“I never chewed on wood when I was a kid,” Amelia said in a snotty voice. She kicked at the asphalt driveway with the toe of her sneaker. “You really need to do something about him, Talia. He’s out of control.”
Talia rolled her eyes. “He’s fine,” she snapped. “All of the doctors have agreed.”
Amelia blushed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m tired. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Talia nodded. “Amelia, would you be willing to stay late for an extra fifty dollars? I have….a meeting,” she lied. “I should be home by ten or so.”
Amelia frowned. “A meeting that goes until ten?”
“We always go out for dinner afterwards,” Talia ad-libbed. For some reason, she didn’t feel quite like disclosing about her date. Even though Amelia was young, Talia had the feeling she’d be judgmental about a single mom dating with such a young kid at home.
“Ah,” Amelia said. Talia couldn’t tell whether or not her lie had been convincing. “Sure,” she said. “Thanks.”
When Amelia left, Talia carried James inside. He seemed content to sit on the kitchen floor and bang against pots and pans. Talia perched on the counter and watched him. She hated to admit it, but part of her felt that Amelia was right about something. James had always seemed a little different, not bad, just….off, somehow. He was incredibly hairy for a toddler – he’d come out of the womb with a full head of hair, and now it was shaggy and long. Plus, he loved chewing on wood, and he had surprising strength for a child of his age.
He definitely wasn’t like any of Talia’s children at school.
Talia shivered as she remembered the day she’d told Danny that she was pregnant. At first, she’d thought about lying. Telling him that by some miracle, she’d managed to get pregnant! It had seemed like a good idea when she was lying in bed, trying to think of how to break the news to him. But in the morning light, she knew that she couldn’t lie. She and Danny had been together for years, and he deserved the truth. She knew that he’d be angry, but she wasn’t expecting him to fly into a blind rage. Talia had been afraid for her life, and she’d thrown Danny out after he threatened to hurt her and the unborn baby. Ever since then, they’d stayed broken up.
Unfortunately, Danny managed the apartment complex where Talia lived with James. She kept meaning to move out, but after taking James to a series of specialists over the summer, she hadn’t been able to afford a security deposit anywhere. Then her lease had started up again, and she knew that she was stuck there, at least for another year.
“Mom!” James called. It was one of the words that he liked to say the most. Even though he wasn’t speaking in sentences yet, Talia could usually tell what he meant. She liked that, the seemingly psychic bond with her child. She wasn’t sure if that was a typical part of parenthood, but she enjoyed it all the same.
“What is it, baby?” Talia turned towards James and gave him an indulgent smile.
“Bang!” James said. He smiled gleefully and mashed two pots together.
Talia’s head throbbed. This is going to be a long night, she thought to herself. A very long night indeed.
--
“Bye Mom!” James waved his arms in the air and Amelia’s face took on a look of panic. Talia hid a guilty grin. That poor girl can’t lift him up either, she thought to herself as she left the apartment and walked down the sidewalk. He’s getting too heavy.
For once, Talia was determined to put her troubles to the side. Alec was waiting for her on the curb, leaning against his car and smiling a roguish grin. He was just as handsome as Talia remembered, maybe even more so.
“Hey there,” Alec said. He grinned at Talia and she felt butterflies in her stomach. “Where to?”
“What, you didn’t have a place in mind?” Talia giggled.
Alec shrugged. “I just want to make sure you enjoy yourself,” he said in a deep voice. “Can’t take you to an Italian restaurant if you’re craving Chinese.”
Talia blushed. It had been a long time since she’d dated, and even longer since she’d dated anyone who actually cared about what she might like to eat. “Anything is fine with me,” she said. “Honestly, anything that isn’t cooked by me is going to taste amazing.”
Alec laughed. “So I take it I should steer clear of your cooking?” He winked at her and Talia felt her blush deepen to a bright red.
“No!” Talia said quickly before laughing nervously. “I mean, I just haven’t gone out to eat in a long time. I’m always busy at home.” She dropped her eyes shyly to her lap. “I have a son, you know, he’s almost two. And he takes up all of my energy. I’m lucky if I can even get the pizza out of the oven before it burns.”
Alec was quiet. Talia was afraid that she’d scared him off. Deep down, she’d known that she would have to disclose her status as a single mom pretty quickly, but now she was afraid that she’d been too hasty.
“Is that a problem?” Talia’s voice was shaky. “I mean, that I have a son.”
“No,” Alec replied. “Not at all. I was just thinking that you sound like a good mom.”
Talia blushed again. “Thank you,” she said softly.
As Alec drove, she found that she couldn’t keep from staring at him. He was so incredibly handsome, and she couldn’t stare at his hands without feeling more aroused than she wanted to admit. His hands were large and veiny, with tufts of hair sprouting on their backs. She thought about how they would feel on her body – surely rough, and calloused – and felt a shiver down her spine.
“We’re here,” Alec said with a grin. He’d pulled up in front of a restaurant that had opened in the past year – a farm-to-table place, specializing in salmon. “Have you eaten here before?”
Talia shook her head. “I always thought it looked amazing, but I haven’t been yet,” she said. She winced when she realized the last time she’d had dinner out was before James had been born. “This looks incredible,” she added.
Alec stepped out of the car and then walked around to Talia’s side, opening the door and offering her his hand. When they touched, she felt a spark jump from his skin to hers and she had to look away.
Keep your head, Talia, she thought as she strode purposefully into the lobby. You don’t know this guy. He could be a total psycho.
But Alec seemed like the farthest thing possible from someone dangerous, Talia reflected after they had been seated. He’d ordered the same meal for both of them: salmon filet with capers and lime. Talia’s stomach was rumbling and she realized that she felt absolutely ravenous.
“So, Talia,” Alec began. “How long have you been teaching school?”
“About five years,” she said. “I had James over the summer, so I only missed a month. I started out in junior high but I got transferred to the elementary school.”
Alec nodded. “Do you like it?”
She nodded. “Very much,” Talia admitted. “It’s…overwhelming sometimes, but I feel so sad on the last day of school. “ She smiled. “My kids are all great, I’ve been really lucky.”
Alec nodded again. He looked so serious! Talia loved the way the light played off his golden-brown eyes, making him always look a bit playful.
“I work at a wildlife reserve,” Alec said. He cleared his throat. “Sometimes, I don’t really get along with people,” he added.
Talia laughed out loud. “Generally people get kind of pissed when you invade a school,” she said softly. “You might not want to try that again in the future.”
“Don’t invade schools, got it,” Alec said, pretending to check an item off a list. “You’re probably pretty social, though, someone like you?” He glanced at her with interest. “You probably get asked out all the time.”
Talia shook her head. “Not really,” she admitted. A blush came over her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m not normally so flustered, I’m just….out of practice,” she said. “I haven’t been on a date in a long time.”
“Divorced?”
Talia shook her head. “Whe
n I decided to have my son, my boyfriend left,” she replied. “I’m sorry, you probably don’t want to know that.”
“It’s fine,” Alec said smoothly. “So, did you adopt?”
Talia blushed harder than ever. “No,” she said. “Um, we tried to get pregnant. But we couldn’t; Danny was found to be infertile. So I….I went to a sperm bank,” she said softly, keeping her voice low. “I really wanted to have children, and I thought James would be the first of many. But Danny couldn’t handle it when he found out, and he left. And since then it’s just been me and James.”
“I don’t date a lot either,” Alec said. “Most of the time, I stay out at the reserve. It’s so peaceful out in nature, I feel like a lot of people don’t really appreciate that kinda stuff nowadays. Then again, I don’t get along with most folks anyway.”
Talia shook her head. “It sounds amazing,” she admitted. “I wish I could visit sometime.”
Alec nodded. “Of course,” he said. “Whenever you’d like, hell, how about this weekend?” He grinned at her. “Weather’s gonna be nice. We could have a picnic! Bring your son, too, if you want.”
Talia bit her tongue. She was right on the verge of saying yes. The words were in her mouth but she couldn’t manage to say them. Finally, she swallowed. “Maybe,” she said, as primly as she could muster. “Maybe sometime.” A horrible thought flashed into her head: Danny berating her for going out with another man. She flinched.
“Hey, is everything alright?” Alec looked into Talia’s eyes with concern. “What’s wrong? Did I say something?”
“It’s nothing,” Talia lied. Suddenly, she was tempted to break down and tell Alec everything that was bothering her: Danny, James’s health, her recent financial troubles, everything.
“You sure?” Alec raised an eyebrow. “I’m a great listener, they say.”
Talia swallowed again, hard. “Well,” she said. “It’s just….oh, it’s everything! My ex, Danny, is a jerk who won’t leave me alone, and he manages the building I live in. I keep wanting to move out but I can’t ever save up enough for a security deposit. Kids are so expensive!” She paused and glanced up into Alec’s warm, honeyed eyes. “And I think there’s something really wrong with my son. He’s….not normal, there’s something wrong. I’ve taken him to so many doctors, and none of them can help me figure it out!” She fought back a wave of tears. “And that was almost all of my money that I’d saved up, and summer is coming, and I just have no idea what I’m gonna do!”
Alec nodded. He took a sip of his water. “You have a lot on your plate,” he said. “I’m sorry you’ve been dealing with all of that.”
Talia blinked. “It’s just gotten so bad,” she said, glancing down. “I’m sorry. That was really embarrassing. I never should have gone on a rant like that.”
Alec shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he said. “I’m glad you felt like you could tell me. At least you were able to get it off your chest.” Glancing down, he asked: “What’s happening with your son?”
Talia bit her lip. “I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I think he’s fine, but there are just…oh, some weird things. He has some weird habits, and he seems so much older than two. Everyone always asks me where he goes to pre-school,” she said. “But I mean, the good news is that he’s super engaged and he’s very vocal for two.” She tried to smile. “I guess I should be relieved that he’s a smart kid, but I know there are so many things that can go wrong when a kid is growing up…”
Alec nodded. He laughed. “Definitely,” he said. “You should ask my mom sometime, I’m sure she’ll have enough stories to make you feel much better.”
Talia blinked. “Were you a holy terror, too?”
Alec threw his head back and laughed. “God, yeah,” he said. “I was the worst.” He grinned at Talia and flexed his arm. “I turned out okay, though, didn’t I?” He winked at her. Talia felt her heart flutter in her chest.
“Thanks,” Talia said quietly. An odd hush fell over the table.
“You know,” Alec said cautiously. “I know this sounds crazy, because we don’t really know each other. But I want you to know that you’ve got a place on the reserve if you need it.”
Talia’s jaw dropped. She blushed and recovered quickly, although she couldn’t help staring at Alec. “What?”
“I mean, if you need a place to get away,” Alec said. “I want you to know that you have options, Talia. It sounds like things are really bad for you at home.”
Talia nodded. “That’s one way of putting it,” she said softly. “And thank you, Alec. That means a lot. But it’s not necessary,” she added. “We’ll manage. I’m sure everything will be fine.” She looked away. She could tell that Alec was an incredible outdoorsman, but she had an odd feeling about their conversation. It was almost like he knew more than he was letting on, about James. Like he was keeping something from her…
Alec nodded. “And you can take me up on that at any time,” he said. “I promise.”
--
When dinner was over, Alec escorted Talia back to the car. He opened her door for her and waited until she was safely tucked inside and buckled in before closing it. Talia couldn’t believe how gentlemanly he was, how chivalrous. She’d never been with someone who treated her this well, and she loved it. Part of her felt embarrassed, for letting other men run all over her. But mostly, she was happy.
They were quiet during the drive back to Talia’s. Dusk had fallen and the sky was a gorgeous blended shade of purple, pink, and orange.
“This is my favorite time of day,” Alec said in a low, husky voice. Talia felt a pleasurable thrill race through her body. “So gorgeous.”
“It is,” Talia agreed.
“No, I meant you,” Alec said. Talia blushed as Alec winked at her. “You’re the gorgeous one. But nature is pretty damn nice, too.”
When they pulled up in front of Talia’s apartment row, Alec cut the engine. “Thank you so much for coming out with me,” he said. It was too dark to see his exact facial features, but Talia could tell that he was grinning from ear to ear. “Would it be too much to ask you for another date?”
Talia blushed. “Call me,” she said softly. “We’ll talk about it then.”
There was a heavy moment of tension between them. Talia was aching to kiss Alec, to wrap her arms around him and pull him close. But she knew that she shouldn’t do anything so bold on a first date. Her hand was on the handle of the door when she felt Alec’s gentle but clumsy touch on her shoulder.
“May I kiss you?”
Talia melted. “Such a gentleman,” she murmured, forgetting that she had to go inside. Turning towards Alec, she felt him press his lips against hers. Talia melted; the feel of Alec’s kiss was smooth and sensual. He smelled like pine trees and herbs, and she closed her eyes as the kiss deepened. As it grew more intense, Alec slipped his tongue into Talia’s mouth, making her moan softly. She was barely aware of Alec’s strong arms wrapping around her slight body, pulling her over the center console until she was practically sitting in his lap.
“Talia,” Alec murmured into her neck, breaking the kiss and nuzzling her gently. “You’re incredible.”
Pressing her lips against his, Talia wrapped her arms around Alec’s neck and snuggled closer. The stubble on his rough chin scraped against her smooth face but the sensation was welcome, stimulating even. He was a gentle kisser, but she could tell Alec had a ton of pent-up energy. She shivered, thinking about how he would be in bed: surely gentle, but powerful, too.
“I have to go inside now,” Talia whispered as she broke away. “I had a wonderful time tonight.”
As Talia stepped out of the car, she felt like she was floating. She kept her eyes half-closed and swayed in the darkness to a dreamy melody that was playing only in her head.
Colby (BBW Western Bear Shifter Romance) (Rodeo Bears Book 3) Page 14