Heath finished off his beer and set it aside. “I know it sounds stupid after all of this, but try to enjoy your time there. Get to know your son.... Man, it’s weird just to say that. I’m an uncle!” he declared, as though he’d just made that connection. “Uncle Heath. Ugh. That sounds wrong. We’ll have to work out something better. Anyway, spend time with him, visit with our folks. Make the most of your vacation. Don’t let all the drama ruin it.”
“I’ll try,” Xander said. It would be hard, but he would try.
“Well, I’d better wrap this up, so let me leave you with this one last thought. Maybe it will make up for the homicidal-mom thing,” Heath added with a grin. “If and when you become a political hotshot, it will be in like twenty years. Twenty years from now, your secret love child will be our age. Your jailbird father-in-law will be paroled and in a nursing home. Even this crap about Tommy will be a distant memory.”
It was hard to imagine, but he was right. Twenty years ago, he was a happy, normal kid living the average American life. How many things had changed since then that he’d never even dreamed of? That many more would change in the next twenty years. When he thought of it that way, it felt like a lifetime away.
“Don’t plan your whole life around things that might not matter to anyone down the road,” Heath said. “You might miss out on the good things happening now.”
Six
Xander was having flashbacks of Molly’s test recipes. Even with only a bite or two of each dish, he was overdosing on the red fruit. In the past two hours, he had tasted countless strawberry pies and strawberry cakes. Then came the strawberry-dessert open category, where he sampled strawberry cobblers, strawberry cookies, strawberry ice cream, strawberry gelatin molds and strawberry pretzel salad. His only reprieve was the jams-and-preserves category, the last group, where he could finally have some crackers to kill the cloying sweetness coating his tongue. If he ever got roped into this again, he was going to demand a savory strawberry category to break up the sugar. He had a sweet tooth, but even he had his limits.
There was still some scoring and tallying to do, but when he got out of here, he was marching to the nearest food booth and shoving a mustard-coated corn dog down his throat. He might follow it with some popcorn. Or a soft pretzel. Anything without strawberries.
Xander marked his score on the last jelly and the group took a half-hour break while the scores were being tallied. After that they would choose the best in show from the four category winners.
Now was his chance to drink some black coffee, stretch his legs and perhaps go in search of some salty potato chips in a nearby vending machine.
Aside from the sugar high, it hadn’t been too bad. A couple pies were excellent. Rose’s cloud cake got his highest score in that group, but only because it really was the best cake he tasted. His favorite jelly had been a spicy strawberry-jalapeño combination he’d never had before, although he wasn’t sure if it was really that good, or if he liked it just because it wasn’t that sweet.
He had no idea what Molly entered this year, and that was fine by him. He didn’t want to know. He’d either feel obligated to give her a good score because she was his mother or obligated to give her a bad score because she was his mother and he didn’t want to seem biased. Each dish had been assigned a number, so that was all he knew.
It was nearly seven on Friday night when he was finally cut loose from his judging duties. The winners would be announced tomorrow and would be featured in the parade, but for now, he was a free man.
He texted Rose and met up with them on the far side of the fairgrounds. She and Joey were sitting at one of the picnic tables eating a funnel cake with strawberry topping and whipped cream.
Rose was looking casual but beautiful tonight. She wore a fitted pair of dark denim jeans and a silky off-the-shoulder top in swirls of blue and green. Her long dark hair was braided and wrapped around into a bun. It showcased the long, graceful line of her neck, like a swan reaching up into the moonlight. The blinking carnival lights gave her skin a peachy glow and her lips looked as sweet and juicy as the berry they were celebrating. That was one dish he would gladly overindulge in.
“Hey, everyone,” he said, coming up behind them.
Rose turned to him and smiled brightly. He leaned in to give her a brief hug, forcing himself to pull away although he didn’t want to. He’d prefer to press her soft body against his own and give her a hello kiss that would leave them both panting, but he wasn’t ready for the town busybodies to start speculating on what was going on. That meant it was friendly in public and nothing more.
“Hi, Xander!” Joey said brightly with red goo in the corners of his mouth. He was dressed similar to Xander, with a pair of worn jeans and a T-shirt, although Joey’s had Angry Birds on it and Xander’s was a plain dark green that Gucci had featured heavily this season. “You want some funnel cake?”
He tried not to groan outwardly. Not even if it were slathered all over Rose’s naked body. Well, maybe then.
“No thanks, kiddo.” He said the words realizing his father had called him that when he was little. He’d forgotten until he heard himself say it. That made his chest tighten with a wave of emotions he didn’t expect. “I’ve had my fill of sweets for the year. Seen anywhere a guy can get a hot dog?”
“That stand over there has them,” Rose said as she pointed to a booth a few yards away.
“Great. I’m going to grab one. Either of you want something? A corn dog? Chili dog? A drink?”
“We could probably use something that isn’t sweet, too. You want a hot dog?” she asked their son. “Or would a corn dog be easier with one arm?”
“A corn dog and a lemon-lime soda,” Joey said, his mouth still stuffed with funnel cake.
“The same is fine for me. Do you need any help?”
Xander shook his head. “I got this. I’ll be right back.”
A short line had formed at the booth, so Xander queued up and waited patiently for his turn. He didn’t pay any attention to who was around him until he got his food and turned to head back to the table. That was when a blonde woman in line reached out to touch his arm.
“Xander Langston. I didn’t know you were in town.”
It was Christie Clark. Wealthy, popular, snobby Christie Clark. Xander reacted quickly to turn on his campaign face and smiled warmly. “Christie, so good to see you.” He was glad his hands were full and he wasn’t able to shake her hand or give her the hug she probably wanted.
Christie eyed his tray of food, then let her gaze stray off into the direction he was heading. The moment she spied Rose and Joey waiting on him, a wicked smile curled her too-pink lips. “I see you and Rose have reacquainted yourselves.”
“Yes.” Xander nodded, trying not to let her read too much into it. “I saw her down at the diner the other afternoon and I asked if she and her son would be interested in going with me to the fair.”
“Her little boy is so darling,” Christie cooed. “He’s become quite the handsome fella. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Rose ran out and found your doppelgänger to date after you went away to D.C.”
She was good. Too good. Christie wasn’t about to outright state that Joey looked like him. No, she was dancing around it, but her meaning was clear. He wasn’t going to let her get to him, though. “Can you blame her?” he asked. “I’m a good-looking guy. I’d try to find another one as handsome as me, too. See you around, Christie.”
At that, he turned and headed toward the table. People like her were the reason Rose wanted to keep the truth quiet and he didn’t blame her. His jaw was flexed tight with irritation, but he tried to choke it down by the time he returned. He didn’t want Rose to see him upset. She would get upset.
“Corn dogs for everyone!” he announced cheerfully, placing the tray onto the table. Rose busied herself handing out the wrapped foods, bags of chips and cans of soda. He watched her for a moment and then let his gaze drift back toward the hot dog booth. Christie was gone, and
he was glad. He didn’t want her snarky self ruining his night out with Rose and Joey.
“Let’s eat,” Rose said.
Xander sat down at the table beside Rose and tried to focus on his corn dog. They were hot and crispy, so it was easy to get distracted by the food. When he was finished, he turned toward the bright lights of the midway and noticed a booth for face painting. That might be just the thing for tonight. Joey couldn’t do a lot of rides or play many games with his newly broken arm. This would give him something he could do. And if a little embellishment helped to disguise their similarities, all the better.
“You know what?” Xander asked.
“What?” Rose replied.
“I think we should get our faces painted. I haven’t done that in years. What do you think, Joey? Should we get you done up like Spider-Man or something?”
“That would be cool. I wonder if they’ll do Star Wars characters. A Stormtrooper would be awesome.”
Xander had to laugh. He was a pretty big fan himself. He actually might have taken Rose to see one of the later prequels in the theater.
“That’s a great idea,” Rose agreed with a smile.
They gathered up their trash and made their way down the dirt-and-grass path of the midway. Each booth and game that lined the walkway was lit with bright blinking lights and blared loud arcade music. There were games where you knocked over a pyramid of milk jugs with a baseball, popped balloons with darts, threw a ring over a glass bottle or got a Ping-Pong ball into a bowl with a goldfish in it. Each game had prizes on display ranging from the actual goldfish to giant stuffed bears and inflatable electric guitars.
“Look at that!” Joey pointed to one of the booths. This one required you to flip a quarter and have it land on a series of glass plates without bouncing off. The grand prize was your choice of a huge inflatable baseball about the size of a large beach ball or a pink daisy pillow the size of a trash-can lid.
“You want the daisy pillow?” he teased.
“No!” Joey frowned, making the same pouty face Xander himself used to make. “The baseball!”
“Oh, okay. We’ll have to give that a shot after we get painted,” Xander said. He had no problem with tossing a handful of quarters away to win that for him. But he wanted the face painting done first so he could breathe easier the rest of the night. “I need to get some quarters. Maybe he’ll have some change so you can play.”
The face painter had a large wall of samples to choose from. They had a Stormtrooper, but the minute Joey saw Darth Maul, he changed his mind. It took about ten minutes to paint his whole face in the evil red-and-black mask. After that, Rose got a pink-and-purple butterfly and Xander opted for Batman’s mask. When they walked out of there, they hardly looked like themselves, much less like each other.
After that, they returned to the midway games and Xander handed Joey a couple dollars in quarters to try and win the inflatable baseball. He and Rose stood back a few feet to watch him play.
“That was very smart,” she said quietly after a few minutes. “I’d forgotten how clever you always were.”
Xander frowned and turned away from the game to look at her. The sparkling butterfly flattered her elegant cheekbones, but it couldn’t disguise the concern lining her eyes. He hated seeing that expression on her face. He wished he could kiss her until she lost her breath and forgot all about her worries. “I guess I wasn’t as subtle as I thought I was.”
“Well, I’d seen you talking to Christie Clark. I figured she said something to you since you didn’t seem as concerned the other day.”
“You know Christie,” he admitted without elaborating. “She’d be the first to point it out no matter what. I figured if she noticed the similarities and hadn’t seen us together, other folks might see the resemblance as we all walked around. I saw the booth and thought it might be something fun for him to do. And if it made it harder for people like her to piece it together, then fine.”
Rose nodded and looked down at the dirt. “We can’t paint his face every day,” she said softly.
“I know...” Xander began, but was interrupted by loud cheers and applause from the booth ahead of them.
“Mom! Xander! I did it! I won!” Joey yelled, his face bright with excitement.
They immediately ended the conversation, rushing forward to congratulate him on securing the giant baseball he’d wanted. Instead of worrying, Xander tried to take Heath’s advice and enjoy the moment. He’d always loved going to the fair with Heath and his parents before they died. It was a simple thing, but one he remembered and treasured years later.
To hell with Christie Clark. He wasn’t going to lose these moments because of her smart mouth and smug expression. They were going to have a good time, he was going to enjoy his new family, and he wasn’t going to let anyone ruin it.
Even himself.
* * *
Around ten the crowds gathered by the small pond near the fairgrounds for the fireworks show. Rose retrieved a blanket from her car and they laid it out to watch the show. The lights were beautiful—she always enjoyed fireworks displays—but it was hard to focus on them with Xander’s warm body so close to hers. A few minutes into the show, she felt his fingers seek out hers. No one could see them holding hands, so she let herself enjoy the moment and relished the tingle his touch sent up her arm.
The show ended far sooner than she wanted it to. That meant letting go and returning to reality. After a moment, she reluctantly untangled their hands, sat up and noticed her son was out cold. She ran her hand over his forehead, brushing the sandy strands from his eyes. He didn’t even flinch. “I think we wore him out.”
Xander sat up beside her. “With all the junk he ate, I’m not surprised. The higher the sugar high, the harder the crash. No problem, though. We’ll get him home.”
Rose watched him lift Joey with gentle ease. She folded up their blanket and they walked with the crowds back to the parking lots. Xander placed Joey into the back of the car and belted him in.
She’d been amazed at how he’d been with Joey tonight. At first, she’d been worried. It was just like Christie to throw a wrench in their plans. But then it was as if a switch had flipped. Xander seemed to shed his worries like a snake skin and leave them behind. He and Joey had enthusiastically played games and gone through the haunted house. They’d all gotten their pictures taken in the photo booth. He’d even talked the guy manning the swinging pirate ship into letting Joey ride it.
They were little things, but they made a huge difference. She’d never seen Joey’s face light up the way it had tonight. It made her very happy to see them together. It also made her incredibly sad that she’d waited so long to bring Xander into Joey’s life. It had been the right thing for Xander’s career, she was certain of that, and it had saved her the humiliation of begging him to come back for their child’s sake, but it hadn’t been the right thing for Joey. Craig had done a wonderful job but it wasn’t the same.
Xander gently shut the car door without waking Joey. “You should be all set.”
Rose looked up at his face illuminated by the overhead lights in the parking field. The shadows played across the sharp angles of his face, making him look handsome and devious all at once. A part of her had broken inside the day she left him, but there was just something about this man she couldn’t resist. She wasn’t certain if it was the sly smile or the soulful eyes, but she was lost the moment he looked at her. Even with a Batman mask painted on.
“Follow me home,” she said quickly before she lost her nerve. She knew that it wasn’t the smart choice, but she didn’t care. Rose had no doubt that Xander would always be a part of Joey’s life. Hers...she needed to take what she could get, while she could. Soon he would return to D.C. and the glamorous women there. Eventually, one of them would be Joey’s stepmother. But now, tonight, Xander would be all hers.
“Sure,” he said. “I know he’ll be hard for you to get out of the car by yourself.”
Rose frowned and
shook her head. That was sweet, but obviously, she wasn’t being clear enough about what she wanted. “Well, yes, but that’s not why I want you to come home with me.”
His hazel eyes locked on hers as he caught her meaning. He swallowed hard, his jaw tensing. “Are you sure?” he asked.
“No, but it doesn’t matter. I want you. If you want me, follow me home.”
Xander nodded and took a step back, his expression hard to read. His Lexus was parked on the other side of the field. She watched him walk away, not entirely certain if she would see his SUV behind her or not.
They made their way out onto the highway with the rest of the crowd. Rose’s eyes kept darting nervously into her rearview mirror as she drove, watching for his steady headlights behind her. When they passed the turnoff for him to head back to the farm and he was still there, her heart started pounding frantically in her chest. She wanted Xander, and at least for tonight she was going to have him.
Now her only concerns were about how things had changed. The last time they’d made love, she was a fit and firm young teenager with a flat, bare-able belly you could bounce quarters off of. She had worked hard to keep up her figure over the years, but she’d had a baby. She’d breast-fed. She’d aged. Rose thought she still looked pretty good when she strutted in front of the mirror naked, but there would be no quarter bouncing tonight.
She took a deep breath as she pulled into her apartment complex and parked her car. Xander pulled up alongside her and got out. He shot a wide grin of anticipation at her that made her skin start to flush and her belly tense. Her hands were nearly shaking as she opened the car door. Xander winked before dipping down and hoisting Joey out of the car. They went inside together and got him settled into bed.
Rose pulled off Joey’s shoes and tugged down his jeans. He could sleep in his T-shirt and tighty-whities tonight. She did want to get off some of that face paint, though. She got a makeup-removing wipe from the bathroom and gave him a few good swipes. Joey whined and squirmed a little in his sleep, but he didn’t wake up. She turned on his white-noise machine and joined Xander back in the hallway.
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