For days, Rob had been trying to come up with a believable excuse to see Jordan and her boys but could come up with none. It was just a coincidence that he had seen them here today and he was thrilled.
It had taken every ounce of strength he possessed to leave Jordan’s house days earlier. His original plan had been to stay after the boys had gone to bed and try to rekindle some of those old feelings they’d once shared. He’d longed to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless. At some point while they had sat and talked, sanity had returned and he’d realized he would need to proceed slowly and with caution. They weren’t kids anymore and Jordan had kids of her own to consider. Plus, she had been put through the wringer with Eric. She might not be feeling too kindly toward the male sex as a whole right now.
No, he couldn’t act impulsively. He would have to earn her trust and respect, as well as the respect of her sons. Somehow, he felt he’d achieved that part already as he looked down and saw Jake standing close to him, looking up at him with a wide, bright smile on his young face.
“You excited, sport?”
“Yes, sir,” Jake said, clearly pleased with the nickname. “Mom never lets us see these kinds of movies. This is going to be so cool! I’m real glad you’re here to see it with us.”
“Me too,” Rob said as he placed his hand on Jake’s shoulder. Once the tickets were purchased, they went inside and lined up at the concession stand to pick out snacks.
“Remember what I told you on the way here, guys,” she reminded them as they pressed their faces up to the glass. She was only allowing for popcorn and a shared soda. Each boy whined at the reminder. Rob, meanwhile, decided on several different boxes of candy, nachos, and the jumbo-size soft drink.
Jake and Joseph stared at him in awe. “Is all that for you?” Jake asked in amazement.
“Nah,” Rob said as he tried to balance his bounty of junk food, “it’s for all of us to share.”
Jordan wanted to slap him. Didn’t he hear what she just said? These were her kids, for crying out loud! Did he have any idea how consumption of all that junk food would affect her small children? They’d either get tummy aches or be bouncing off the wall by the time they got home! Either way, she’d end up being miserable.
She’d have to have a talk with him about this after the movie. There was no way that she would sit back and let him make her look like a wet rag while he portrayed the cool hero. Clearly he had no idea what it was like to be a parent and the importance of not letting your children overindulge on junk food. Sure, it didn’t make you popular, but as the adult, you sometimes had to make decisions based on practicality, not popularity.
Sometimes being an adult really sucked.
Once inside the darkened theater, Jordan went first into a row near the middle of the theater. She’d expected one of her children to follow, but they shoved Rob in after her. Oh, they were sneaky, these kids of hers. They knew that with Rob between them, she wouldn’t be able to see all the junk food they were going to consume. Fine. Let them eat junk. One less meal for her to cook later. But the mom in her couldn’t help but also imagine the mess she’d have to clean up if they got sick from it all. Just the thought of it all was beginning to make Jordan sick.
After they were all settled into their seats, Jordan turned to talk to Rob about his indulgence of her kids and his lack of respect for her rules, but as soon as she tried to speak, he held up a hand and shushed her!
“I love coming attractions,” he whispered, his eyes never leaving the screen.
Well, of all the… She was furious! How dare he shush her!
Jordan sat back in her seat none too gently and huffed. She didn’t even have her popcorn! She had let Jake carry it and now she had nothing to do with her hands. To show her mood, she sat ramrod straight in her seat and folded her arms stiffly across her chest. No one even noticed.
Joseph and Jake were excitedly sharing snacks, drinks, and awed expressions with Rob. As the movie got into gear, Jordan tried to force herself to relax. As soon as she eased into a more comfortable position, Rob placed an arm around her and handed her the bucket of popcorn—all without looking at her.
The man was infuriating! She grudgingly took the popcorn and thought of shoving his arm off her, but wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he was getting to her. So she let him keep it there during the whole movie, but she sat stock-still, not leaning into it, not accepting its strength, warmth. It was harder to do than she’d thought.
Back when they had dated in high school, they’d sit like this as they watched a movie, but Jordan would lean her head on his shoulder and eventually, the movie would be forgotten and his mouth would be on hers. Jordan had to stifle a groan at that kind of memory. Her mind toyed with the question of whether Rob was thinking the same thing. Would their kisses be all that she remembered, or was she just over-romanticizing the experience of first love?
Of course she was over-romanticizing. If things had been as wonderful as she thought they had been, they would never have broken up. Rob had broken her heart all those years ago. The very last thing she should have been doing right now was thinking of that time of her life with anything but anger. If Rob had been faithful, her heart never would have been broken. She never would have dated Eric and she… Jordan stopped herself and sighed. If all those things had never happened, she’d never have had her boys.
Before she could examine that thought any further or figure out what was going on in the movie, the lights came back up and it was time to go. As soon as they were out of their seats, the nonstop chatter started up again. Her sons were beside themselves with the whole movie experience.
“Did you see when that plane blew up?”
“Wasn’t it cool, Rob?”
“It was so awesome when that guy fell out the window…”
“Did you like it, Rob?”
“I can’t believe he shot all those robots…”
“Can I finish the soda, Rob?”
Jordan groaned. Now she’d have to sit and listen to the reenactments of the movie and more stories of Rob the Great! Would she never catch a break? How had the day gotten so out of control? This had been a foolproof plan! Okay, it was time for some damage control. With a couple of firm words to Rob and those traitorous kids, she’d be the one back in charge.
As they stepped back out into the afternoon sunshine, the brightness of the sun struck with full force and Jordan swayed. It took a minute to adjust, but luckily Rob was right there to put an arm tightly around her waist and steady her.
“Are you okay, Mom?” Joseph stepped forward and asked nervously.
“I’m fine, sweetheart,” she reassured him. “The light just got to me, that’s all. Don’t worry.” The boy didn’t look too sure and Rob made a mental note to talk to him about that when they had some time alone.
Walking them to their car, Rob watched as the boys climbed into the backseat; Joseph was still eyeing Jordan cautiously. Rob wanted an answer; he wanted to find out what would cause a young boy to be filled with the kind of anxiety Joseph was exhibiting right now. If he didn’t do something quick and make definitive plans with Jordan, he wasn’t sure he’d ever get the chance.
“What are you doing for dinner tonight?” he asked when the boys were out of earshot. Rob hoped he sounded casual, that his desperation to be with them again wasn’t too obvious.
“Look, Rob,” she began with as much enthusiasm as a funeral procession, “I appreciate all you did today, and I know the boys loved that you went to the movies with them, but I have certain rules with my kids and I don’t appreciate you ignoring them.” She couldn’t quite remember why she was so angry, though. So he’d treated her boys to some snacks. Wasn’t that really part of the whole moviegoing experience?
“I’m sorry,” he said seriously, knowing full well he had gone overboard today. He couldn’t seem to help it; these kids looked l
ike they needed some fun and extra attention, and if he could see to it, then why shouldn’t he? Because it’s not your place. These aren’t your kids. Remember that.
“Maybe Claudia doesn’t mind you spoiling her kids, but I don’t want you getting involved here because it will be that much harder when we leave.”
Harder on who, Jordan? You or them?
Suddenly the thought of leaving this place and never seeing Rob again filled Jordan with great sadness. It had only been a week, and yet she knew for sure that walking away from Rob Tyler a second time would kill her. Both she and the boys would feel his absence for a long, long time. Oh, sure, she was complaining about it now—the constant mentioning of his name, his insinuating himself into their family outings—but truth be told, Jordan was enjoying her time with him.
Rob reached out and traced a line down the side of her face with the tips of his fingers. He stared deeply into her eyes, and Jordan found herself unable to look away. His touch was whisper soft and yet it touched Jordan to her very soul, making her long for things that had been denied her for way too long.
“I don’t want to do anything you don’t want me to do,” he murmured as he moved a little closer. “I’m sorry if I offended you today. That was never my intention.” His words were spoken softly and Jordan just let them wash over her. They were almost touching from head to toe, and Jordan closed her eyes as he continued to stroke her face.
He could smell the faint scent of strawberries and suddenly remembered how she’d always favored a strawberry-scented shampoo when they were in school. He inhaled deeply and leaned in closer. It was odd how after all these years, he could still remember every small detail about her. He’d kill to know if she’d still melt into him when he kissed her. “What about dinner?” he said softly into her hair. “I know a great place where we can go. The boys will love it.”
Without conscious thought, Jordan reached up and placed a hand on his forearm. She squeezed it gently, relishing the feel of his muscles bunching under her hand. Before she knew it, she was responding. “We have no plans.”
“Good,” Rob said as he slowly removed his hand from her face and stepped back a little. Jordan opened her eyes and let her hand drop from his arm, suddenly feeling very alone even though he was still so close.
“I’ll pick you all up around six. Is that too late?”
“No,” she whispered. He smiled at her, said his good-byes to the boys, and walked away.
Jordan watched as he walked down the sidewalk back toward his office until he was out of sight. The sound of Jake and Joseph chattering about the movie brought her back to reality. She drove home but waited to tell them who they were having dinner with. Jordan knew they would burst if things went any better today and thought they needed time to calm down before she told them.
She’d be wise to take the afternoon to calm herself down as well. Her body tingled with the thought of all the possibilities.
Chapter 4
She wasn’t ready. It was five minutes to six and Jordan was still throwing clothes all over her bedroom. She didn’t think she needed to look special, but she wanted to make sure she looked…nice. It had been a long time since she’d felt the need to look nice for anyone.
But this wasn’t just anyone; this was Rob she was dressing for. She wanted to look nice without looking as if she was trying to look nice.
Standing in front of the full-length mirror, she held up one outfit after another, finding fault with them all.
Too dressy, too casual, makes my hips look big… On and on it went until she heard the knock at the front door. She froze.
“Okay.” She sighed and dove into the closet one last time. “Stop being such a ninny and just pick something!” she said to herself. When she’d packed for this trip, the thought of going out with anyone other than her sons had never crossed her mind. Next time, she’d be prepared. Next time? Jordan just prayed she survived this vacation!
Off in the distance, she heard the boys let Rob in, then a mass of conversation. She was sure her sons were talking Rob’s ear off about the movie today. Jordan relaxed, knowing it would all be okay out in the other room for another five minutes and returned to the task at hand—finding something to freakin’ wear!
Back in the living room, Rob was sitting on the sofa with the boys on the floor, watching TV. Having nieces and a nephew made him familiar with kid TV. Nickelodeon was a staple at his sister’s house. In minutes he found himself laughing along with the boys at an episode of iCarly. As much as he hated to interrupt the episode—that Carly always managed to get into a crazy scenario—Rob knew this was his opportunity to get some answers from Joseph. He cleared his throat.
“Hey, Joe, can I ask you something?” he began casually, and Joseph turned to him, eager to tell him anything he wanted to know.
“Sure, Rob.”
“You were really concerned today for your mom when we came out of the movie theater. Was everything all right?”
“Well,” Joseph began, “she gets dizzy sometimes since the accident for almost no reason. It’s weird. One minute she’s fine; the next she’s grabbing a piece of furniture until the room stops whizzing by. She fainted a couple of times when she first came home, but one of my aunts was always there to help her.” The boy frowned. “I just want Mom to get better, you know?”
Rob nodded in understanding and Joseph continued, obviously grateful for the opportunity to talk to someone about how he felt.
“I know Mom’s tired of feeling bad and all, and that’s why we came here: so she could get some rest and get better. It’s been a long time since she’s felt good and I hate that for her.” His tone was serious and Rob didn’t doubt for a minute that Joseph loved and cared for his mom very much. He seemed much more mature than the average twelve-year-old, and Rob hated the fact that this boy had to take on so much grown-up responsibility because of his deadbeat father. Rage built up in Rob like he had never known before. If he ever had the opportunity to see Eric again, surely he would kill him. How dare he neglect this family! Eric didn’t deserve them. As his fists clenched, Rob realized Joseph was still talking.
“I know it’s a big help when Grandma or my aunts come around, but I just want our lives to go back to normal.” He smiled weakly at Rob before he added, “But I don’t even know if I remember what normal is anymore.”
Rob reached down and placed a hand reassuringly on Joseph’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
“It was hard when Dad moved out, but we got used to it being just the three of us. Jake was playing little league and I was playing soccer. We were starting to have fun again. And just when we were doing okay, there was the accident. Jake and me, well, we’ve spent more time sleeping at other people’s houses than we have at our own. We had to drop out of the sports because it was too much for Grandma and Aunt Laura to drive us around and take care of Mom. I’m tired of not being in my own house, my own room.” He looked up at Rob sheepishly. “I must sound like a baby to you.”
“Not at all, Joe. You’ve been through some rough stuff and I know your mom’s lucky to have you.” He hoped his words were of some comfort. “If anything happens while you’re here and you need help, I want you to call me, okay?” Rob handed Joseph his business card with his phone number on it. “I’m not saying you have to call me, but if you need help or even if you just want to talk, I want you to know that you can.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you.” The boy was polite to a fault. He stood and placed the business card in his pocket.
Rob patted him on the back and was about to turn his attention back to the TV when he heard Jordan’s footsteps coming toward them from the hallway. He looked up to see her enter the room. His chest tightened at the sight of her.
She was dressed in a pair of black capri pants with a lightweight lavender sweater that molded beautifully to the curve and swell of her breasts. Rob swallowed hard. She looked fabul
ous. Her chestnut hair shined as it flowed around her shoulders and framed her heart-shaped face; her lips were glossed to kissable perfection and it almost made him bold enough to walk over to her and claim those lips with his. For the moment, he didn’t have the right. But if tonight went as he hoped, he’d be able to kiss Jordan freely in the very near future.
Jordan noticed Rob’s stare and suddenly felt very self-conscious. “Sorry to keep everyone waiting.” She blushed. The boys ran over and hugged her and then immediately started pushing her toward the door.
“We’re hungry!” they began to chant. “Sheesh, Mom, it took you, like, forever to get ready!” Jordan looked over at Rob and saw he was shaking his head and chuckling.
“Are you wearing makeup?” Jake asked in utter confusion. “You never wear makeup anymore!” Joseph made a similar comment about her perfume and Jordan felt herself blushing clear through to her roots with embarrassment. Clearly her boys thought she normally looked like some sort of troll.
“Never a dull moment,” she heard Rob say as they walked out the door.
Jordan stopped short at the sight of his vehicle parked in front of her house. Why hadn’t she noticed it when he came for dinner the other night? It was a brand-new, limited-edition Lexus SUV. It made her own older vehicle look, well…old. The boys were, of course, in awe of the shiny new truck and made all kinds of “manly” comments about it. Rob had a captive audience to give all the details of the wonders of his truck. Jordan knew her boys didn’t understand half of what Rob was saying, but they oohed and aahed in all the right places. Listening to them made her smile.
“Men,” Jordan sighed as she climbed into the front passenger seat where she waited many long moments before all the males joined her.
Once everyone was seated and buckled, Rob looked at them all and smiled. This must be what being part of a family feels like, he thought to himself. He’d taken his sister’s kids out often enough, but it never felt quite like this. He needed to be careful. Rob was beginning to feel himself getting drawn into this little family and it felt too good. Too right. Of course, he was the one drawing himself in, and if it all came to an end in three weeks and he was left alone and deserted, he’d have no one to blame but himself.
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