"Well, good. But listen, Erica is at the house now. I picked her up from the hospital today. Is that still okay with you?"
"Yeah. She can stay in my room if she wants to."
"She'll be taking the room next to yours. It's only for a little while, until her foot's better."
"I know. You told me before."
"I just want to be clear. This doesn't change how you act with her. She's still your teacher. I like Erica, but she's only a guest. She's a guest so hot she can melt ice, but still...it's our house-"
Jack stopped as Tiffany waited for him to continue. The words caught in his throat, and he was unable to speak as his mind raced.
Our house. When did it become our house, and not his house? He looked at Tiffany, who was shifting in her seat and watching him with eager eyes. When did the child become such a part of his life that he thought in terms of our?
He knew at that moment Tiffany wouldn’t be leaving.
"Are you done?" Tiffany asked.
"Yeah."
"I understand. I’ll treat Miss Hernandez real nice."
"I know you will."
*****
Jack cooked steak with baked potatoes as Tiffany worked on her homework at the bar. He smiled to himself when Erica made her way from the couch to sit next to her and help. The two laughed and told jokes as they worked, and hearing their laughter made Jack laugh. He was no longer just killing time. He was happy.
They watched TV after dinner. Tiffany made sure to sit in the middle between Jack and Erica, so she could be close to both of them. She truly did like her teacher, and wouldn’t stop talking to her during commercials.
Jack said very little, lost in his own thoughts. His thinking, his plans, had changed. It wasn’t simply from Tiffany being kidnapped, but the impact she’d had on his life. He knew what he had to do.
Erica leaned over Tiffany and touched Jack’s shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Strangely, I’ve never been better."
She gave him that smile and held his gaze a moment longer than necessary. He returned the smile as Tiffany snuggled up next to him.
"You could beat up the bad guy and the detective both, couldn’t you?" she said, pointing at the TV.
He shifted uncomfortably, afraid she was going to mention their adventure in the park the other night.
"Uh, maybe."
He didn’t keep track of time, but after two yawns from Tiffany, knew it was time for bed. Turning the TV off, he gave Tiffany’s shoulders a gentle squeeze.
"Bedtime for you."
"I don’t want to go to bed. I want to stay up with you and Miss Hernandez."
"That’s not happening. You’ve got school tomorrow, and you’re hard enough to wake up as it is."
"Carry me."
"You’ve got two working legs."
"I wish I could say that," Erica said.
"Please? Carry me up the stairs."
Jack sighed and scooped Tiffany up in one arm. She rested her head on his shoulder as he walked up the stairs. Erica hobbled behind them, wanting to change clothes in her bedroom.
He joined Tiffany in her room after she brushed her teeth and changed into her pajamas. She was crawling under the blankets as Jack pulled a book from her backpack.
"Jack!" she shouted with wide eyes. "You’re gonna read me a bedtime story?"
"Nope. I will one day. But tonight, you’re gonna read me one. Just for a few minutes."
Tiffany scooted over so he could join her. He kicked his feet up and laced his hands behind his head as she read from the book. Erica was in the bathroom across the hall, brushing her teeth. As she headed back to her room she stopped in the doorway a moment to watch the adorable scene.
Jack imagined this was when a normal parent would doze off, get tired. He would never get tired, and would never sleep. He would never have a bedroom for Tiffany to retreat to when she had a bad dream. There were parts of himself he would always have to keep from her. He would never be a normal parent. He didn’t care.
Tiffany’s voice grew soft after ten minutes of reading. Jack took the book from her and set it on the bed.
"Tiffany, I know you’re tired, but I’ve got something I want you to think about, and we can talk about it more tomorrow."
"What’s that?"
"I know we’ve talked before about finding you a family."
Tiffany stiffened next to him and held her breath. Her hands turned into fists.
"Is it time for me to leave?" she asked, her voice shaking.
"Actually...and I want you to think real hard about this, I want you to live here with me."
She looked up at him, tears forming in her eyes. "Forever?"
"Yeah, forever. Well, not really forever. You’ll grow up and get a job, move out, all that fun crap. But what I’m saying is I want to adopt you."
"Yes. Yes, yes."
"You have to think about this, now. There isn’t a mom here. I don’t have any pets. All I’ve got is a vegetable garden."
She threw the covers off and nearly tackled him with a hug. "I want to live here with you. I love you."
He held her back and tried to fight off emotions. Tears tried to form in his eyes, and for a change, they didn’t come with the typical anger.
"I’ve probably done kept you up all night, haven’t I?"
She nodded against his shoulder. "I’ll never sleep again."
"No, no. Only one of us gets to say that. Try to get some sleep."
"Okay."
Tiffany was crying as he tucked her in, threatening to make him cry as well. He gave her a kiss on the forehead before turning out the light and leaving the room.
Erica was in the hallway outside her room, wearing a tee shirt and sweatpants. She leaned against the wall, wiping tears from her eyes.
"I’m sorry," she said. "I didn’t mean to spy. But that was...maybe the coolest thing I’ve seen in my life."
"She’s not really thinking about it. She’s just going off emotion right now. There’s probably a million reasons she wouldn’t want to live here. I’ll give her a few days before I start doing the legal stuff."
"Trust me, there’s no other place that girl wants to be."
He nodded and gestured to her room. "Going to bed?"
"Actually, I thought maybe we could watch a DVD or something?"
"Sounds good to me."
He waited impatiently in the middle of the stairs as she hobbled with her crutches down three of them. He finally scooped her into his arms as the crutches fell. Erica squealed and laughed as she held onto him.
"Jack!"
"This will take all night if I wait for you to sloth your way around."
He carried her to the living room and gently set her on the couch. She giggled hysterically the entire trip. Jack poured two sodas while she browsed his DVD collection.
In ten minutes they were watching Vincent Price. Erica kicked her legs up on the couch to rest her foot, and leaned into Jack. They were in a position similar to the one they shared a few days ago, her against him and his arm around her shoulders.
"Is this okay?" she asked.
"No. You’re hideous. Get away from me."
She laughed and snuggled closer. "Just let me know when you get tired and want to sleep."
"Try two hundred years ago."
"What?"
"Nothing," he said, giving her shoulders a squeeze. "I’m trying to watch Vincent Price here."
"Maybe you should be quiet and listen, then," she joked.
"Get your hair out of my face, and maybe I will."
"Oh, you mean like this?"
She leaned back further, tickling his nose with her hair. He brushed her hair aside, his hand trailing across her neck and shoulder accidentally. She held her breath and gripped his arm tighter, waiting to see what he’d do next. Jack was attracted to every part of her, and that scared him enough to make him take no action. Erica sighed, relief mixed with frustration, as the moment passed.
Jack immedia
tely regretted his cowardice. He'd seen decades of horror, and was afraid to make a move on Erica.
*****
It was nearly six thirty in the morning when Tiffany dragged herself down the stairs. Jack put a finger to his lips when they made eye contact, and gestured to Erica, still sleeping on the couch against him. Erica let out a loud snore and shifted, her head on Jack’s lap. Tiffany covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. She crossed the living room to the kitchen to make herself a bowl of cereal.
Tiffany had eaten her first spoonful when Erica snored one last time. She opened her eyes and looked at Jack upside-down.
"What time is it?"
"Time for my little partner over there to get ready for school."
"I am, I am."
"Oh my God," Erica said, putting a hand to her mouth. "Did I sleep on you all night? I’m so sorry."
"Yeah. It’s no big deal. I had trouble breathing a few times, since you sucked so much air out of the room. And I didn’t really like these pants anyway."
Erica’s face turned bright red when she lowered her eyes and saw the large drool spot on Jack’s jeans. She rose from the couch, not bothering to grab her crutches, and hobbled and hopped across the floor.
"Excuse me," she said. "I’m gonna use the bathroom."
"You can use the one down here," Tiffany said. "I’ll use the one upstairs."
The bathroom door slammed shut, followed by the sink turning on. Jack and Tiffany’s eyes met, and they burst out laughing.
"I can hear you guys out there," Erica called.
"Yeah. We’re laughing at a joke Tiffany heard."
"I’m sure you are."
He joined Tiffany at the table and made his own bowl of cereal.
"Jack, you really want to adopt me?"
"Yeah."
"So we’ll be...a family?"
"That’s the plan. Me and you."
She dropped her spoon and circled the bar. He prepared mentally, seeing her intention.
"And apparently...a lot of hugs."
Tiffany hugged his waist as he sat on the stool. He hugged her with one arm as best he could while shoving cereal into his mouth.
"Thank you," she said.
He knelt in front of her to give her a quick hug. "You’re welcome. You make me happy, Tiffany. Not many mortals can say that. Now, go get dressed and ready for school."
Fifteen minutes later Tiffany was waiting by the front door. Jack leaned his head near the bathroom. Erica was in the shower, a sight he'd love to see.
"I’m taking Tiffany to school."
"Okay."
"You’ll be okay? You’re not gonna fall down or drown in your own drool?"
"Get the hell out of here."
Jack and Tiffany laughed together as they left the house.
*****
Thirty minutes later Jack opened the front door and stepped into the living room. He saw no sign of Erica, only some clothes on the floor near the door to the basement. He set his iPhone in the dock and played some music.
"Erica?"
"I’m downstairs."
He picked up the pile of clothes, recognizing them as Tiffany’s and his, and made his way to the basement. He turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs to see Erica standing with her back to him.
She wore a tank-top, and a wonderful pair of shorts. Holding up her bad foot, she carefully balanced herself as she pulled clothes out of the basket and shoved them in the washer. Her hair was still wet from the shower. He couldn’t take his eyes off her as he admired her figure.
Looking over her shoulder, she smiled and did a little shimmy.
"See? Shorts."
Jack forced a cough, trying to sound casual. "I noticed. Why are you washing clothes?"
"I want to help out. I’m not gonna just sit around the house."
"I told you," he said, standing next to her to help. "Just put them in the basket. I can handle the clothes."
They grabbed a shirt at the same time.
"Let go," he said.
"No. You let go. Don’t make me smack you."
"Yeah, I’d like to see that."
"Stop being difficult. I can wash clothes, Jack."
"I never said you couldn’t. But what did you do? Hop down the steps? I don’t see your crutches."
"I was careful."
"Shut up and give me the shirt."
Erica playfully slapped his shoulder, and slipped. Jack caught her easily before she could tumble to the floor. They both laughed as he picked her up and spun her around, their arms wrapped around each other. He set her down, still laughing, but they didn’t pull away. Their laughter faded as they stared into each other’s eyes.
Erica kissed him first. A brief, gentle kiss, to see his reaction. She pulled away and studied his face. Jack was surprised for a moment, and then leaned in to steal his own kiss. He ran a hand through her wet hair and let it settle on the back of her neck.
She sighed into his mouth, and hooked her broken foot behind his knee, for support as much as passion. He lifted her onto the dryer, drawing a giggle from her before she reached for his face again. She brought her legs around his hips, pulling him in closer, and shivered slightly when he ran a hand down her bare leg.
"I knew you'd like my legs."
"You've been hiding them from me on purpose."
They kissed once again, the gentleness gone. Erica reached for his shirt and pulled it over his head, dropping it to the floor. He was nearly done returning the favor, her shirt up around her neck, when Jack took a deep breath and backed away. It took all of his willpower.
"Hold on. Wait."
Erica stared at him as she pulled her shirt back down. "I'm sorry, did you just tell me to wait? What's wrong?"
Jack's erection was asking him the same thing. "I thought you said you didn't want to get involved with a parent."
"I tried, Jack. I really did. But you are nicest, most caring man I've ever met, and it doesn't hurt that you're hot. And Tiffany actually had a good point. I won't be her teacher forever."
Jack laughed, not at Erica, simply her choice of words. Nice and caring weren't adjectives he'd use to describe himself.
"Your legs are very powerful," he said. She crossed her legs, smiled at the ceiling, and put a finger to her chin, striking a cute pose. "But I don't know if we can do this."
He couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.
"Why not?"
"Because I like you. I don't like to have sex with women I like."
She laughed and shook her head. "That's funny, one of the reasons I want to strip you down and make you scream is because I like you."
He laughed and stepped toward her, putting his hands on her shoulders. She ran her hands down his bare chest before letting them settle on his hips.
"This is new to me," he said. "I...really like you, as stupid as that sounds."
"This isn't a cop-out, is it? I didn’t think so at first, but I know you find me attractive, even if I hate what I see in the mirror."
"Are you kidding? Are you on crack?"
"Now that's romantic."
"Sorry. No, this isn't a cop-out. The things I would do to you...just give me some time."
"Isn't that what the chick usually says?"
He laughed as she grabbed the front of his jeans. She pulled him in for one more hard kiss, but kept her hands to herself.
"I’m a patient woman. I can wait." She grabbed him by the back of his neck and nibbled on his ear before trailing her lips across his skin. Jack shuddered as goosebumps shot across his flesh. "But if I'm waiting, I will definitely have my fun."
His erection was almost gone until Erica brought him back to full attention. He leaned on the washer as she hobbled past him. She winked at him before grabbing the railing and hopping up the stairs.
"Maybe I found the one person who can finally stop my heart and kill me."
*****
Jack and Erica had a fun day. He spent time cleaning while she sat at the bar, wo
rking on schoolwork for when she returned to work. They decided to go to lunch and a movie. In the deserted, darkened movie theater Erica lifted the armrest between them and scooted closer. She kissed him on the cheek and interlaced her fingers with his own.
He was a bundle of nerves as his attention was divided between the movie, her incredible figure, and their holding hands. He never held hands with anyone before, at least outside the bedroom. Six months ago he would have taken her to bed, and forgotten about her the next day. He didn’t believe it was possible to forget about Erica now.
Part of him regretted backing down in the laundry room. But treading emotional waters was new for him, and he wanted to fully understand his feelings before he gave in to Erica.
The last time he had sex with a woman in his own home, she cursed him.
After the movie ended and the lights came on Jack helped Erica to her feet as he grabbed her crutches. She clutched his shoulder with her free hand, and they locked eyes once again. They didn’t kiss, but they could both see there was more than passion happening. Looking into her eyes, Jack could see she cared about him. That frightened him more than anything he’d ever experienced.
Erica joined him in picking up Tiffany. The child played with her friends as school let out. She grabbed one of her friends and pointed her in the direction of Jack and Erica, talking excitedly. Jack read her lips.
That’s Jack. He’s my dad now.
He smiled as Tiffany ran from the playground to the truck. Erica scooted to the middle so Tiffany could slide in.
"Hi Jack. Hi Miss Hernandez." She looked at the teacher. "Did Jack tell you he’s gonna adopt me? We’re a real family now."
"He told me all about it."
"I’ll be able to get hugs whenever I want, and bedtime stories. Maybe I’ll be able to have sleepovers."
Jack smiled at Tiffany before slumping his shoulders at Erica. "Fun."
After dinner Jack washed dishes in the sink while Erica stood next to him drying with a towel. Tiffany danced in the living room to the music playing on the iPhone. He glanced over his shoulder and stifled a laugh at the girl’s strange version of dancing, although he knew he couldn’t do any better. He cringed as Tiffany took her dancing to the next level, singing the words to the songs.
"What did I get myself in to?"
"You telling me you don’t sing and dance when you’re by yourself?" Erica asked.
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