“So what now?” He glanced around.
“You go home.” I flicked the TV on.
“You don’t want to watch a movie or something?” He inched closer.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. We’ve said a lot to each other tonight, and our nerves are really raw. I’m trying to be friends with you, so I think you should go home.”
“I’ll go, but,” he paused by the door, “you should know that I’m not going to stop trying. You and me, we’re gonna happen, and there’s not much you can do to stop it.” He flashed a smile before stepping outside and leaving me there staring at where he’d been.
Micha Stanton had always been driven to get what he wanted, but this time it might not work out for him. He’d made it pretty clear that he wanted me, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted him. Besides, why was I suddenly attractive? Was it because I said no? Because we had a child? Or had he lost interest in Brittany? Mine and Danny’s lives were already chaotic, we didn’t need anything else stirring up dust.
ooooooooo
Micha
When I reached my truck, I climbed in and sat there. I stared at the front window of her apartment until the lights went out. I don’t know why I stayed, call me a stalker. Hell, I probably am one under the definition, but I couldn’t leave. They were in there, and despite her desire to keep me at a distance, I couldn’t make myself leave.
Once the lights went out, I cranked the engine. I was just about to back out of my spot when my cell started ringing. “Hello?” I yawned. It was late, and I’d had a long day.
“Hey, baby. Wanna come over?” Brittany’s voice purred from the other end of the line.
“Not tonight.” I put the truck back in park.
“But I miss you,” she whined.
“Un huh. It’s been a long day,” I mumbled.
“Well, yeah. Come over, please?” she begged. I used to find her begging a turn on, but now it just annoyed me.
“I need sleep.” I sighed.
“We can sleep after.”
“Brit…” I rubbed my eyes and let my head fall back against the seat. I did need to talk to her, but not over the phone. Explaining Danny and Savannah needed to be done in person.
“Fine,” she grumbled.
“I’ll catch up with you later this week. I do need to talk to you about something, just not tonight.”
“Sure. Whatever you say.” She giggled and then disconnected.
Why was I going home alone again? Savannah didn’t want me, that was clear and Brittany did. My head was so messed up. I needed a good night’s sleep and then I’d be able to think straight. I had to come up with a plan. I needed to show Savannah what we could be like, and remind her of the way we once were.
Chapter 17
Micha
It was Saturday morning, and I was taking the day off. I can’t tell you the last time I did that, maybe high school? When I told Max, I think he thought something was wrong with me. He stood in the doorway of the office and stared at me as if I’d grown a second head. Then he laughed, and I don’t mean a regular laugh. I’m talking, he almost fell over he was laughing so hard. I didn’t know I was that funny, but apparently, I am. My father had basically the same reaction. He said he was glad I was dating girls who actually cared about me, and weren’t looking for a quick roll in the hay. Little did he know, Savannah and I weren’t dating…yet.
I’ve been working on how to convince her that we should go out on a date. I’m thinking I might have to play dirty and get Danny involved. I know she has a hard time telling him no, so he might be a good ally to have. I already take his mom away every day for work though, so I don’t know how he’d feel about me taking her away at night too. I might need her dad’s help on this one.
When I told my mom that I was spending the morning at the beach, she insisted on packing food. I wasn’t sure what Savannah’s plans were, but my mom packed enough for an army. I tossed the basket on the seat of my truck and was grabbing some towels just as Brittany’s car pulled into the parking lot at the stand.
“Great.” I sighed as I closed the truck door. I hadn’t heard from her since the other night, and I was kinda hoping that she’d take the hint since I’d hadn’t called her back yet.
“Heeeeyyy!” She waved as she hopped out of her car. She was dressed in the tiniest pair of shorts I’d ever seen, and the tank top she was wearing barely contained her breasts.
“Now’s not really a good time. I’m heading out.” I waved at my truck.
“Want some company?” She jogged closer. “I can go grab a suit.” She pointed at my bare legs and trunks. “It’ll be fun. I didn’t know you took time away.” Her lips turned down in a frown before she started to turn back towards her car.
“I take time off.” I furrowed my brow. “I’m actually meeting someone.”
Brittany stood there with a look of confusion on her face for a moment and then complete clarity washed over her. “It’s her, isn’t it? You’re back with her.” She crossed her arms over her chest and kicked the ground. “I think I always knew you two would end up together.” She shrugged as she moved closer. I wasn’t sure what she was going to do next, but this was going better than I imagined it would.
“We’re trying.” I nodded slowly.
“When she moved away, I thought I’d finally get my chance, and I did, for a while. I’ve always known that you loved her. You never stopped, and that’s painfully clear right now. I hope she sees what she’s got and appreciates it. You deserve someone who loves you the way you love them.” She rose up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Good luck, Micha. You deserve to be happy.”
I stood there slightly stunned as she turned and walked back to her car, swaying her hips the entire way. She didn’t glance back, not once, but once she was seated, she gave a small wave before driving away. I thought I’d feel something when this happened, but I didn’t. I didn’t love Brittany. I didn’t put myself out there for her. Hell, I haven’t put myself out there for anyone since Savannah left, and now I was going to try with everything in me to do it again.
ooooooooo
Savannah
Today was the perfect day to be outside. It was hot, but not unbearable and the sky was a beautiful, clear blue. The beach wasn’t too crowded today, and Danny and I found a spot right between the water, and the picnic area. I wasn’t planning to stay for lunch, but I did pack some drinks and snacks. “Can I go now?” Danny kicked off his sandals and was bouncing as I spread out a giant towel and attempted to set up our umbrella.
“Hang on. You need sunscreen.” I stopped what I was doing and began rummaging through the beach bag in search of the pink bottle.
“No, I don’t,” he whined.
“Do you wanna play in the water?” I stopped and gave him my patented mom look. He nodded. “How about playing in the sand?” Another nod. “Well, if you want to do that, then you need this.” I finally grabbed what I was looking for and turned to face him. “Come here.” I squirted a small amount in my palm, and reached for him with my free hand.
“Awe Mooomm,” he grumbled, but stepped closer.
I lathered every inch of his body in sunscreen, and then grabbed his sun hat. “Hat too. You don’t want a burnt head.” I plopped it on, and he rolled his eyes before glancing back at the water.
“Now can I?” he begged.
“Yes. You gotta stay on this side of the yellow rope. K, buddy?” I pointed to the rope that divided the kiddie area with the deeper water.
“K.” He nodded vigorously before skipping down to the water. They had a lifeguard on duty, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I sat there in the hot sun without my umbrella so I could watch his every move. He didn’t go deeper than his ankles, but I still worried.
As the morning turned into the early afternoon, I wondered when Micha was going to show up. He’d said he was coming, but part of me still didn’t trust him. Maybe he forgot, or maybe work came up, or something at the farm. I’d learned when Danny was bor
n that other than my dad, I really couldn’t count on anyone.
“What are you doing sitting in the sun with that umbrella on the sand?” I jumped when he startled me.
“Nice of you to show up?” I glanced at him quickly before turning my eyes back to Danny.
“Sorry. I had something I had to take care of first. I’m here now, though.” He kicked his flipflops off and set a giant picnic basket down.
“What’s that?” I lifted my chin at the basket.
“Lunch. My mother thought I might get hungry. I think she thought I was meeting an army here or something.” He chuckled as he spread out a towel beside me. “It’s hot!” He sighed. “I’m putting this up.” He grabbed the umbrella and went to work where I’d left off.
“When you have kids, you make sacrifices.” I rolled my eyes. “He wanted to swim. I can’t watch him and put that up. So I’m suffering in the heat while he swims.” I pointed to where Danny was splashing in the shallow water. “You wouldn’t know about that though, would you?”
“Ouch!” Micha’s eyes went wide. I know I was being intentionally harsh, but I was so messed up inside that I didn’t know what to do around him. Pushing him away to test whether he’d stay seemed to be the game plan at the moment, and I was at it full force.
“You have a bad morning?” He finished setting up the umbrella, and plopped down beside me.
“Nope.” I continued to watch Danny, ignoring the fact that a shirtless Micha was sitting beside me. It seemed that several other women on the beach were appreciating the view though.
“He loves the water. Doesn’t he?” Micha laughed as Danny splashed and kicked at the shallow surf.
“Yes. We had a pool near our place in Utah. I used to take him swimming all the time. He’s been in love with the water since birth.” I smiled as I thought about all the time Danny and I spent at the pool. The only time we weren’t there was when we were in the hospital.
“Want something to drink?” Micha began to rummage through the basket beside him. “I think my mom packed lemonade in here somewhere.”
“I’m fine,” I mumbled. The truth was I was dying of the heat, but I didn’t want to tell him that. Lemonade sounded so good, but I grabbed one of the waters I packed and opened it instead.
I’d worn a bathing suit, but hadn’t removed my cover up yet. I didn’t want Micha staring at me, or getting the wrong idea. Today was about Danny, not us.
“Have you always been this stubborn?” He shook his head before swinging his gaze in my direction.
“I’ve changed. It’s called growing up,” I grumbled as I sipped my water.
“Mama! Mama!” Danny came rushing up right at that moment.
“Hey, buddy.” I smiled.
“Did you see that sand castle I builded? It’s giant.” He stretched his arms wide to demonstrate the size.
“I did.” I laughed. “You getting hungry? I have snacks.” I reached in my bag and grabbed the box of goldfish I’d tossed in there.
“Not rweally.” He shrugged.
“Well, I think you should eat something. It’s hot today. I don’t want you to get overheated.” I grabbed a juice box, poked the straw in, and handed it to him. “Come sit for a few minutes.”
“Fine.” He gave a dramatic sigh before plopping down on the towel.
“Hey, Danny.” Micha smiled. I’d almost forgotten he was there.
“Hey, Micha.” He waved. “Wanna go swimin when I’m done wfith my break?”
“Sure. We can go swimming.” Micha laughed.
“Mama says no going passed the rwope though. It’s too deep.” He gave a quick nod of his chin before turning his gaze back to me.
“I bet we could go out there if Mama came too.” Micha grinned like he was playing some game and winning.
“Mama wasn’t planning on swimming today.” I glared at him.
“Awe, come on Moooommm!” They both groaned and stuck their lips out.
“This is not fair.” I sighed. “Fine. Because he asked.” I pointed at Danny.
“Yay!!!” Danny jumped up off the towel. “I’ms done.” He handed me the juice box and started bouncing away. “Come on, Mama! It’s nice.” He waved at me before rushing to the edge and splashing around.
“I’m so getting you back for this.” I glared at Micha.
“Do your worst. It’ll be worth it after seeing you in a bathing suit again.” He winked. The jerk winked at me before shoving up off his towel, stretching, and then sauntering toward the water. If it wasn’t bad enough that my brain remembered the teenage version of Micha, now it was getting the grown-up version, and that version made the teen one look like a little boy. Micha had ripples in places that I didn’t think you could get them. His shoulders were muscular and broad. The board shorts he was wearing hung low enough that you could see the V, and his back flexed from all the manual labor he’d done over the years. It wasn’t fair.
I had stretch marks, and saggy spots from childbirth. I didn’t look better, and I always felt self-conscious. Having a baby puts marks on your body that just don’t go away, no matter how good a shape you’re in.
“You coming?” Micha glanced back over his shoulder at me. I rolled my eyes before pulling my cover up over my head. I’d worn a basic black tank suit. It held my stomach in, and covered the areas I worried about.
I waltzed right by Micha as I jogged over to where Danny was waiting. “You ready?” I held my hand out.
“Yep.” He grabbed it and jumped with glee. “Cans we go over the rope sos I can swim?”
“Sure.” I laughed. I’d taught Danny to swim when he was two. It was more of a dog paddle, but he was proficient enough that he could get around pretty well.
I waded out as far as Danny could reach, and then lifted him in my arms as we made our way to the deeper water.
“I was kidding about this.” Micha’s voice came from behind us. “We can keep him where he can reach.” His voice shook slightly.
“It’s fine.” I brushed him off.
“Don’t you think this might be dangerous?” Micha lifted the rope so I could move under it.
“If I wasn’t out here, then yes. We’re fine.” I moved a few steps deeper to make sure we were clear of the rope.
“Watch this, Micha!” Danny yelled as he glanced back at where Micha was standing at the rope. The water was about five feet deep, but you would have thought it was fifty with the way he was acting. “Let go, Mama,” Danny whisper shouted to me.
I held out my arms, let him get his bearing, and then let go. “I cans swims.” Danny giggled as he turned to head towards Micha. “See?”
Micha stood there stunned before holding his arm out so Danny could grab on. “I can see that. When did you learn to swim?”
“Mama teached me.” He giggled before squirming to get free. “Lets me go now.” He kicked his little feet and headed back in my direction.
We stayed out there in the water for a long time. The afternoon slowly turned to evening as we made our way back to the beach. I gave in after my stomach growled a few times and we ate the food Micha had brought. It allowed us to stay later, and Danny was having a blast.
When the sun started to set, Micha finally brought up the moment I’d been dreading all day. “When are we going to tell him?”
“Now, I guess.” I shrugged. I’d been putting it off all day. “Hey, Danny!” I called to where he was sitting in the sand again, building what looked like some kind of tower. “Come here a minute.”
Danny stood up and came skipping over. “Dos we hafta leave?”
“No. I want to talk to you about something. Can you sit?” I pointed to the towel. Danny complied and then looked up at me with curious eyes.
I took a deep breath, and Micha reached over and placed his hand over one of mine. It felt foreign, but I didn’t pull away. “Mama’s been friends with Micha for a long time.” Danny’s head tipped to the side in confusion. I swallowed the lump that was forming. “Grandpa and I moved away
before Micha knew, and I didn’t think I’d ever see him again, but Micha’s your daddy, baby.”
Danny’s head snapped up as his brow furrowed. I could feel the tension coming off Micha in waves, but he didn’t move a muscle. He was giving Danny the first move. “Waits.” Danny shook his head. “Whats about Tim? Is hes coming back?” My stomach dropped. I’d been trying to move on from this without it affecting Danny, but apparently, he picked up on more than I knew.
“Who’s Tim?” Micha’s hand recoiled as if I’d burnt him, and what looked like hurt mixed with anger blazed in his eyes.
Chapter 18
Micha
“Who’s Tim?” I pulled my hand back as anger boiled inside me.
“He’s was my daddy at the old house.” Danny’s brow creased as he looked between his mother and me. “Rwight Mama?”
Savannah sat there staring at the water, refusing to look at me. I wanted to believe this was nothing, but with the way it was going I had to be wrong. “Savannah?” I tugged on her elbow.
She shook her head. “I’m not doing this now,” she muttered before turning her attention to Danny. “Tim’s not coming here sweetie. He’s staying in Utah.”
“Ohs.” Danny shrugged before turning his eyes toward me. “Sos yous my daddy? Like for nows?”
“Like forever.” I smiled at him even though I was raging on the inside. “What do you think?”
“Is likes you.” Danny grinned. “Cans we go home now?” He yawned before looking towards Savannah.
“Yeah. We can go home. You’ve had a long day.” She ruffled his hair as she smiled at him, but it wasn’t a full smile. I watched as she slowly packed up her things, and then stood, holding it all in her arms. “You coming?” Her eyes swung to meet mine.
I scrambled to my feet and grabbed my things. “I wasn’t sure I was invited.” I jogged after her.
“Figured you’d want an explanation, and it isn’t happening here.” She shrugged as she turned back toward Danny, and headed in the direction of her apartment.
One Last Time (The Stanton Brothers) Page 12