Love War (Battlefield of Love Book 1)

by Cary Hart

  Opening up the glove box, I point to the roll of quarters I keep in there to wash my car. “Problem solved. Now sit down or we will turn right back around and go home.” I use my best mom voice, but truth be told, I’m going crazy. My nerves are at an all-time high from seeing him today.

  All weekend long he has appeared, each time bringing out a feeling I wasn’t even sure I still had.

  Desire.

  “MOMMY! THEY’RE HERE! LOOK!” She points to a black Ford 250 pickup with the white WilliamSon Construction logo on each of the doors.

  I turn off the van and we get ready to head in when my phone receives a series of messages. Taking my phone out, I switch it over to silence, thinking it’s just random Facebook notifications, but it’s DD, a.k.a. Doug the Douche. Niki thought we should change it to DD for shits-n-giggles. It was pretty damn funny until Reece went to call her dad and DD popped up. I didn’t know what to say, but Niki saved the day saying it stood for Daddy Doug.

  I unlock my phone, checking to see what is so urgent.

  DD: She needs to have that looked at.

  DD: Hello?

  DD: Damn it, Aubrey... answer me.

  DD: I’ve tried calling is she OK?

  DD: Let me talk to her now!

  DD: In the agreement we must agree on medical treatment.

  DD: Don’t ignore me.

  DD: ?????

  How do I even respond to that?

  Typing.

  Dots.

  Deleting.

  Typing.

  Dots.

  DD: Where in the fuck are you?

  Ugh!

  “Mommy look!” Reece shouts the same time Drew’s face peeks in my window with Andie on his shoulders.

  “SHIT!” My phone sails through the air landing in the floorboard.

  “Mouth, Mommy!” my daughter reprimands me.

  I roll down the window. “Hey. Sorry for freaking out.”

  “No, I’m sorry for scaring you. I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that.” His forehead wrinkles. “Um, you’re not having second thoughts are you?”

  “Oh God no! I mean...” I search for the phone, picking it up. “I just need to make a quick call if you don’t care. Meet you in there?”

  “Sure. I’ll grab us a booth.” Swinging around in one swift motion Andie is off his shoulders and on the ground racing Drew to the door.

  “Mommy! I wanna go!” Reece cries.

  I call out the window, “Drew? Can Reece come with you?”

  “Sure thing! Come on honey.” He motions for her to follow.

  “Thanks.” I mouth and point to the phone.

  Nodding he goes in the door with my daughter in tow.

  Taking the safest route, I call.

  “Where in the fuck have you been?” Doug thunders through the other end.

  “Calm down.”

  “Don’t tell me to calm down. You sent me a message telling me my daughter—”

  “Our daughter,” I interrupt, correcting him.

  “Whatever, Aubrey. The point is. You text me saying she was hurt—”

  “And that she is fine, Doug. She’s fine,” I interrupt again, knowing better.

  “Stop doing that. You always interrupt, thinking you know what I’m going to say. You don’t. If you did maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess.” His comments tell me he’s hunting for a fight.

  “Doug...” I soften my voice, trying to deflect the verbal assault. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry. After we figured out she was going to be OK, we hopped in the van to get some ice cream. Reece and I cranked the music. If you called, we didn’t get it.”

  “We? Who’s we?”

  Shit!

  “Reece made a new friend at the park and her dad helped with the situation. He had a first-aid kit and we were able to bandage her up right away.”

  “Is that all?”

  “Yes, Doug, that’s all.” My voice is laced with sarcasm.

  “Don’t get all defensive, Aubrey. It’s a direct question that deserves an honest answer.”

  I’m trying to be calm, but how dare he accuse me of something when I just found out he had been having an affair with his assistant. Screw this. We are both divorced, single individuals who co-parent together.

  “Defensive? Whatever! I’ll answer your stupid question just to get you off my back, but just know you don’t have a right. As long as our daughter is safe and I keep you informed of everything that has to do with her that is all that matters. My personal life? Off limits.”

  This isn’t fair. I’m trying to be the bigger person, but I’m slowly fading. “Like I said, Reece met a new friend and her dad was there to help. After bandaging her up we decided to go for ice cream and instead of being inside enjoying the time with the girls, I’m in the van defending my personal life to my ex-husband.”

  “What the fuck, Aubrey, leaving our kid with your new fuck toy you found at the park? Maybe I should have my lawyer revisit this custody agreement?” Doug screams the threats through the phone. In the past I would have cowered, giving in.

  Not today!

  “You know what Doug, why don’t you do that. Then also tell them how you had been having an affair with your assistant. What? You didn’t think I knew?” I lay it out there, his silence revealing the truth in the comment. “So, go ahead, throw the threats around, make me feel like a shitty mom, but the only thing I’m guilty of is keeping you informed. She is fine. I’m fine. Now good-bye.”

  Hanging up the phone, I turn it off, stick it in my purse, grab the quarters out of the glove box and head inside to enjoy ice cream with my daughter and our new friends.

  Independence.

  Plastering on a smile, I push the phone call with Doug to the back of my mind and focus on the table in front of me.

  “MOMMY! Look what Andie got! Chocolate ice cream with Reese’s peanut butter cups! Cause that’s her favorite! That’s me, Mommy! I’m Reeses and I’m her favorite.” Her expression improves my mood by a hundred percent.

  “And Reece got chocolate ice cream with Andes Mints. That’s me and she says it’s her new favorite.” Andie shares in the excitement.

  “Mommy, it tastes like mint chocolate chip, daddy’s favorite. Do you want a bite?”

  Mood spoiled.

  “No thank you. I think I’ll get my own.” I notice Drew out of the corner of my eye. Laid back in his chair, content and relaxed. Must be nice.

  “I was waiting on you to order.” He waves the waitress over.

  “You didn’t have to wait.”

  “It’s fine. I wanted to.” He leans forward, giving me all his attention.

  “Well, look who decided to join.” The older waitress comes to the table to take our order. Her statement is innocent, but after talking to Doug it rubbed me the wrong way. Luckily the kids pipe up, freeing me from my thoughts.

  “Mommy! She said we look like twins. Do we Mommy?” Reece giggles.

  “Yeah, do we Daddy?” Andie chimes in.

  “Hmmm. Well, you both have wavy brown hair...”

  “Both in ponytails.” Andie pulls her hair over her head so we can examine it.

  “Yes, both in ponytails,” I agree.

  “And we both have the same color of eyes!” Reece cheers. “Right Mom? We do, don’t we? Same exact color. Ocean blue, just like my daddy’s.”

  “Yes you both do, but Andie’s eyes look just like her daddy’s.” I point to Drew and on cue he bats his eyelashes and we all laugh.

  “Well, they look close enough alike they could pass as twins, or at least sisters.” The waitress pulls out her notepad. “Now what can I get you two?”

  “Hmmm, I’ll take a pralines and cream in a sugar cone please.”

  “And I’ll take a banana shake with whip cream and extra cherries.” Drew looks over to his daughter and winks.

  “Give him,” Andie counts each of us with her finger, “four cherries.”

  “Coming right up.”

  “Mommy, loo
k.” Reece and Andie each take a spoonful of their ice cream and try to feed each other. Missing mouths and spoiling shirts.

  “Andie...” Drew sighs, looking at the scene in front of him. “You guys are a mess. Those shirts are going to be stained.”

  “No worries.” I dig around in my purse, pulling out baby wipes and the roll of quarters. “How about you clean yourselves up so you can play some games?”

  “Yesssssssssss!” Reece grabs the roll of quarters before I can stop her.

  “Can I Daddy?” Andie asks.

  “I don’t see why not.”

  A few minutes later, the girls are cleaned up and our ice cream is served. Alone with Drew Williams, the man who danced his way into my life on Friday and hasn’t left.

  Familiar.

  Drew

  AUBREY TURNS AROUND IN her seat yet again, checking on the girls. I’m not sure if she’s nervous about the girls being alone in the game room or about being alone with me.

  “Hey.” I reach over and grab her hand causing her to turn back around. “They’re OK. I can see them from here,” I reassure her.

  I thought maybe she would pull back, but instead she squeezes my hand. “I know. I just can’t see them and it’s causing me to panic a little.”

  Patting the chair next to me, “Why don’t you come over here so you can see them better?”

  Releasing my hand, she stammers, “I-I don’t know.” She looks back again.

  “I promise, my bite doesn’t hurt.” I give her my best panty-dropping smile.

  Smiling, she scoots her chair back, getting up to switch sides. “Since it doesn’t hurt.” She takes the seat next to me. “Thanks. Just being able to see them calms the anxiety.”

  It doesn’t go unnoticed she keeps saying them. Every time she says it, I picture something I shouldn’t be feeling right now. Family dinners, vacations, Sundays at the park. A real family.

  As hard as I tried with Sarah, it was never natural. I always felt she was a million miles away, leaving me and Andie to fend for ourselves. She wasn’t a bad mom, just an absent wife.

  I can’t help but watch Aubrey watch the girls. She is so consumed by them she doesn’t even notice the ice cream dripping down her hand.

  “You want me to throw that away?” I gesture toward her cone.

  “Huh?” She turns toward me, unaware of what I just said. “Ohhhh!” Working the cone in a frenzy, she laps up the mess, getting it everywhere.

  “Let me help.” I lean in close enough to dart my tongue out and taste her. Lord knows I want to, but the kids are in the other room and I just now got her to agree to ice cream after a couple days of asking her for drinks.

  With the pad of my thumb, I swipe the ice cream off the tip of her nose, slowly bringing it to my mouth to lick it up. “Mmm.” Fighting off the urge to kiss the praline off the corner of her mouth, I repeat the process, humming with satisfaction. “I think pralines and cream is my new favorite flavor.”

  “I agree.” Her eyes hood with desire. “I-um, thanks. I-um think you got it all.”

  “Almost. You done?”

  “Uh-huh.” Her voice is broken and barely audible.

  Taking the cone from her hands, I set it down on a pile of napkins. “Let’s clean you up.”

  “I-I think they...the baby wipes...they are...”

  Reaching for her wrist, I wrap my hand around it, making sure she can’t pull away. Taking my index finger I push up, moving hers out and ready for my taking.

  Bringing her hand towards my mouth, I watch her watching me. Lust-filled tension is thick. Almost as thick as the bulge in my pants.

  Calm down buddy.

  The only picture better than me taking her fingers in my mouth one by one, lick by lick, would be her sucking herself clean.

  “P-please...don’t,” she begs for me to stop. So I do, moving her hand toward her mouth.

  “You,” I dare her.

  A spark ignites and one by one, she takes her fingers deep into her mouth until all signs of the ice cream are gone.

  She notices my mouth hanging open, in that moment giving her all the power.

  “I think I’m good. Thanks for helping me clean up.” She scoots back, scraping the chair against the ceramic tiles. She grabs the mess and takes it to the trash.

  In that moment, I know I have to have her.

  “Daddy! Daddy! Come quick, Reeses and I got the top score. Come watch.” Andie runs up and grabs me by the hand as Aubrey comes back to the table. “You too Aubrey. Hurry!” She grabs Aubrey’s hand, pulling us into the game room where we find Reece keeping look-out.

  “Mommy! Look what we did!” She stands by the pinball machine, guarding it from anyone who tries to play.

  “Yeah! We were a team!” Andie joins in.

  “SISTER-TWIN POWER!” they shout, high-fiving.

  “Andie took one flapper and I worked the button on the other. It’s like we had super powers and could read each other’s minds...can you believe it, Mommy? We got first place. FIRST PLACE!” Reece squeals with the delight only a 6-year-old could.

  “That’s amazing girls. Fist bump.”

  “Mommy, we need help. Can you type in our name?” Reece begs.

  “Sure, what would you like?” Aubrey takes the joystick and begins.

  “SISTER-TWINS!” Reece shouts.

  “Honey you guys aren’t sisters or twins.” Aubrey rains on their parade. “How about A&R-BFF for Andie and Reece best friends forever?”

  The girls’ ears perk up hearing their names paired with the BFF title. One day at the park and those two have a relationship that most adults wish they had.

  “YES! Perfect, Mommy!”

  “Aubrey,” Andie tugs at them hem of her shirt. “My daddy taught me everything I know. Do you know how to play pinball? Reece said you didn’t know how. Is that true? I bet it’s true because Reeses wouldn’t lie to me. Would you like him to teach you? He will teach you, for free. You don’t have to pay him. He says it’s nice to do things for others if they don’t have the money, that sometimes you have to pay it forward. Do you pay it forward Aubrey?” My girl going 90 miles per hour.

  Laughing, she hugs Andie and assures her, “Honey, Reece was right. I don’t know how to play pinball and I would absolutely love for your dad to teach me everything he knows so I can be just as good as the rest of you, but let me pay you in quarters.” She digs in her purse, grabbing the roll I bought from the waitress. “Why don’t you and Reece go play that race car game she loves so much? You guys can race...EACH OTHER!” She gets excited with them. They grab the quarters and leave us alone. Once again.

  “So,” I lean on the machine, “I heard you are looking for a pinball machine expert?

  “Why yes, I am. Do you know where in the world I would find one of those?” She plays along.

  “I know it’s hard to believe that someone with this fine build would be a master of all arcade games.” I move in, invading her personal space. “But I can assure you it’s all in the fingers.” I wiggle mine at her. “These have all the talent.”

  “Show me your ways, master.” She moves into position.

  Standing behind her, I take her hands into mine, placing my fingers over hers. “These work the flippers, keeping the balls from going in.”

  “I never knew that was a bad thing.”

  “Only in this case.”

  “Good to know.”

  “Now this thing here...” I reach around grazing my thumb under the edge of her shirt, feeling her silky porcelain skin. “Is the slingshot. Launching the balls into play.” I take her hand pulling it back causing her to lean into me. “Once you let go it launches it into play and those things.” I point towards the middle. “Those are the kickers, targets and saucers. That is how you rack up your points while keeping the ball in play.”

  Turning her head toward me, she looks up to make eye contact, but I’m already looking down. Eyes meeting, lips just mere inches apart, I wait for anything. A sign, a reason to lose
myself in her in this moment. Lips parting, I think this is it.

  Just tell me what you want.

  “I think I’m ready.” Her words are just what I needed. I know by the look on her face she means more than just the game.

  “Good.” I place my hand under her chin, lifting to bring her lips closer. “Me too.” I capture them in a kiss so soft her body melts into mine.

  Her body stiffens, and as slow as the kiss happened it’s fast to end. “Crap, I forgot about the girls. Please tell me they didn’t see.”

  Looking over her shoulder I see Reece over at the Deal or No Deal, but Andie, she is right there, front and center for the show. Our eyes meet and my stomach sinks. We haven’t even discussed the possibility of me dating.

  SHIT!

  Nope, Reece didn’t see anything. I turn her around. “Let’s play.” I look for Andie who is back playing with Reece, but instead of looking ready to cry she gives me a thumbs up.

  Tonight I talk to Andie. If she isn’t ready for me to date, then I won’t, but if that thumbs up is any indication, then I’m set. Aubrey will get me full force.

  Aubrey

  “HURRY UP, BABY GIRL. We can’t be late for the appointment.” I try to hurry her up, but time means nothing to a 6-year-old.

  “Mommy, I’m fine. See?” Reece dances around waving her hands in the air. “They work. My arm is good.”

  “I know, but Daddy is out of town and is worried about his little girl. He just wants to make sure.”

  “Daddy is silly. Just tell him the magic Transformer Band-Aid did the trick.”

  “How about you tell him. He wants you to call after your appointment.” I ruffle her hair as she passes me and heads to the van.

  “Oh goodie, Mommy. Then I can tell him all about Andie, my new bestie.” She hops in the van, pressing the button for the automatic doors to shut.

  “Mommy!” Reece shouts scaring the ever living day out of me.

  “Yes, Reece.” I pull the rearview mirror down to get a better view.

  “Will they put a cast on my arm if it’s broke?”

  “Yes, but only if it’s broken and it’s not broken. You were moving it around just fine.”