by Danielle Lee
Officer O'Reilly smiled.
“Another field trip?”
“No, my mommy has been here!”
Megan’s face turned red at Officer O’Reilly’s pointed stare.
“I was here when I was in kindergarten,” Megan mumbled. Officer O’Reilly laughed and then looked at the group of kids.
“Ah, well that must have been a very long time ago.”
Megan gave him a dirty look and he laughed.
“It wasn’t that long ago,” Megan sneered. Jacob laughed, too.
“She went when she was in kindergarten, too. She told me that they don’t keep any bad people here, and that we are safe with police officers.”
Megan wanted to put duct tape over Jacob’s mouth. Suddenly she didn’t feel that safe. Officer O’Reilly was staring at her, and for some reason her libido decided it wanted to kick on for the first time in years.
***
After what seemed like days, the field trip to the police station finally came to an end. Megan couldn’t help but be relieved. She felt like she was rubbed raw. All day, her group was stuck with Officer O’Reilly. She felt guilty the entire time. While she was supposed to be spending a relaxing day with Jacob, she felt anything but relaxed. Instead, she felt a nervous sort of excitement just being around him. She found herself looking at his ring finger at one point, and of course he caught her. After a wink in her direction, Megan decided that she needed to get some sort of grip on reality. He was a gorgeous police officer, probably never married, and never had kids. What would someone like that want to do with a single mother of a five year old?
As the class boarded the bus to go back to the school, Officer O’Reilly followed, stopping Megan with a tug on her elbow.
“Ma’am,” he said softly. Megan turned and felt the heat envelop her skin.
“Yes?”
Up close, Officer O’Reilly had the most beautiful eyes, dark brown with golden flecks. Megan swallowed, waiting for him to say what he wanted to say.
“Are you free this evening?”
Megan supposed she should have been prepared for this, seeing as they had made eyes at each other all day, but she was really shocked. She quickly shook her head. “No, I’m sorry.”
“Tomorrow?” he asked, as she grabbed the doorway to the bus and pulled herself up. Jacob was already on the bus, and she was the last to board. Everyone was waiting on her.
“No.”
“This weekend?” he asked. He had a cheeky looking smile on his face—one that probably was a hit with every woman in a hundred mile radius.
Megan couldn’t believe this hottie was being so persistent. As she was about to deny him again, she heard Jacob’s teacher talking to the class about how good they were. Megan wanted to crawl in a hole. She knew the teacher and the bus driver heard what the officer was asking of her, and she could feel all the kids’ eyes on her.
“No. I have to go now, Officer. Thank you for showing us around.”
With everything that she could summon, she pulled herself up the steps and walked toward the back of the bus where Jacob was waiting for her with a big grin.
When the bus finally pulled away, Megan looked out the window, and Officer O’Reilly was standing there with a dumbfounded look on his face.
CHAPTER TWO
“I didn’t get her name,” Brice said as he walked in to the station. He couldn’t believe his luck. It was the first time in a long while he had felt an attraction for a woman that he didn’t find in a bar or some other place where relationships weren’t conducive. He shook his head when his partner laughed.
“That’s what you get, man,” Carl Sanders said, laughing. “Although I will say, this is the first time where you actually used your head instead of your...”
“Yeah, yeah. She was beautiful, wasn’t she?”
Carl laughed. “Yeah, she was, but she had a kid.”
“I know. That’s what gets me the most. After Jenna I didn’t think I could go there again, but her eyes... Did you see them?”
“No, I wasn’t really paying attention to her. I was too busy watching you with your tongue hanging out.”
Brice rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t that bad.”
“You were that bad. You barely looked at the class the entire 4 hours of a 2 hour field trip.”
“4 hours?”
“Yeah, look at the time. The kids had to get back to school and you kept delaying the trip. I don’t think the kids minded as they got the longest tour in history.”
Brice sighed and put his hand over his eyes. She probably thought he was lame. “What about her?”
Brice didn’t explain the question, as his friend smiled. “She didn’t seem to mind.”
“I didn’t think she did. I asked her out, you know?”
“You didn’t...”
“Yeah, but she said no. I can’t figure it.”
“Well you don’t ask a woman out in front of her kid.” Carl shook his head and started for his desk. He picked up a few papers and placed them in a file folder and then turned toward Brice, whom was now standing in front of his own desk.
“I didn’t. They were all on the bus.”
This was much worse than Carl thought. Carl smiled. “You mean to tell me you stopped the poor woman and made her wait in front of a bus load of kids and their teacher?”
Brice cringed. “I didn’t think about that. Do you think that’s why she said no?”
“I’d say that had a lot to do with it.”
Brice took a deep breath. “I’ll just ask her again then.”
“Really? You don’t think you blew it with her?”
Brice shrugged his shoulders. “Probably, but there was something there, and, well, I want to find out what it is.”
“Then you best find out what her name is.”
Brice grinned, and then clicked his fingers, making Carl turn toward him. “Fingerprints!”
“Excuse me?”
“I fingerprinted her today.”
“You what?”
“You know, I did the fingerprints, to show the kids...”
“You were supposed to do it to the kids not the parents.” Carl laughed and then shook his head. “You know, you are absolutely ridiculous.”
“I know... I couldn’t help myself. Honestly, when I first looked at her, I just knew I had to touch her.”
“You’re a pervert.”
“Shut up, Sanders. Now, help me with this,” Brice said as he pulled up the prints that he did on his mystery woman. It wasn’t exactly procedure, and he would probably be questioned later as to why he had done it, but he had to know who she was. “Can you help me or not?”
Carl smiled and flipped the switch on his computer. “Yeah, just give me a few minutes.”
Brice grinned and finished up on the rest of his paperwork.
“Her name is Megan James,” Carl said after about twenty minutes of running her prints through the directory.
“Any priors?”
“Nope. She had them done for the hospital. She’s a nurse.”
“Where?”
“Mercy Medical.”
“Jackpot!” Brice exclaimed. “I wonder what department she works in.”
“I’d say to just go there and find out, but then again that place is pretty big.”
“Thanks for this, Carl.”
“Yeah, don’t mention it... seriously don’t.”
Brice picked up his coat, but not before glimpsing at the address on the screen. Megan only lived a few blocks from the station, and it was on the way to his house. Maybe he would accidentally see her and her son on the street.
***
Megan had listened to her son talk nonstop about Officer O’Reilly. You’d have thought the sun rose and set out of his butt. He was gorgeous, she’d give him that, but he was clearly a ladies man, and if she were honest with herself, that’s not something she wanted to deal with again. Jason, Jacob’s father, was the same way. He was always flirting with other women when t
hey were out, blaming it on his personality; his nickname was ‘ladies’ man for goodness sake! She was charmed by him at first, but then when he winked at her for looking at his ring finger, and then again for checking out his butt when he turned and walked toward the questioning room, and then he fingerprinted her and put her in the lineup window, it had been too much. Her nerves were on high alert by the time she finally got out of there. She had no idea where the surge of lust had been hiding, but it was there, and she felt as if she would burst if she didn’t take care of the urge to be with the police officer. It was all she could think about.
“Mommy, look who’s here!” Jacob yelled. He was so excited that he was jumping up and down while holding on to her hand. She turned toward where Jacob was looking and wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Right there, standing near her tree lawn was Officer O’Reilly.
Shit.
Shoot.
Dang.
“Hi again. I didn’t know you lived down here,” Officer O’Reilly said casually as he started toward them. “Hey, kiddo.”
“Hi! I can’t believe you’re here! I told mom, I told her!” Jacob was jumping up and down with a huge smile on his face.
Officer O’Reilly looked from Megan to her son and then back. The kid was cute, he’d give him that much. “Oh, yeah... What did you tell her?”
Megan’s face was beet red, and she was trying to get Jacob to keep his mouth shut. It didn’t work.
“There are only 42 days until Christmas, and I wished for...”
“Jacob!” Megan interrupted. It was so unexpected, Officer O’Reilly flinched.
He looked from Megan to Jacob and then back.
“Mommy, it’s okay, Daddy told me to tell you.”
Megan didn’t know what to think. “Jacob,” Megan’s voice whispered in a rush.
“I want a Da—”
“Jacob!”
Officer O’Reilly’s face paled. He must have known what Jacob was about to say, and by the look on his face, he wasn’t impressed.
“Thank you for the tour today, Officer,” Megan said, frowning. “But I think Jacob needs to go lie down.”
“My name is Brice.”
Megan startled and then looked up at him. He was a lot taller than she was, but then again, most were. She was only 5'6. “What?”
“I’m Brice.”
“Megan. Nice to meet you.”
“You, too,” Brice said. His voice sounded a bit thick; he sounded nervous.
“Listen, honey,” Megan said to Jacob. “It is way past homework time. Why don’t you go in, and I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Jacob frowned, but then just as quick smiled. “Okay, Mommy. Thanks for coming to see us, Officer.”
“You’re welcome,” Brice said. Jacob opened his arms wide and plowed into Brice, hitting him pretty hard in the center.
Megan couldn’t believe what Jacob was doing. She was right about one thing; her son needed a man in his life. “Jacob, leave Officer O’Reilly alone. He probably doesn’t want a hug right now.”
Brice looked up just then and saw something in Megan’s eyes. They looked wet. Then he looked down at the little boy with his arms wrapped around him, and knew exactly what he wanted for Christmas, and for some reason he didn’t move.
Jacob moved away and ran up the steps to the house, slamming the door shut. Megan flinched at the sound and went to turn toward the door when Brice spoke.
“He’s a great kid.”
Megan nodded. “Yes, he is.”
“You busy tomorrow?”
“I told you that I was, Brice.” Megan turned and chanced a glance in his direction. His eyes stared hard into hers.
“Were you lying?”
Megan smiled. “Yes.”
Brice wasn’t used to an honest answer. “Why?”
“You’re single.”
“What? Do you only date married men?” Brice asked, aghast at the statement.
Megan’s eyes lit with irritation. “No! I’m just… I’m not interested, okay?”
“You’re not married, are you?”
“Of course not!”
“Well, that’s good.”
“What kind of guy are you if you thought I was married?” Megan asked.
Brice laughed as the question was reversed on him. “I didn’t think you were. I looked at your ring finger, remember?”
Megan rolled her eyes. “I could have just not been wearing it.”
“Sure, you could have, but then again, I saw you looking at my finger as well.”
Megan knew it was the truth, but it was one thing to have someone fling it back at you. “I was not.”
“Were, too.”
“Was…”
Brice smiled. “I can play cat and mouse all day long with you, but I’d rather just take you out to dinner.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m a mother.”
The answer was said so frankly that there was no other explanation. Brice nodded and looked at her thoughtfully. “So, what’s that mean, that you can’t date anyone that isn’t a father?”
“I never really thought of it before, but I guess I just assumed that anyone that I got involved with eventually would already have had kids.”
“So, I am being punished by not finding the one yet?”
Megan swallowed, just hearing him describe his missing details like that nearly made her swoon. “It sounds stupid when you say it that way, but in a way, yes.”
“Well that’s stupid.”
Megan laughed. “You sound just like Jake. Listen, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but like I said, I am not interested.”
Brice’s grin widened. “Sure you are. I know you are.”
“Okay, I’m interested, but I can’t. I guess can’t isn’t a good word… I just don’t want to.”
Brice flinched. “What is it about me that you find so repulsive?”
“I don’t find you repulsive, Brice; I’m just not into players.”
“Players?” Brice would have loved to have said that he wasn’t like that, but the truth was that he usually just did one night´s. He hadn’t had much luck in the dating front, and ever since his disaster of a relationship with Jenna, he didn’t want to even try.
“See, you didn’t say anything, which tells me exactly what I already knew.”
Brice nodded and then turned toward his car. “I’ll change your mind,” he flung over his shoulder.
Megan started at the comment. “What?”
“I said I’ll change your mind.”
“I’m not going to go out with you, Brice!”
Brice turned in her direction. His gaze was like a 100 watt light bulb. “Yes you are.”
“No, no I’m…”
“We’ll see about that.”
***
Megan walked into the house, shut the door, and then leaned back against its surface. She took a deep breath and blew it out. Brice O’Reilly. Megan giggled; the sound was so foreign to her own ears that she laughed again.
“Mommy, what are you laughing about?” Jacob asked as he walked up to where Megan was standing. He had his homework folder in his hand and his book bag in the other. “I finished the coloring paper. What do you think?”
“I think it looks great, kiddo,” Megan said as she ruffled her son’s hair. She stepped away from the door when Jacob took her hand and gave it a tug.
“What were you laughing about?”
“Oh, well, I…” Megan didn’t know what to say. How could she tell her son that she had a thing for Officer O’Reilly, but she couldn’t do anything about it? “Oh, just laughing at something I just heard, that’s all.”
“What was that?”
“Just a… oh, it’s not anything in particular, honey. She smiled down at him and took his hand. “You ready for some dinner?”
“Officer O’Reilly would make a great dad don’t you think?”
Megan nearly choked. “What!”
/>
“Officer O’Reilly, the guy that was just here. He is so nice. I think I’d like him to be my dad.”
The way Jacob just said that was nearly her undoing. He was so innocent, thinking just because he wanted something, he’d get it. “Honey, he is very nice, but that isn’t the way things work.”
Jacob frowned. “Why?”
Megan normally had no problem answering Jacob’s one million questions, but tonight was just the icing on the cake to her crap day. “Well, honey, people that get married are in love.”
“So you didn’t love Daddy?”
Wrong answer. Shit. “Oh, honey, I loved your daddy very much, you know that.”
“Then why weren’t you married?”
Megan could feel the sweat start to form over her upper lip. Her hands felt clammy, too. She wasn’t ready to talk to her son about how he came to be, and wasn’t sure if she should now. “Well, we were going to get married.”
“You were?” Jacob’s face lit up, and Megan felt a bit better, even if she didn’t know if the statement were one hundred percent true.
“Yes, honey, of course. You were just the best thing that ever happened to us.”
“Would I have had a brother or sister?”
Megan didn’t know the answer to that. She had always wanted a brood of children, but since Jason died, she didn’t think much about anything other than raising Jacob. Taking care of a kid fulltime as well as working was a job in itself. She didn’t have time for daydreaming. “I like to think so.”
“Well, you can have one with Officer O’Reilly.”
Megan knew her face was red now. “Okay, honey, that’s really enough with…”
Jacob interrupted, “I asked daddy about it, he thinks it’s a fine idea.”
Megan didn’t know what to think. Jacob was saying something about his father when Brice was outside, too. “What are you talking about, Jake?”
“I talked to daddy,” Jacob said happily.
“When?”
“Last night, and then again today after school.”
“So… you heard his voice?”
“Yeah, I asked him if it would be okay for you to get married so I can have a daddy, and he said that would be real nice. He also told me that he loved me, and that I should play sports this year.”