by M. Piper
“The car will be waiting, Mrs. Potts,” Michael says, then glances over at me, nodding to the car and winking. I grin and let out a sigh, shaking my head.
“Oh look, they’re already here. Maybe had we not been so late because of your lack of promptness we’d have beaten them.”
“Just so you could’ve bitched about them being late?” I mutter to myself. She turns and glares at me then spins around with the fake smile plastered on her face.
Here we go.
“Wren, it’s so good to see you,” Daniel purrs, wrapping his arms around me. He smells stale and like mothballs. I try not to gag but the look my mom’s giving me tells me my face isn’t complying with my brain.
“Nice to uh… Well hi, Dan.”
“Daniel here says you’re teaching now.” His mother, Mary, says from beside him. “What grade?”
“First,” my mom chimes in and I give her a wide-eyed glance before smiling back at Mary.
“Aren’t kids just lovely?” I say, smiling. “I can’t wait to have my own. Being pregnant, all full and fat? I’m so excited.” I grab Daniel’s hand and my mother scoffs.
“She didn’t sleep well last night, you’ll have to excuse her.”
I roll my eyes and shake my head, dropping his hand. “I just know you like older, more mature women, Daniel. Remember that? What was she, eight years older than you?”
“Wren,” he warns, his eyes narrowing.
“No, wait. That was just one of them. The other was my aunt, right? So what’s that, like twenty years older? I mean that’s…eeeck.” I make a face and glance at my mom who looks like she could burn the place down.
“Wren, Daniel here is running for office this term.” His mother’s oblivious to what’s going on. Either that, or so desperate to find her prick of a son a wife she’s looking past how terrible of a person he is.
“Mom, we’re not going shopping after this are we?” I snap. I can’t sit at this table any longer with them. She shrugs with a small grin on her lips like she thinks she won this round.
“Excuse me, but I thought you and I were going to the movies after this? Your mother already bought the tickets.” Daniel says, the poor douche’s face is so confused.
“Unbelievable.”
I slam my napkin on the table and grab my purse. Not even saying goodbye to my mother, I walk out of the restaurant, grabbing a roll from a waitress’s platter before storming out the front door.
Michael’s standing by the car with the back door open.
“I knew you wouldn’t last long in there.” He grins at me.
“How’s my mother getting home?” I growl, sliding into the car.
“I called for reinforcements.” He nods over to Belle and the white Cadillac waiting in the spot next to ours and I nod.
“Good. Please take me home.”
He closes the door and I toss my head on the back seat, lying across it.
“You ok back there?” He asks, pulling out into traffic.
“My family sucks, Michael. And my mother tried setting me up with my ex. How do you think I’m doing?”
He nods silently and drives me home, giving me a longer than usual hug when I get out. I needed it. My blood family sucks, but Michael is the best stand-in dad I could have.
The only thing I have to look forward to this week is Lincoln. I want so badly to text him and tell him about today but I refrain from driving him crazy this soon after date number one. Plus, it may make him hate my family and that would make things worse than they already are with them. I can hate them all I want, they’re still family. If my boyfriend had a problem with them, it wouldn’t end well for anyone.
Hell, listen to me. ‘Boyfriend’ is a term I’m not even sure I can use with him. We’re just dating right now. God, that one date was amazing, though.
I walk into my house and lock all the doors behind me.
“Lucy, I’m hooooome!” I yell, impersonating Ricky Ricardo from I Love Lucy. She says she hates when I do it, but it always makes her come in smiling.
“How was it? Get anything good?” She’s still in her pajamas and I’m very jealous of her life right about now.
“Like a date with an ex who cheated on me three times? Yes.”
“Wait, you’re going on a date with an ex? What about Lincoln?”
“No… I mean my mother was never taking me shopping in the first place,” I growl, opening the fridge and grabbing a beer. I glance at the clock and see it’s almost one pm so I’m fine. I grab a bottle opener and toss the cap in recycling, taking a big chug while Lucy stares at me with her mouth agape. “She set the date up and told me we were going shopping to get me out of the house. I walked into a fucking trap. She even bought us movie tickets too.”
“Oh my God you didn’t,” she gasps.
“No. I stormed out of the restaurant five minutes into lunch. So I’m angry and starving right now.” I grab a pack of lunchmeat from the fridge and start shoving hard salami in my mouth.
“Well good for you.” She steals a piece and laughs. “Damn we’re classy.”
“I’d take our classy over my mother’s ass…ey…every day,” I say, then pause a brief moment before we both bust out laughing.
“I’m glad you moved in, Wren. Life was pretty boring without your antics.” She lets her fingers graze my flowers from Lincoln and she grins. “You haven’t told me about last night.” She says, grinning. “Is he as nice as he is beautiful?”
I smile and take another swig of beer before recalling every tiny, perfect detail from the best first date ever.
“Da! Da! Da!” Carter’s screaming at me from his high chair and I have to take off the collared shirt I just put on in order to take him out and stay somewhat clean.
“Come on, little man,” I grunt, putting him in the pack-n-play while I attempt to get ready and leave here on time. That is, if Ford would ever get home.
“Hey big bro!” Reagan yells, waltzing in through the front door.
“Where’s Ford?” I blurt, wiping ketchup off my cheek. I have twenty minutes to get to Wren’s house to grab her before dinner. I’m not about to be late on the second date.
“He’ll be late. Girlfriend issues. Sent reinforcements so you can go woo your girl.” She winks at me and picks up Carter. My sister’s wild and young but she’s amazing with Carter. Some weird motherly instinct kicked in when I brought him home with me from college and ever since she’s been his favorite babysitter. My brother’s crazy fun, but the nurturing comes from Reagan, all the way. I’m just happy he has some type of female role model in his life.
“Right,” I nod, huffing and looking around the room. “Right.”
“I got this, Linc. Diapers in the top drawer of his dresser, PJ’s in the second down on the left. He gets two books before bed and lots of snuggles. Stripper money is in his piggy bank and Ford’s all ready for the weed and coke set up to be delivered later.” She grins at me and I roll my eyes.
“Eight pm bedtime,” I say, grabbing my cellphone from the charger. “Call me if there’s any trouble. He’s coming off a cold but he shouldn’t need meds or anything. Hopefully he’s not too fussy for you,” I say, taking him after wiping off his hands and face with a wipe. “I love you little guy. Be good for Auntie.” I kiss him and blow a few raspberries to get the laugh out of him that makes my heart complete them hand him back over. “I shouldn’t be too late.”
“Please, take your time. It’s about damn time you went out on a date on a weeknight.” She smiles and they wave as I make my way to my truck. She’s right. This is the first weeknight date in over a year. The last one ended with the girl bitching about kids at the table next to ours the entire time so I let her take a cab home and ended up back in my bed by nine pm.
Hopefully tonight goes much better than that.
I make it to her house at six sharp and knock on her door, another wildflower in hand. She may think these are crazy, but I’m hoping I can get her one more by the end of the week then sh
e’ll have a nice arrangement of them. Tonight’s pick is one from the front of my house. Bright purple with light blue streaks running through the small leaves, but when you bend the petals a bit a splash of color is hiding beneath. I’m not sure what it is, but I saw it and immediately thought of Wren. Beautiful with a hidden wild side.
“Hey,” she says, smiling as she opens the door. Her eyes immediately drop to the flower and she lets out that laugh I’ve learned to crave. “Another one?”
“I’m banking on you still having the first one to pair it with,” I say, grinning. She takes it from me and I follow her inside, closing the door behind me.
“Lincoln!” Lucy yells from the living room.
“Hey Lucy. Back in your favorite spot?” I laugh when she scoffs from the couch.
“I’m trying to give you two some privacy. Me and Netflix are going to chill tonight.” She wiggles her eyebrows and curls tighter into her blanket. I laugh and head to the kitchen and stop in the doorway, admiring how beautiful Wren is. Her long hair is in these perfect waves that stop mid-back with one side brought back into a braid that shows off a slight pink strip I somehow didn’t notice on Saturday when her hair was pulled back. The colorful dress she has on tonight reminds me of the flower I brought her and I can’t help but smile.
“They look surprisingly beautiful together,” she says, grinning and making a weird face at me. “You sure you’re not holding back on me here, mister wildflower?”
“I mean the first one was really a weed from my neighbor’s front yard so no, no holding back. I’m just that good.”
She laughs again and my mouth curves up instinctively.
We head out to the truck and she lets me help her in, and again I have to keep my hands off her ass.
Just a little bit longer, Linc. Patience.
“No Yellow tonight?” she asks as I hop in my side and start the engine.
“Nah. It’s my brother’s dog and he’s just as happy at home. Plus, he would’ve had to stay in the truck and that’s just sad.”
She makes a face and when I reach across the console she takes my hand in hers.
“How’d he get his name anyway? He’s brown. Not yellow.”
“Ford’s stubborn,” I answer, laughing. “My parents told him the name didn’t make sense but it was ultimately his decision, so that’s what he chose.”
She laughs. “Strong willed. I like it.”
“I mean if you want I can set you two up on a date,” I offer jokingly and she slaps me playfully in the arm.
“I think I like the brother I snagged,” she says, then winks. Her hand starts playing with my forearm and I, for no other reason than because the opportunity is there and God I need to touch her, let my hand rest on her thigh, right below where her skirt ends. I notice her glance down at it and a grin play on her lips but she doesn’t move it. She rests her hand on top of it and brings her gaze out the window so I grin to myself and continue the drive.
“I hope you like Italian food,” I say, parking in front of Saputo’s. “It’s nothing fancy, but it’s the best there is.
“Oh my God this used to be my favorite!” She smiles wide, swinging open the truck door. I race over to help her out and she has the biggest smile on her face as she looks up at the corner flashing sign of this old family restaurant.
We’re seated in the back of the restaurant, tucked in a booth watching the families around us corral their kids. It’s nice to get away and be able to eat a meal for once without having to make sure Carter’s fed, happy, and not destroying things.
“Speed dating round two?” She asks, grinning.
“I mean I was hoping not to speed this along. But if you really wanna get rid of me—“
“No!” she laughs “I don’t. I like your company.”
“Well that’s a relief,” I scoff, faking relief. I grin at the look at her face and nudge her, letting our legs touch. What I wouldn’t do to touch her right now. “So what’re ya thinking?” I peruse the menu, already knowing what I’m ordering and simply focused on where she’s bouncing her leg against mine. She hums this tiny little noise and I glance over, watching her watch me.
“Oh I have their menu memorized. Michael used to bring me here once a month as a kid. Sometimes more.”
“Michael?”
“My parents’ driver,” she rolls her eyes. “My parents were too busy to have kids.” She shrugs.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” I take her hand in mine under the table and give it a squeeze and she smiles at me.
“It’s fine. I had a pretty decent childhood all things considered.”
“Oh I believe it. That castle on the hill still the family home?” I smirk, giving her a hard time. I can tell her family is a sore subject with her but I just want to know everything about her, including what makes her tick.
“Absolutely,” she says, rolling her eyes and grinning at me. “So glad I got out of there.”
I nod and the waitress comes over. I can see the way she’s looking at me but it makes no difference. Wren, however, sees it and the look on her face when the girl walks away is priceless.
“Does she not realize we’re here together?” she hisses, throwing daggers to his girl’s back with her eyes.
“I can’t help it,” I laugh and she play punches me so I wrap my arms around her. “She wouldn’t look so hard if she knew the real me.” I tell her, relaxing my grip on her a bit but not moving my arm.
“And what’s the real you, Lincoln West?” She turns to face me and grabs her water, sipping through the tiny straw, her lips pursed together and her eyes on mine.
I smirk and I can tell it does something to her. I lean in, my lips barely brushing her ear, and whisper, “I’m a massive nerd.”
She laughs and lets out this sigh, tucking her hair behind her ear when I back away. Her eyes find mine and there’s something there that wasn’t there a minute ago. She’s smiling bright, shaking her head, and sipping on her water. Her cheeks have turned a beautiful shade of pink and I know I got to her.
“So?” I ask. “It’s not really hot, is it?”
“Oh,” she says, laughing. “I don’t think you need to worry about being hot or not. I think we both know where you lie on the ‘hot nerd’ scale.” She sips her water again.
I lean in close and look her in the eyes. “You haven’t heard me drop my mad president skills, though, Wren. You don’t know what you’re walking into.” I try to keep a straight face but she spits out her water on me and I lose it.
“You’re such a dork!” she laughs as I wipe my shirt. “Oh my God I’m sorry,” she gasps. “Here, let me help.” She takes her napkin and makes a scene of drying me off. When the waitress comes back with our food, the eyebrow lift Wren gives her as she wipes water off my stomach says it all.
Back the fuck off.
We make it through dinner without any more outbursts and by the time we’re walking out the door I’m not ready for the night to end. It feels like we just got started and it’s already nine pm. God, I hope everything’s going ok at home. I feel guilty I haven’t worried about Carter or my siblings watching him all throughout dinner. I’m guessing everything is ok with them. No news is good news, right?
“You gonna turn into a pumpkin soon? You keep checking your phone.” She nods towards the phone in my hand as we wait in the truck for the light to turn and I slide it back into my pocket.
“Sorry. Bad habit, I guess. That’s pretty rude, isn’t it?”
“I mean I know I’m not that interesting but you can at least pretend to like me.” She dramatically rolls her eyes so I flip up the middle console and unbuckle her, pulling her across the seat and reaching over, re-buckling her all before the light turns green. She’s shrieking and laughing but doesn’t fight it, especially not when I rest my hand on her thigh.
“I like this dress,” I all but growl when she shifts a bit, letting my fingers move an inch farther up.
“Where are we going?” she manages to s
ay, though I can tell her thoughts are other places right now. Like just how high she’s going to let me move my hand until she throws the breaks on.
“Ice cream? Coffee? Fucking Target parking lot?” I laugh and groan, running my hand down my face. “Honestly I have no clue, I just know I’m not ready to call it a night.”
“Me either,” she smiles, glancing over and biting her lip. “Ice Cream Haven,” she blurts. “Do the drive through. I have a place we can eat it nearby.”
We grab sundaes and she directs me a few blocks away.
“I feel like this is when you kill me,” I say, driving down a tiny one lane road. Every now and then the truck hits a branch hanging too low from the trees and I cringe. “My baby,” I whimper, laughing.
She has me turn into a small rock drive and I shake my head, wary that she’s driving me into a trap. We come to the end of the road and it literally just ends. Done. No more road.
“Wren?” I warn, raising my eyebrows at her. “I have to back out of here?”
“I mean…last time I was here this was wide open.” She giggles. “Come on.” She grabs her ice cream and is out of the truck before I know what’s happening. I bring mine and follow, praying we don’t end up killed out here tonight. Not necessarily by a human, but Nan wasn’t kidding about the bobcats out here.
“This way! It’s still here, it’s just all grown in,” she yells back to me. I grab a flashlight from my truck and follow her. She’s going at these bushes like she’s not in a sexy as hell dress tonight and goddamn if it doesn’t make me want her even more.
“See,” she huffs, grinning. I glance past where she just cleared and my eyes go wide.
“Holy hell,” I mutter, following her into the opening.
“It’s a lookout I used to come to a lot in high school. It must have just overgrown.”
“You keep mentioning Springfield like it was your past. I thought you’ve lived here your whole life?”
She kicks a few rocks on her way over to a tree that’s been formed into a sitting area and sticks her ice cream spoon in her mouth, nibbling it.