The Right Way

by Katie Ashey

  Wrinkling her nose, she laughed. “Ew, that’s so gross.”

  “While it might not be the nicest way to describe it, it’s the truth. You could’ve gotten the frat into a lot of trouble.”

  “Even if I was a good girl that night?” she teasingly asked.

  Her expression sent a jolt straight to my crotch. It made me wonder just how bad of a girl she could really be. “Were you drinking?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Duh.”

  “You still could’ve gotten them in trouble.”

  Tsking she replied, “Always thinking of your brothers, right?”

  “I guess. It’s what being part of the frat is all about.”

  “As well as kegging and random hookups?”

  I laughed. “Well, that too.”

  “After all this time, how is it I didn’t realize you were in a fraternity?”

  “Because I haven’t been as active this past year.”

  Shaking her head, she replied, “I should’ve known right away you were a frat boy.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You’re the type.”

  With a scowl, I countered, “I’m pretty sure that’s an insult.”

  She laughed. “I swear it’s not. It’s just it makes sense since you’re a football player.” With a wink, she added, “Big Man on Campus and all that.”

  “I’m hardly a ‘Big Man on Campus’ as you say.”

  “A hot, upperclassman who plays football? I’d say you were one.”

  “You don’t know everything.” But did she just call me hot? Do I call her on that?

  “Yeah, let’s just wait and see if I’m right tomorrow night.”

  “Fine. We will.”

  Presley turned her attention back to the bowls and glass jars in front of her.

  Jerking my chin at the counter, I asked, “What’s all this?”

  “I’ve started making Evie’s baby food.”

  I picked up a jar and eyeballed the mushy contents. “You do know they sell perfectly good baby food in stores, right?”

  Presley laughed. “Of course, I do. But after reading some articles, I thought I might give it a try.”

  At what must’ve been my continued skeptical expression, she shrugged. “I just thought it might be something nice I could do to show Evie how much I cared.”

  “Evie already knows how much her mom loves her.”

  “I know. But I just feel like there’s always something else I could be doing to make her life better. If it means making her nutritionally rich food from scratch without preservatives, then I’ll do it.”

  I knew a lot of her need to be the perfect mom came from her own mother’s failings. She would work overtime to ensure Evie never had to feel second best. Of course, I’m not sure making homemade baby food was really up there with maternal sacrifices.

  After taking a whiff of the orange concoction in my hands, I gagged before recoiling back. “What the hell are you putting in this?”

  With a roll of her eyes, Presley replied, “It’s just pureed carrots with a little breast milk.”

  “Ugh, it smells revolting.”

  “You don’t like carrots, so of course you would think that. Thankfully, Evie doesn’t share your aversion.”

  A funny little tug occurred in my chest at the fact she’d been paying attention to the fact I hated carrots. I sat the jar back on the counter. “Whatever. I’m pretty sure it all would taste like shit.”

  “That is so not true.” After examining a few of the jars, she dipped her spoon into one with a mysterious red substance. “Try the strawberries.”

  I threw a wary glance between her and the spoon. “This red mush is supposed to be strawberries?”

  “Yep. I bought them fresh this morning before I pureed them.” At my continued hesitation, a teasing grin lit up Presley’s face. “Do I need to do the airplane sound for you?”

  “No, smartass, you don’t.” I then opened my mouth wide for her. When she slid the spoon past my lips, something sweet and slimy hit my tongue. “Blech,” I muttered as I jerked away from her and the spoon.

  “Seriously? It’s just like a chunk you’d get in a daiquiri.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t do fruity ass drinks.”

  Presley rolled her eyes. “Oh whatever.”

  “I think you should just bypass all of this bland garbage and start giving Ev the good stuff like table food.”

  “While I appreciate your input, it’s going to be another month or two before she’s ready for that.”

  “If you say so,” I grumbled.

  Before I could head over to the pantry to find something to get the nasty taste out of my mouth, Presley grabbed my arm. Giggling, she said, “Wait a minute. You have some on your lip.”

  When her thumb rubbed against the corner of my lip, the world around me shuddered to a stop. Presley had touched me a hundred times, but it had never felt like this. After her thumb froze in place, she continued staring at my lip.

  “Did you get it?” I croaked.

  She blinked at me a few times like she was coming out of a stupor. “Um, yeah,” she murmured.

  My hand took on a mind of its own when it came up to cover hers. My gaze never left Presley’s as I stared into those gorgeous blue eyes of hers. I didn’t want to look away because I wanted to make sure she agreed with what I was about to do. When I read the answer loud and clear, I dipped my head.

  Just as my lips grazed hers, Evie’s cry echoed on the baby monitor. Presley and I both jumped back like we’d been zapped by a Taser. In her surprise, the spoon dropped from her hand before clanging onto the floor and splattering strawberry goo.

  “I-I, uh, better go get h-her,” she stammered.

  “Right. Sure.” Motioning to the mess, I said, “I’ll clean this up.”

  “Thanks.”

  As she scurried out of the room, I went over to grab some paper towels. If this was any indication of how things were going to go tomorrow night, I was in serious trouble.

  Chapter Twenty: Presley

  Turning left and right, I surveyed my reflection in the bathroom mirror. It’d been a long time since I’d dressed up for a costume party. In a way, it was like another lifetime. There had been far too many years in my past I’d worn skimpy and revealing costumes to Halloween parties. If I’d been apprehensive about the temptation of a regular frat party, the fact it was an 80’s dress-up made me even more anxious. It was a whole new level of worrying about how I looked, and if I’d picked the right costume, especially since I wasn’t going for a total slutty vibe.

  Okay, I guess the fact I picked Madonna didn’t entirely scream innocence and purity. At the same time, she was a staple of my childhood since my mom adored her. Some of the happiest memories I had of my mom revolved around Madonna’s music. So, I’d chosen her most iconic look from the early 80’s—her Like a Virgin cover. But I’d flipped the switch by choosing a black bustier and black crinoline skirt. Considering it was short notice, I was lucky to have had the two pieces from my former life as well as the elbow length lace gloves and Boy Toy belt.

  After crimping and teasing my hair, I’d gone somewhat light with my makeup. Overall, I was satisfied with the look. I felt young and sexy and dangerously like my old self. I couldn’t help wondering if Jonathan would be pleased. More than anything, I wanted to look young and sexy for him.

  With a groan, I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. I couldn’t believe we’d almost kissed yesterday. Okay, that was a lie. I could believe it because I really wanted it. Over the last few months, things had been building and building between us. In a way, it felt like we were in a pressure cooker of emotions—eventually there was going to have to be a release.

  And that’s what had happened last night. But then we’d been interrupted by Evie, which was a good thing. I needed to vocalize my feelings before we got physical. The old me always sought out the physical side first. This time I wanted to do it the right way.

  This tim
e? There was a ‘this time’? And a right way?

  Yeah, I was positive there was, and I believed that’s what he was thinking too. I just hoped it wasn’t only physical on his side. Deep down, I believed it was much more for him just like it was for. me.

  I wanted Jonathan to know that while I was very attracted to him physically, that wasn’t why I felt like I was falling for him. It was in every aspect of who he was. The way he loved and adored Evie. The way he loved and adored his mom. The way he looked out for me. He was an emotional catch far more than he was a physical one.

  But on a deeper level, it was the fact he wasn’t Jake. Over the months, I’d come to realize just how different they really were in the way they treated me. Sometimes I felt guilty I compared the old Jake to Jonathan, especially since Jake had been making such a change in the last months of his life. But I hadn’t really experienced those changes like Maddie had.

  Without even trying, Jonathan had me feel attractive from within. Most guys I’d known had never broken through the physical part of me. They only saw my boobs or my long legs or my face. But he’d taken the time to really get to know me. It was an intimacy I’d never shared with another other guy, not even Jake. And it was beautiful.

  When I really stopped to think, it was evident what I felt for Jake wasn’t true. He had made me feel so good on so many occasions, but he’d also made me feel bad. I hadn’t been the one who held his attention or deeper affection. And I was okay with that now because the rose-colored glasses were off. He’d been one of my greatest friends. He’d given me the greatest gift I’d ever receive in Evie. But Jonathan had become much more. More than Jake would have ever been.

  “Hey, Pres, we need to get going,” Jonathan called from the doorway.

  “I’m coming.” I grabbed my purse off the counter before heading out of the bathroom. When I got to the hallway, I skidded to a stop at the sight of Jonathan. He was outfitted in a white navy uniform, which I assumed was supposed to be Maverick from Top Gun. I’d always had a thing for a man in uniform. Throw in the fact it was Jonathan in the uniform and my mouth had run dry.

  “Holy shit,” I murmured.

  A smirk curved on his face. “I guess you like the costume.”

  I want to do really bad things to you both in and out of that costume. I slowly bobbed my head up and down. “Where did you get it?”

  “My new roomie Brandon has a hookup to a costume supply store.”

  “I feel seriously underdressed,” I lamented.

  He waggled his brows. “That’s the point when you dress like Madonna.”

  “Whatever,” I laughed.

  “Seriously though, you look amazing.”

  Warmth ran over my skin at his words. “Thank you.”

  “I’m sure you’re going to knock them dead tonight.”

  I swallowed hard. I could either choose to keep dancing around the subject or start making my feelings known. “I don’t care about ‘knocking them dead’.”

  Lust burned in his eyes. “You don’t.”

  Shaking my head, I said, “All that matters is what you think.”

  He licked his lips. “I really like it.”

  “Good.”

  We stood there in the hallway just staring at each other. Finally, after a few intense moments, Jonathan shook his head. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  Once again, my nerves were as taut as a pulled rubber band. At any moment, they were going to snap. When we got downstairs, Evelyn and Martin were in the living room with Evie sitting on Martin’s lap as he tried reading the newspaper. When she saw us before her, she squealed and waved her arms. “Dada!” she cried.

  The first time she’d called Jonathan “dada” my heart had shattered. It wasn’t so much that it wasn’t warranted. Jonathan was her dad in so many ways. It was more that Jake wasn’t here.

  Jonathan beamed as he took her into his arms. “Do you like my outfit?”

  “I didn’t know it was Halloween,” Martin teased.

  Evelyn waved a dismissive hand at him. “It’s not, silly. They’re going to a costume party.”

  “We didn’t do such nonsense in my day.”

  “No, you just ran around in dresses at your frat,” Jonathan countered.

  “Those were called togas. For the record, pretending to be Greek and Roman is classic,” Martin mused with a smile.

  Evelyn rose off the couch and came over to us. Smiling at Jonathan, she said, “My, don’t you look handsome.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  When she turned her attention from Jonathan to me, she frowned slightly, which caused me to laugh. “I know. It’s not what you would’ve picked for me.”

  She tittered nervously. “Oh, but I love Madonna,” she argued.

  “It’s okay.”

  “You do look like you stepped right out of the 80’s and off MTV.”

  “Thank you.” I went over to the chair where Jonathan and Evie were. “Will you be a good girl for Mommy?” Evie stared at me like I’d grown at third head or something. “I know. It doesn’t look like me, does it?” Leaning over, I kissed her cheek. “I love you, sweetheart.”

  After saying one last goodbye to Evie and the others, we headed out the garage door to the Jeep. As we started down to the road to Atlanta, I turned to Jonathan. “Are Noah and Maddie coming?”

  Snorting, he replied, “Like Maddie would let Noah get five feet near a fraternity, least of all frat party.”

  While that thought had crossed my mind, I still thought they might be there just to hang out with us. I guess it was more like I hoped they would be there. It was nerve wracking enough going to the party, especially when you threw in not knowing anyone.

  “Will I know anybody there tonight?”

  Jonathan nodded. “Cade’s going to be there, and he’s bringing his—” he paused to make air quotes, “friend, Avery.”

  Jerking my gaze to him, I asked, “Whoa, wait a minute. It’s not Avery Moore, is it?”

  With a snort, Jonathan replied, “Fuck no.”

  A relieved breath whooshed out of me. “Thank goodness.”

  “I can’t even imagine Avery Moore pausing long enough to take the stick out of her ass to attend a frat party, can you?

  Giggling, I replied, “Not exactly.” I was glad to hear his negative assessment of Avery Moore. At the same time, I was a little nervous about meeting Cade’s Avery. Since I’d met him several times, I couldn’t help imagining the type of girl Cade would bring to a frat party. I’d never gotten along with those types of girls in high school, and I especially didn’t get along with them now that I was a teen mom who was late starting college.

  As if he sensed my apprehension, Jonathan remarked, “You’ll like this Avery.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because she’s the farthest fucking thing from an Avery Moore or a sorority chick in the world.”

  Thank God. “I’m excited to meet her.” Besides Maddie, I didn’t know a lot of the girls who dated Jonathan’s friends.

  After parking in a lot close to the frat house, we started making our way down fraternity row. Like most frat houses, the outside of Jonathan’s looked like what I imagined it would complete with columns and a wide front porch.

  A thumping bass rumbled through me as we made our way inside. Other girls were outfitted in simple 80’s wear like Jazzercise outfits while there were others like me who were doing nods to famous icons.

  I’d barely gotten into one of the main rooms before some guy was trying to force a solo cup on me. “No thanks,” I called over the music. This wasn’t my first time at the rodeo, and I knew the last thing I wanted or needed was what was in the cup.

  Jonathan leaned in to my ear. “Cade texted me they’re here, so let’s go find them.”

  “Okay.” I stuck as close as possible to Jonathan as we started weaving our way through the crowd. Two rooms down the hall we finally found them.

  “Hey Pres,” Cade said as he leaned into to give me a hug. When I�
��d first met Cade, I’d instantly disliked him. It wasn’t just the fact he hit on me, but it was his whole frat boy persona. But over the last month, he’d started to grow on me just like Jonathan said he would. He was also very sweet and very attentive to Evie, which made me realize he wasn’t all bad.

  When he pulled away, he motioned to the girl at his side. “Avery, this is Presley,” Cade introduced.

  Jonathan had been right. Avery Prescott was nothing like Avery Moore. Sure, she was beautiful with dark hair and eyes. Even though she was also outfitted as Madonna, there was an innocence about her. Right off the bat, she reminded me of Maddie, which instantly put me at ease.

  With a warm smile, I exclaimed, “Oh my God, I love your costume!”

  Avery laughed. “I love yours, too.”

  Since we were basically in the same outfit, I teasingly remarked, “We have great taste, don’t we?”

  “We sure do.”

  Turning to Avery, Jonathan remarked, “Presley is Evie’s mom.”

  Avery’s face lit up. “Oh, she’s amazing. I got to meet her a few weeks ago at the guys’ apartment.”

  “Thanks.” That must’ve been the day I’d been at college registration, and Jonathan had offered to keep Evie for me. It’d been a leap for me to allow him to have her alone without Evelyn or Martin’s help. But he’d done an amazing job. I beamed at Jonathan. “She loves spending time with her Uncle J.”

  A look flashed in Jonathan eyes at me referring to him as Evie’s uncle, rather than father. Since I wasn’t aware of how much Avery knew about our situation, I didn’t think it was the time or place to call him anything different. After I shot him an apologetic look, Jonathan grinned. “I never thought I would admit this, but she has me totally whipped.” His comment sent my heart racing just like it always did when he professed his love for Evie.

  “I could see that the other day,” Avery mused.

  For the next few minutes, she and I made small talk over the loud music. When the music changed over from a Beastie Boys song to Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Avery squealed and jumped up and down on her heels. “Oh my God, I love this song!”

  “Me too. I love just about every Whitney song. I hated when she went off the deep end.”