by Naomi Niles
I glanced to my left. I hated that our original family had been torn apart, but this was the next best thing that I could offer him. The chance to have a blended family and, hopefully, Bethany would fill the gaps that his mother left in our lives. I put my hand on his head, “Alright, Vinny. Thanks, son. I appreciate you more than you know.”
Just then, Mike stepped out of the house. “What the fuck? Are you guys gonna stay in that car all night? The meat is goin’ on the grill! Bring your asses in here!”
I shook my head, then tapped Vinny’s leg, “Come on, kid, let’s go before I have to punch your uncle in the face for cursing so much.” He reached for the handle, but I grabbed his arm, “I love you, Vinny. And again, I am sorry for not being the father that you needed me to be earlier.”
“It’s okay, Dad. I forgive you. Let’s move on.”
“Yeah,” I said with a smile, “let’s move on.”
We walked inside of Mike’s house. The smell of barbecue danced in my nose as soon as I closed the door behind me. Vinny went to the back room while I followed the smoky, barbecue smell out on to Mike’s patio. “Look at this baby. Gas grill. It cost upwards of one-thousand dollars, but I didn’t give a fuck. I had to have this bad boy. Here,” he stabbed a piece of meat with his fork, then handed it to me, “Taste that and tell me what you think.”
I took the meat off the fork, then popped it into my mouth. The juices swirled around on my tongue as soon as I bit into it. “Wow, this really is good. This grill must make your cooking better because I swear your barbecue didn’t taste like this before.”
He grabbed a beer off the table, “Ha, fuck you, man! My barbecue has always been exquisite.” He dipped his head back and threw a few gulps of beer down his throat, then placed it back onto the table. “Anyways, take a seat out there. Make yourself at home. Where is the boy at?”
“I sent him to the back room to play video games.”
“Hell, the way that kid acts, you might as well have told him to come out here and grab a beer. Shit. He seems like he is already 21.”
“Nah, man. I need to enjoy him at his age right now before he gets that old. I don’t need him growing up any faster than he already is. I can’t believe I missed out on so much of his life. I mean, he is only seven years old, but still, you know? Canceled dates. Broken promises. I was a shitty ass father, but luckily, he is forgiving.”
“Yeah man, kids forget shit and get over it a lot quicker than adults. I envy that sometimes, you know? Maybe things would’ve worked out with my wife if I’d learned that at a younger age.” He grabbed his beer and took another swig before continuing, “But fuck it! I’m fuckin’ single now and lovin’ every minute of it. But you?” he glared at me, shaking his head, “You are finding yourself going backwards, and I can’t understand why, for the love of God. Why would you willingly lock yourself in prison?”
I snapped the cap off a beer bottle, then propped my leg up on his table. “Like I said, man, I just want to see what that life is like. I want to experience life as a married man.”
“Let me help you out. It is bullshit, mixed with a little bit of sex, but a lot more bullshit on top of that. In the end, you get shitted out just like everything else you swallow. It’s a waste of time and money, but hey, I guess every man needs to experience that on his own.”
Smoke billowed out of his barbecue grill as he flipped some of the strips of meat on the other side. With his fork, he stabbed a pile of brisket and slid it onto a plate just to his left. He had a good reason to be hard-hearted on the issue of marriage because, from what I could remember, the relationship between him and his wife was hell. I remembered the times he would come over my house seething after something she did. Somehow, it all went to shit, but in my opinion, the two of them were a bad fit from the beginning. It didn’t feel that way with Bethany. The chemistry we had between each other was there from day one, and I was anxious to see how much further it would go between us.
“So, speaking of that, I need you to watch Vinny for me tomorrow night. I’m taking Bethany out again.”
“Oh, yeah? Sounds good. You need the house to yourself, huh? Have you two done the do yet?” he asked with a smile coated in beer.
“Nah, we haven’t. Not yet.”
“God damnit! You’re getting soft on me, man! The Gavin I knew would’ve been had her spread out in his bed by now at least a handful of times. What the fuck is going on with you?”
I took another swig of beer. “It’s not like that this time. I mean, I want to cross that line with her, but I don’t want to pressure her into doing it. I don’t want to treat her like I treated women before. If I feel like this is going to be different, I have to treat her like it’s different.”
“I have to treat her like it’s different,” he said in a tone full of mockery. “Look, man, I’ll watch the kid for you, but to me, he may as well come along with you two if you don’t plan on taking her down afterward. Seriously.” He glared at me as smoke billowed from the grill in an oblong shape. I took another drink of my beer just as Vinny walked outside. “Heey, buddy,” Mike said with a wide grin as he extended his hand. “Slap me five, buddy!”
Vinny slapped the palm of his hand into Mike’s. Seconds later, Mike put his arm around his shoulder and eased him closer to the grill. “Now, let me teach you something that your old man doesn’t have any business trying to show you. Uncle Mike is gonna teach you how to grill. Lesson one,” he looked at me, “make sure you don’t act like your father when you grow older. He doesn’t really know how to, um, handle his meat.”
“Mike!”
He laughed out loud. “What? I’m teaching this boy some valuable lessons. He’s got to learn how to handle himself if he wants to have success with this. Anyways,” he looked back at Vinny and continued showing him the ropes of grilling.
I kept my feet propped up on the table as I leaned back in my chair. I knew Mike would give me a hard time about my decision to not only take it slow with Bethany, but lean towards settling down with her permanently, but that didn’t matter to me. This was my life, and I had to make the best decision for me and Vinny, and right now, this seemed like the best one out there for the both of us.
Chapter Fourteen
BETHANY
I stood in my mirror, getting ready for my date with Gavin. I had been looking forward to this date ever since Vinny passed me the note a few days ago. I wanted to tell Gavin about the potential trouble with my ex just so he would be prepared for it in case something happened. A part of me felt like he had to know, just for his own safety, but I was afraid that it would push him further away from me. As I brushed my hair, I knew I was going to tell him. I could only hope that it wouldn’t be enough to make him walk away.
Just then, the doorbell rang. I put my brush down, tied my hair up, and went to answer it. Gavin stood on the other side dressed in jeans and a collared shirt. He had a bouquet of roses in his hand and in the other, a small heart-shaped box of chocolates. “Awwww, Gavin. Thank you so much! White roses are my absolute favorite!” I took the roses from his hand, then embraced him.
“Yeah, I know.”
“You know?”
He smiled as he stepped inside my home. “I would love to take the credit for this and just chalk it up to being observant, but I can’t. Vinny gave me a little insight on the things that you liked, so I had a little help with it all.”
I closed the door behind him. “Vinny. My, he is such a sweetheart.”
“Yeah. He really likes you, though. He has been talking about you ever since we all went bowling together.”
“Yeah. I had fun that day. Sorry I clobbered you two, though, but what can I say? I’ve been a good bowler for a while now.”
He took a seat on the couch while I grabbed a vase from the kitchen, then placed the roses front and center on the living room table. “Yeah. It makes me wonder what else you are good at, you know? What other hidden talents do you have festering inside of you? What kinds of things did y
ou do before you met me?”
His question jolted me as I sat down beside him on the couch. I shuddered when I thought about telling him that I used to be a stripper. The way he carried himself now, I didn’t think that he would ever want to be associated with somebody who had my lifestyle in the past. Gavin was an upper-class gentleman, someone who probably looked down upon people who had to strip or had some unfortunate issues in their past. “Well, that is kind of what I wanted to talk to you about right now.”
His smile dropped from his face. “Oh? Okay. What is it?” He put his arm on the back of the couch and positioned himself towards me. I looked straight ahead as I folded my hands on my lap. “Sweetheart, you can tell me anything. I don’t want you to feel like you have to hide something from me. Whatever it is, I am sure that I can handle it.”
I thought about my days as a stripper, but skimmed past that. “I have an ex. I um,” I took a deep breath, trying to block out the pain I felt from those days. “He used to abuse me. Physically, mentally, emotionally. I mean, every way that a woman can be abused, he did it to me.” Sadness enveloped his countenance. I could feel his empathy without him saying a word. I hesitated to continue until he put his hand on my back and rubbed it in a circular motion. “It was the longest period of my life. It had gotten to a point where I had to get a restraining order against him. I mean, he would show up at my house in the middle of the night and bang on my door. One night, he kicked it off its hinges.”
I wiped a tear from my eye as he scooted closer to me. “And he came into my room, yelling and cursing at me. I knew he was drunk, but he’d acted the same way when he was sober, so I knew it wasn’t the liquor. The liquor only made things worse.” I wiped another stream of tears from my eyes. “Anyways, he hit me that night. He hit me a few times, and from there, I got another restraining order. But, that still wasn’t enough. He would show up and bang on my door. He didn’t care if he got arrested, and even if he did, he would only stay locked up for a few days. I don’t know how he got out so quick, but he did. This was all in Richmond, VA. Well, after that, I packed up and moved out here to Roanoke. In the middle of the night, I grabbed what I could and just left. I couldn’t take it anymore.”
My cheeks were damp from tears as he wrapped his arm around me and kissed me on the forehead. I felt safe in his arms, but at the same time, I didn’t want him to get into any danger because of me. “So, I am telling you this because I think I saw his car the other day when I was shopping with April. I don’t know if it was him for sure, but I remember what kind of truck he had a couple of years ago, and it looked the same.” I looked directly at him. His image was blurred because of my tears. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I don’t know if he changed or not, but I know that he used to be a violent man. I like you a lot, Gavin, but I understand if you feel like you can’t continue with me. I hate that it seems like he just won’t leave me alone, but it is what it is.”
He rubbed my shoulders as he sat next to me, quietly. I had no idea what he was thinking, but in my mind, he was already gone. The risk was probably too high for him, especially with Vinny around. In the past, my ex was unpredictable, and I assumed that not much had changed. “What is his name?”
“Anthony. Anthony Carter.”
“And when did you see him?”
“Last weekend when I was out with April. I mean, I don’t know if it was him because it was just a similar vehicle, you know? But that’s what I saw.”
“Okay.” He put his hand on my thigh, “We won’t jump the gun, then. We don’t know if it was him for sure, so we will leave it at that. Listen, Bethany, I really like you a lot, and I know that we all have had certain problems in our past. Certain things that we wish that we didn’t have to go through, but I know that those things make us better. If you didn’t go through that, you wouldn’t be here right now, and I would’ve never met you. You would’ve never made the impact in the Roanoke school district that you’ve made thus far. Everything happens for a reason, and one crazy ex is not enough to keep me away from you. Okay?”
His words lifted weights off my shoulders. I didn’t expect him to say that, but his words were so comforting to me. I put my arms around him, and he held me tighter. “Don’t worry about that, okay? Right now, it is just a vehicle, and I’m sure that they made more than one model of his truck. Until then, don’t worry, because I won’t. Even if it is him, I still wouldn’t worry because no man is going to keep me away from you. If need be, I will handle it one way or the other.”
“I don’t want to–”
“Bethany, sweetheart, let’s not worry about that right now, okay? Right now, we have a date to go on, and I am not going to let a ‘what if’ situation interrupt our time together.” He stood up and extended his hand towards me, “Now, will you please accompany me to the movies? I believe we might miss the original showing, but another one starts at 6 pm. We might just have to grab a bite to eat before the movie instead of after.”
“Okay.” I smiled. “Just let me go upstairs and freshen up since I’ve smeared my makeup with all those tears.”
“No problem.”
Before I could walk away, he grabbed my hand and gently tugged me closer to him. He pressed his lips softly against mine and held the back of my head with his hand. “I should’ve done that a long time ago,” he said after he released me.
“Yes. I agree.” I walked away from him, and our hands were the last thing that released from each other. “I will be back.”
“And I will be here.”
I walked to the bathroom and reapplied my makeup. It felt good to have a real man by my side this time around, and I knew it wasn’t going to be anything like my last relationship. The way he treated me with care and respect already set him apart from all the other men I’d come across in my past. I hoped that what we had together would translate into something long-lasting. I saw a future between us, and I prayed that he saw the same thing. When I came back into the front room, he stood up.
“Just when I thought you couldn’t possibly look any better, you completely prove me wrong.” I blushed as he kissed me on the lips. “Shall we, my dear?”
“We shall.”
He took me to a restaurant not too far from the movie theater. The night was filled with laughter, especially since the beginning of our time together was filled with a bunch of sad stories from my past. It wasn’t hard for him to make me smile, though. Maybe it was the fact that I was already drawn to him and the smallest thing he said or did would send a grin flashing across my face like a hazard light. Occasionally, he would reach across the table and place his hand on top of my mine. I felt that our souls touched each time he did. After our meal, we went straight to the movie theater.
“Wow. The Breezeway. I’ve been wanting to see this movie ever since it came out in the theater.”
He smiled as we stood in line. “Good. Oh, and no, Vinny did not tell me that. I kind of just guessed that you would want to see it.”
“Guessed?”
His smile remained, “Yes, I guessed. No, you are not taking this one away from me! I was observant and just put two and two together.”
“Well, Mr. Observant, you did well.”
He looped his arm as I slid my hand on his bicep, then we walked into the movie theater. I scooted as close to him as I could as the lights dimmed and the box of popcorn sat on his lap. I felt his hand on my thigh and at that moment, I knew how hard it was going to be to keep my legs closed for the first two months of dating. He was attractive, and not only that, but he treated me like a woman. I loved everything about him, and as his hand tightened around my thigh, I could feel my vagina pulsating below my waist. I’m not going to make it for two months, I thought to myself as the movie started. I looked at him. The lights from the movie screen flashed onto his soft lips, sending an urge to want to lean over and plant mine on top of his right in the movie theater. I restrained myself, but couldn’t help to wonder if he was thinking the same thing.
Ch
apter Fifteen
GAVIN
“Hey, Dad, are you going to wear that?”
I looked at my clothing in the mirror while Vinny sat on my bed. “Yeah. Why? What is wrong with what I have on?”
“Um,” he chuckled, “nothing. I mean, that’s if you’re going to do something active. I think you should wear something a little more formal.” He walked into my closet and grabbed another shirt from the hanger. He held it up as he came out of the closet. “Like this. This white shirt would go better with that.”
“This one?” I held it over my chest as I looked into the mirror. “Well, it does seem to go a little better with these pants. Alright, kid, you won. I’ll change.” He smiled, then climbed back onto the bed as I switched shirts. “So, it’s been a month since me and Bethany started dating. Do you still feel the same way about her?”
“Yes, I do. I really like her, and that hasn’t changed. She hasn’t changed the way she treats me at school, either. Sometimes, I think people would try to be nicer to a kid in this situation, but she hasn’t. Not that she has started being mean or anything, but she has been the same nice woman that she has always been.”
“Good. I am happy to hear that. And I know you love hanging out with us from time to time.”
“Yeah, I do. I love that the most. She always invites us to do fun things together. I think this is the most time I’ve spent with you since I can remember.”
As he continued talking, I thought about all the time that the three of us had spent together for the past month. Bowling, skating, trampoline parks, and miniature golf. Wherever we went, Bethany always made sure to include Vinny, and that was a load off my shoulders because I rarely had to balance time between the two of them. Hanging out with them both was like killing two birds with one stone. “Yeah, I know, Vinny. I’ve had fun, too. I love that we are all getting along with each other.”