“Hey, Miss Mayson.” Mitchell’s smile turns into a grin as he hauls his blond-headed brother against his side roughly with his arm around his neck. “This is my brother Max.”
“You can call me December,” I tell Mitchell then look at Max, whose face has become red. “Hey, Max. Nice to meet you.”
“You too,” Max grunts, trying to get away from his brother, who’s now holding him captive just because he’s bigger and sibling law written thousands of years ago requires him to do so.
“Boys,” Gareth warns, sounding like the dad he is, and Mitchell reluctantly releases his brother, who takes full advantage of being free. He elbows Mitchell in the ribs, making him grunt, and then when Mitchell lunges for him, he rushes across the room to hide safely behind his father’s back, making me laugh.
“Welcome to the crazy house.” Gareth shakes his head at both boys before looking at me.
I smile up at him. “I grew up with four sisters, so this was my normal until I moved out to go to college.”
“You have four sisters?” Max asks, peering at me from around his father’s side.
“I do.”
“Are they all as pretty as you are?” he asks, and I notice a hint of pink hit his cheeks.
Okay, I think I just fell in love.
“Prettier,” I say quietly, and he eyes me doubtfully.
“I always wanted a sister,” Mitchell pipes in, and I glance at Gareth, noticing he’s frowning at his oldest. “Well… I did.” Mitchell shrugs his already broad shoulders, tucking his hands in his pockets.
“Sorry, kid. That’s not gonna happen,” Gareth says, and my insides twist, reminding me that I didn’t get what I need to get from the drug store today, which means the seventy-two hours I have are quickly ticking away.
“Pizza’s here!” Max shouts, making me jump, then I watch him rush to the door and pull it open before the doorbell even rings.
“Finally,” Mitchell says, sounding a lot like his dad as he walks past me toward the door to help his brother.
“Baby.” Gareth’s fingers capture my chin, gaining my attention, and I focus on the man standing above me. “What’s in your head?” he asks quietly.
Oh nothing, except I’m not on birth control, the condom broke last night and I haven’t gone to get the morning after pill which means there is a chance Mitchell could get his wish. “Nothing’s in my head,” I lie, and his eyes search mine then move over my face narrowing slightly.
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
“Dinner is served!” Max shouts, and I pull in a relieved breath when Gareth releases the hold he has on me.
“We’ll talk later,” he states, and I nod even though the thought of what we need to talk about makes me uneasy. Giving me a contemplative look, he takes my hand and we go to the open kitchen, where both Max and Mitchell are placing pieces of pizza onto their plates along with wings slathered in BBQ sauce.
“Do you really like these things?” Max asks, holding up a tin of sardines, and I laugh.
“Yes.” I take the tin from him and pull back the tab.
He eyes the tiny fish then mutters, “Gross.”
“You can’t say they’re gross unless you’ve tried one,” I tell him, accepting a plate with two slices of pizza from Gareth.
“What do they taste like?” Mitchell asks.
“Salty?” I shrug.
“I’ll try it.” He holds out his plate, takes a small piece of fish, and places it on the end of his slice.
“I’ll try it too.” Max pushes his plate toward me, and I hear Gareth laugh as I place another small piece on the end of his slice.
“On three,” Mitchell says, and after they count, I watch both boys take a bite, and the two of them have completely different facial expressions as they chew. Mitchell looks like he is trying to figure out if he enjoys the new taste, while Max just looks like he wants to be sick.
“I can’t.” Max gags, running to the sink, and I start to laugh.
“It’s actually not bad.” Mitchell shrugs, taking another slice of fish from the tin and placing it on his pizza.
“Do you want to try?” I look up at Gareth, who’s grinning and shaking his head.
“You have to try it, Dad,” Max urges while washing out his mouth.
“I think I’ll stick to what I know,” he tells his son then asks, “What are we watching tonight?”
“Not some girl movie,” Max says then looks at me sheepishly. “No offense.”
“None taken.” I smile. “I don’t really like girl movies either.”
“What’s your favorite movie?” Mitchell asks.
I don’t even have to think about the answer. “The Goonies. It was one of my mom’s favorites, so we used to watch it a lot when I was a kid. Anytime it’s on TV now, I have to stop to watch it, even if it’s almost ending.”
“I’ve never seen it. What’s it about?” Max asks.
“It’s funny. It’s about a group of friends who go in search of pirate treasure so they can save their families’ homes, only they end up running into some bad guys and they have to outsmart them.” When I notice both boys are looking at me like I’ve grown a third head, I shrug. “It’s hard to explain. You have to watch it.”
“I haven’t seen that movie in years.” Gareth rests his hand against my back then looks at the boys. “Change of plans. I’m renting The Goonies tonight; you guys can pick the movie next weekend.”
“Cool,” they both agree without a fight.
“Get drinks,” Gareth orders them then looks down at me. “What do you want? We’ve got Coke, tea, and water.”
“Coke please.”
“Grab two Cokes,” he says toward the fridge, where Max is standing with the door open.
“Got it, Dad.”
“Come on.” Gareth urges me toward the living room, where we settle on the couch side by side. Once we are seated, the boys come in and Max hands me and his dad each a Coke before taking a seat on the floor in front of the coffee table, while Mitchell lounges at the end of the couch opposite us. Gareth starts up the movie, and I dig into my pizza, listening to the boys laugh at one of my favorite scenes.
Hearing that and replaying the last half hour, I know Gareth was right. I just hope we can handle some of the hoops we might have to jump through.
Nine
Gareth
“SO, WHAT DID you two think?” December asks as soon as The Goonies comes to an end, and both boys, who are now lounging on the opposite end of the couch from where I have December tucked against my side, turn to look at her.
“It was awesome.” Max smiles. “And the Baby Ruth guy was totally cool.”
“The kid with all the gadgets was my favorite.” Mitchell grins. “But my favorite part was when they sent that girl’s jacket up to those jerks.”
“I like that part too,” December agrees. “But I love when Chunk gets caught by the Fratellis and they interrogate him, and he tells them about puking at the movies.”
“Yeah, that was funny,” Max says, and Mitchell and I both laugh. “Do you know any other old movies like that one?”
“Have you seen Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead?” she asks, and the boys shake their heads. “What about Adventures in Babysitting?” They shake their heads again. “Okay, what about Back to the Future, The Gremlins, or Beetlejuice?”
“We might be here all night if you keep naming movies, babe,” I say, and she turns to frown at me, making me want to kiss the adorable annoyed look off her face.
“Those are some of the best movies of all time. How have they not seen them?”
My lips twitch. “The best movies of all time?”
“Uh… yeah. Back to the Future is iconic.”
“Can we watch that one now?” Max asks, and I look at the clock then him.
“Sorry, kid. It’s time for you and your brother to get showered and into bed.”
“Ugh,” he groans, flopping back against the couch. “
I wish I could do homeschool.”
“You’d still have to go to bed at nine and be up early.”
“Okay then, I wish I was an adult,” he counters, and December laughs softly.
“Come on, dude.” Mitchell gets up off the couch and tugs Max up with him. “Night, Dad. Night, December.”
“Yeah… night.” Max pouts.
“Good night, guys,” December says, laughing.
“I’ll be in to check on you in a few,” I tell them, and they both nod before heading down the hall.
Once they are gone, December turns to look at me. “You have great kids.”
“Yeah.” I touch the side of her face and her eyes warm. “Tonight, wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“No, it was actually really nice. Thank you for inviting me over.” She starts to get up.
Not wanting her to leave, I capture her thigh with my hand to keep her in place. “Stay the night with me,” I say quietly, and her eyes widen.
“What?”
“Stay the night,” I repeat then lean forward, brushing my lips across hers.
She shakes her head then looks past my shoulder and down the hall. “I can’t. We…. The boys—”
I cut her off, “They’re going to bed. They won’t even know you’re here.”
“I have work tomorrow,” she whispers, and I can tell by the look in her eyes she’s torn.
“I’ll wake you up early so you can go home in time to get ready for work,” I assure her.
“I don’t think…. I mean, I don’t even have pajamas or my toothbrush.”
“You can borrow a T-shirt from me, and I’m sure I have an extra toothbrush. If not, you can use mine.”
“Use your toothbrush?” Her nose scrunches.
“I’ve had my tongue in your mouth,” I remind her with a grin. “I’m not going to take no for an answer. You might as well just agree to stay.”
“You’re very persistent,” she murmurs, and I squeeze her thigh, which causes her pupils to dilate. “Okay.”
“Okay? You’ll stay?”
“Yes, but I… I don’t want the boys to know. I don’t want them to get the wrong idea.”
“What idea would that be?”
“I don’t know, but it’s not seemly for me to be staying the night with you, especially with your boys here.”
“Seemly?” I chuckle, and her eyes narrow. “Don’t be pissed that I’m laughing, babe. No one uses the word seemly.”
“Obviously, they do, since it’s included in the dictionary, honey.”
Fuck, but I kinda like her calling me honey. “Okay, no one under the age of ninety uses the word then.”
“You’re very annoying.”
“Yeah, and you’re seriously fucking adorable.” I lean in and kiss the tip of her nose then move back. “I’m gonna get the kitchen cleaned up. Feel free to watch what you want.” I pick up the remote and hand it to her.
“I can help.” She starts to stand when I do.
“You can.” I hold her back with my hand on her shoulder. “But you’re not going to. Hang here and watch TV. After the boys go to bed, we’ll do the same.”
“If you’re forcing me to sit here, can I at least get my Kindle from my purse so I can read?”
“I’ll get it for you.” I go to the kitchen and grab her bag.
After I take it to her, I go back to the kitchen and put away the leftover pizza then shove the plates and bowls we used for the cupcakes and ice cream into the dishwasher. I start to wipe down the counters and glance into the living room, feeling the space where my heart is twitch. Seeing her comfortable, tucked into the corner of the couch with her shoes off, her feet on the cushion, and her legs tucked close to her chest, while her Kindle propped up on her knees.
I don’t know what it is about seeing her like that, but I do know I like it a whole fuck of a lot. If I’m honest, I just fucking like her. There is something about her that puts me at ease, and not surprisingly, she has the same effect on my boys. From the time she walked into the house, there was no nervousness from either of them. If anything, they acted as if they had known her for years. Mitchell might have had something to do with his brother’s easy acceptance of December, but I have a feeling she just has that kind of effect on people.
With a deep breath, I finish wiping down the counters and cleaning up the kitchen then go down the hall and knock on Max’s door.
“Yeah,” he calls.
I push the door open, finding him lying on his bed with his Switch. “You good, kid?”
“Yep.” He glances at me quickly before going back to his game.
“Twenty minutes and lights out.”
“I know.”
“Love you,” I say, and he finally stops what he’s doing to look at me. “Always.”
“Love you too, Dad,” he replies quietly.
I lift my chin, back out of the room, and close the door, then head down to Mitchell’s room and knock. “Come in,” he grunts, and I frown as I push the door in.
“What are you doing?”
“Rearranging my room.”
“I see that. Can I ask why?”
“In feng shui, it says your bed shouldn’t be under the window.”
“Feng shui?”
“Yeah, my friend Kim’s family is big into it, and she told me about the whole window thing.”
“Kim’s a girl?” I question, and he looks at me and shrugs. I smile. “Do you need my help?”
“Nope.”
“All right, yell out if you do.”
“I will,” he says then asks, “Is December still here?”
“She is.”
“Cool.” His smirk makes him look older than he is.
“Don’t forget about bedtime.”
“I know.” He rolls his eyes.
I leave him to finish moving his bed then go back to the living room. As soon as I take a seat on the couch and pull December’s feet onto my lap, she asks, “Are the boys okay?”
Fuck but that question shouldn’t make my chest warm, but it does. “They’re good. Mitchell’s rearranging his bed, and Max is playing a video game.”
“Rearranging his bed?”
“Feng shui.”
“Awww.” She nods. “Kim.”
“You know her?”
“She’s one of the kids who comes every week to help mentor, and I’ve overheard her talking about feng shui a few times. I think Mitch has a crush on her. Most of the boys do.” She presses her lips together for a moment. “Not that she seems to notice. She’s a little bit of a nerd.”
“I see,” I mutter then dip my head toward her book. “Are you still reading or do you want to watch something?”
“I’ll watch something.” She sets her Kindle on the coffee table and moves her feet off my lap, turning so we’re sitting much like we were earlier, with her resting against my side. “Wait, go back one channel,” she says as I’m flipping through the stations. “I’ve been waiting for the new season of this to start. Do you mind if we watch this?”
“What’s it about?” I ask her as I slouch back in the couch with her in my arms.
“That guy—” She points at the guy on the screen. “—helps solve murders that have gone cold. It’s kind of interesting how he goes about things, and a little scary the amount of evidence it takes to convict someone of a crime, even if it’s clear they are the one who committed it.” She lays her head on my chest. “I really liked last season.”
“You’re such a nerd.”
“Whatever.” She sighs, and I capture her hand and hold it over my heart as we watch a real-life murder mystery unfold. The show isn’t something I’d normally watch, but I have to admit it’s good. When it comes to an end, I go check on the boys one last time. I find Max asleep holding his Switch, so I take it from him then tuck his blankets up around his shoulders and kiss his head. When I open Mitchell’s door, I find him asleep with his window open a crack and a slight breeze blowing his curtains. Smiling, I walk across the roo
m and touch my fingers to his dark hair before leaving him to sleep.
“The boys are both out,” I tell December as soon as I hit the living room, and she looks at me over her shoulder. The moment her eyes meet mine, I see nervousness enter her gaze. I don’t say a word about it; I turn off the TV and then hold out my hand for her to take. She doesn’t hesitate, placing her hand in mine, and I use it to help her up off the couch then lead her toward my bedroom, which is just off the kitchen and living room on the opposite end of the house from the boys.
Once we’re in my room, I close the door then take her to the bathroom. I dig through one of the drawers to see if I have a spare toothbrush for her to use, and when I find one, I turn holding it out and see she hasn’t moved from the doorway.
“Come here.” I drop the toothbrush then lean back against the counter, half expecting her to ignore my request. But surprisingly, she walks toward me and settles her weight against my body. Grabbing hold of her hip, I dip my head and touch my lips to hers before asking, “What’s on your mind?”
“Nothing.” She shakes her head. “Everything.” She bites her bottom lip. “Can I tell you something?”
“Anything.” I give her hip a squeeze.
“You know when the condom broke?”
“Yeah.”
“I…. Well, I’m not on birth control. I don’t know why I didn’t think about that when we were talking about it, but I want you to know now.” My heart starts to pound as I study her face. “I’m going to get the Plan B pill. I was going to do it today, but I didn’t. But I’ll get it tomorrow.”
Why the fuck do I feel disappointed? I told my sisters I didn’t want more kids and told Mitchell he won’t be getting a sister. Still, there is a strange feeling of excitement at the idea of getting this beautiful woman pregnant.
“I’m sorry. I should have told you.” She drops her eyes, and I feel like an ass. She thinks I’m pissed she didn’t tell me she’s not on birth control. She has no idea that I’m thinking about all the ways I could knock her up, something I really do not need to be thinking about doing.
“I’ll be more careful,” I grunt, wrapping my hand around her jaw and forcing her to meet my gaze. “You have nothing to apologize for, nothing to feel bad about. All right?”
Until December: Until Her/ Until Him Page 11