering just what exactly he’d told her. She was acting like her usual self, so she probably still hadn't noticed things between Ross and me were a little different.
We’d discussed how to break the news to her, but we had yet to tell our moms. At least, I hadn't told mine yet, though she probably already had a good idea.
We met Mary outside. She waved when she saw me, and we moved closer to her. She was taking over for me for the day, making sure my kids were all picked up. She’d offered when I told her Ross would be picking me up at the end of the school day, and I’d accepted happily. She grinned at me, then smiled softly down at Sophia.
“Hey there, Sophia. Your dad hasn’t been by yet, but he’ll be here soon, all right?”
Sophia just hummed and nodded. “He said he’d be a little late, but he’s picking me up with Jessica because he has a big surprise.” She grinned up at the both of us.
Mary arched an eyebrow at me. I could imagine the images that were running through her mind, though, and I couldn’t help a roll of my eyes.
“We’re heading over to his garage,” I explained. “I took my car to his place to get fixed up ages ago, and he finally told me he was done with it a few days ago. So I’m going to check it out.”
I was a bit excited, and a bit nervous, to see just what he’d done with it. After all that time, I was expecting something good. Though I’d had to strong-arm him into adding some cash over what he’d paid out for parts for my car. I still wasn’t sure I was paying him enough for all that he put into it, but we’d arrived at a price that worked for the two of us.
“So you’ll ride in with a new car on Monday?” Mary asked, eyebrows arched.
“Maybe,” I said with a shrug. “I could always just leave it at home and keep walking. I’ve kinda grown used to it. Besides there's a car at home, but sometimes I just like the exercise, especially when the weather's nice.”
Having my car would be all sorts of convenient, though. I couldn’t have Ross driving me everywhere, after all, and I couldn’t always borrow my mom’s car.
“Can I at least come by over the weekend to see it?” she asked, looking curious. “I remember what it looked like when you came with it, so I’m wondering just how much it’s improved since then…”
“I’m expecting a miracle,” I joked.
Mary laughed.
I got distracted when I noticed Ross heading towards us. Mary turned to see what had me preoccupied, then sent me a smile and waved down at Sophia, then went back to her job for the day. I pulled Sophia with me to meet Ross half way.
“Hey, you two,” he said smiling. “Are you both ready to go?”
Sophia jumped up and down in place, yelling in her enthusiasm. Ross and I both laughed as we headed back for the car. He helped Sophia into her seat belt, while I got inside on my side to wait. After a moment, he got in and started the car.
“So, are you going to give me a hint?” I asked, feeling a little anxious. “You haven’t told me much of what you did, you know.”
Ross hummed. “If I did, then it wouldn’t be much of a sur
prise.” He glanced at the rearview mirror. “Isn’t that right, Sophia?”
“Right, Dad!” she called loyally from the back seat.
Then Ross put a CD on, and, when it played, I was surprised at the music for a moment. This was the first time I was riding in a car with him and Sophia, but, when she squealed in the back seat, I completely understood. She started to sing along with the children’s songs that came on, and all I could do was smile, because I should have expected it.
It wasn’t that far from the school to where he worked, even though he wasn’t driving particularly fast, and we made it there in under half an hour. He parked the car, and we stepped out. I let Ross help Sophia out of the car, and she bounded up to stand beside me.
“You already locked up?” I asked, surprised.
He shrugged. “I did. I always do, pretty much. Why?”
I frowned. I took hold of Sophia’s hand, and we followed behind him as he headed for the garage door. He crouched to undo the lock.
“You could have let someone look after the place for you while you picked us up. Or, better yet, told me to come here once school was over.”
He threw a smile at me over his shoulder. “I didn’t mind, though. And I don’t trust anyone to just leave them here alone. I don’t even have employees, just some guys I hire part-time when they have the time and I need the extra hand.”
With the lock undone, Ross tugged on the door, sliding it up as he stood, opening the garage.
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. The inside was a little bigger than a two-car garage and could probably hold two cars and still have some space left. I could only see the shadow of one car, though, and, before he switched on the light, I was sure it was my car.
But then the lights were on, and my jaw dropped, because no way was that my car.
The car I’d brought to him was a rusting car with dull red paint that was falling apart. The car in there didn’t look brand new, but it looked way better than what my car used to look like.
“You can come in to take a closer look,” Ross called, already inside. “Check out the inside and let me know what you think.”
I heard him, but I couldn’t move to do as he’d asked. Sophia had to help me, taking my arm and pulling me along as she followed her dad. She brought me over to the car, and I was still gaping at it. I did release her hand so I could walk around it.
“A couple of your taillights were busted, and the back bumper was taped on,” Ross explained. “The front bumper wasn’t doing any better. They looked pretty rusted, so I replaced them. And, well… I fixed everything else.”
After I made a complete circuit around the car, I frowned at him. “Tell me honestly how much it cost you to pay for all of this,” I demanded.
“Uh-uh,” he shook a finger at me. “Maybe later, but there’s no way I’m letting you refuse the car now, and you’ve already paid for everything.”
I pouted. “I only paid before you let me see it because you insisted.”
But I didn’t argue further, partly because Sophia was there. Finally, I glanced inside and immediately choked on air.
“Ross!”
He laughed as he jingled a set of keys—my car keys. He opened the driver-side door, and I rushed around to get a closer look at the inside.
“You fu—you replaced the seats!”
I was so excited I almost blurted out a curse word in front of a child.
“Yeah. The ones in it were badly damaged. I’m pretty sure a rat chewed into the back seat or something, part of the seat cover and some padding on the inside had been eaten through. And the rest of the inside…”
I winced, pulling out of the car to send him an apologetic look.
“Yeah, sorry about that. I always tried to clean up, but I didn’t always have the time, and I didn’t always do it well.”
Ross shrugged. “You don’t have to apologize for that; I get what you mean. I’ve seen a lot worse over the years.”
“Hey, Dad?” Sophia called, interrupting.
Ross looked down at her. “Yeah, honey?”
“Can I get inside? Please!”
He arched an eyebrow at me, and I just waved my hand at him. He smiled back at his daughter as he patted her shoulder.
“Sure, go ahead.”
Sophia squealed as she scrambled to get inside the car. While she was distracted, I got an idea. I walked over to Ross and tugged him away from where she could see us easily. I reached up, throwing my arms around his neck to give him a full kiss on the lips in thanks.
When was the last time I was this happy?
It must have been a long time ago, because I couldn’t remember the last time that I felt this good and I didn't want it to end.
Chapter 12
Ross
“Sophia, are you done yet!” I yelled up the stairs for Sophia. After a moment when I received no reply, I sighed. “If you’re not done in five minutes, I’m coming up to get you. Jessica will be here any minute.”
Another pause, then, “Okay, Dad!”
I sighed again as I moved to sit on the couch. There was a street carnival coming to town. While I wasn’t quite into that sort of thing, my mother and daughter both loved it. Usually, the times I didn’t feel like going—though they were rare, there was little I could refuse Sophia without causing a tantrum—she went with my mom, and I got to stay home.
This was a special occasion, though, and I was a little nervous.
We hadn't explicitly told Sophia there was anything between Jessica and me, though we’d met and hung out plenty of times outside of our respective jobs, and I wondered just how much Sophia understood.
This would be the first time we were going out, all three of us as a family. My mom would be going with Jessica’s mom, supposedly to give us space, but I knew it was so that they could gossip between themselves.
A few minutes after I’d sat down, the doorbell rang. I was on my feet in the next moment and rushing for the door. I opened it, and there she stood.
She was dressed in a simple sundress in white with blue and yellow flowers running down it in patterns. It was a dress both Sophia and I had complimented, and I liked to think that was why she chose it. She had a light blue sweater tied loosely around her neck and a pair of blue flats on her feet. Her blonde hair was left to fall around her shoulders in light waves.
“You’re beautiful,” I said unconsciously, but very much meaning it.
Almost immediately, she flushed, and I smiled wryly. As much as I liked the look on her face when she blushed, I disliked it, too, especially once I realized that she still blushed every time I complimented her because a part of her thought she didn’t deserve it.
She might have forgiven me, but I hated it when I realized things about her life now that had been influenced negatively by my actions in the past. Not that she would hold it against me; if anything, she kept blaming herself for not getting over it, so I stopped bringing it up.
“Hey,” she said softly.
Then she stepped over the threshold, threw her arms around my neck and brought my face down to hers for a quick, bruising kiss. Before I could get my bearings and kiss her back properly, she had pulled away. She winked at me, then moved around me to get further into the house. After a moment of standing there, dazed, I closed the door and followed her.
She did that sometimes; one moment she was embarrassed, the next she was bold. She was assertive when it came to the bedroom almost all the time, and the contradiction between that and the woman she showed the world still got me thinking sometimes.
Of course, I was more than happy to be the only one that got to see that side of her.
“Where’s Sophia?” she asked, looking around the room for the little girl, then turning back to me when she didn’t see her. “Is she not ready yet?”
“I honestly don’t know what she’s been doing up there. It’s been nearly an hour, and every time I call up, she says she’s not ready.”
Jessica smiled. “Have you t
ried going upstairs?”
I gave her a blank look that I felt said all. “You know, I did. Only, I got there, and see, she’d locked the door. When I tried knocking, she screamed at me not to come in.”
I sent a worried look towards the stairs. She still had trouble picking out the best outfit for certain situations, but I knew Sophia didn’t want to disappoint Jessica, and it was probably why she was taking it this seriously.
“Maybe I should go up…”
But Jessica waved her hands at me, before taking hold of my arm, and pulling me over to the couch and sitting us both down.
“Just, no. Ross, she maybe still is young, but you cannot interrupt a girl when she’s trying to pick the perfect outfit for herself.”
“But what if she doesn’t pick something…” I dropped that subject quickly at the dark look Jessica aimed at me, and I switched tactics. “What if she makes a mess? And in the end, she’s not sure of her own choice? She’s done it sometimes, and it frustrates her, which makes it frustrating for me. The only person that seems to be able to calm her down in that state is my mom, and she isn’t here.”
It only ever happened to clothes, too. We’d had plenty of mini-fights over clothes when she didn’t like what I wanted her to wear and I wasn’t satisfied with what she was wearing. Instead of going simple, she loved to mix and match, with almost painful results sometimes, and I was suddenly the enemy when I said anything about it.
Jessica seemed to know what my problem was, and she patted my back sympathetically.
“If any of those happen,” she said soothingly, “then I’ll help you reason with her. You probably wouldn’t want to start fighting with her, right?”
I gave her the look that deserved. “That better be a rhetorical question, Jessica.”
She laughed and lightly thumped my shoulder. “Yeah, you’re right. Stupid of me to think you’d want to fight with your daughter,” she teased. “But if you want to avoid fights, you need to know how to let her down gently. I could always try, now that I’m here,” she added with a shrug.
One More Turn: A Second Chance Romance Page 8