by S A Clayton
He nods his little head, the blond hair going in every direction causing Nellie to laugh while fixing it with the tips of her fingers. Her head turns my way, our eyes meeting over her shoulder before she turns back to Jaxon.
“Sweetie, can you go back inside so I can talk to Dane?”
He nods again, waving goodbye as the door closes, leaving Nellie and me alone. The air changes instantly, it becomes charged, and for the first time since leaving her in that lobby, I feel that pull.
Neither of us says a word for a solid few minutes, her eyes never leaving the floor. So, I take it upon myself to start the conversation neither one of us wants to have.
“So… you have a son.” The realization that the woman I haven’t been able to stop thinking about, no matter how hard I tried, is a mother… to a five-year-old. Fuck.
“I didn’t think that was something I needed to tell you,” she admits as I bark out a laugh.
“No, I guess not, considering I had my tongue down your throat. But, ya know what bites? I texted you for three days and got nothing in return.” I can’t help the bitterness in my tone, and from her intake of breath, I think I hit a nerve.
“Dane, I’m sorry. I really like you… but as you can see, I have way too much going on to worry about a relationship.”
“Who said anything about a relationship?” I mutter, hurt flashing behind her eyes as she puffs out her chest, looking identical to her son. “Wait. Are you married?” I blurt out, hoping to God we didn’t do anything that would break up her family.
“You think I would give you my number and make out with you knowing I had a husband at home?”
I shake my head, but she continues.
“I’m glad you think so highly of me.”
I go to argue that it’s exactly the opposite of what I think of her, but she doesn’t give me the chance.
“Anyway,” she says, looking behind her at the mess the movers are in the process of cleaning up off the floor. “Let me know how much that was and I’ll pay you back.”
I shake my head, not wanting anything from her, especially her money, but she holds up her hands to stop me.
“My son broke something and he will learn that that has consequences. So please let me know how much it is to replace it.”
I decide against arguing further, so I nod, watching as she opens up the door and escapes into her apartment.
“Well, this just got interesting,” I mutter to myself, making my way back into my apartment, starting to unpack and wondering what I’m going to do now that I know Nellie lives across the hall, and that she has a son.
Chapter 7
“Mommy!” Jaxon yells from the kitchen as I pick up my black blouse off the chair sitting in the corner of the room, doing up the buttons slowly as my son continues to yell, his voice going higher and higher.
“Jaxon James, what did I tell you about yelling. You either come and get me or you wait patiently,” I say, making my way down the hall, forgetting about the buttons as my mind tries to come up with scenarios that would cause my son’s voice to go that high. When I make it to the kitchen, I stop dead in my tracks as my gaze follows the steady stream of water that is falling from my ceiling into the middle of the floor.
What the heck?
“Jaxon, go into your bedroom please,” I whisper, trying to figure out what I’m going to do to stop the water pooling into the middle of my kitchen.
“But Mom! There’s water everywhere!” he says in awe of the scene before him. His eyes meet mine as his hands wave in the air as if I don’t see it.
I get down on my knees, our eyes level. “Sweetie, I need you to listen to me right now. I need you to go play in your room for a minute.”
He slowly nods his head, taking my face in the palms of his small hands and giving me that look that is identical to his father’s.
“It’ll be okay, Mommy.”
God, what did I do on this earth to deserve a son like him?
“Thank you, sweetie.” I kiss the top of his head, right before he runs down the hall and into his room.
I check the clock on the wall beside the front door and silently curse the passage of time. Of course, Jaxon will be late for school, again. I guess I’m not getting that mom of the year award this year either.
Before I start to unravel around the mom guilt that threatens to surround me, that heavy weight pressing on my chest reminds me that I need to call the landlord, which I do… multiple times before grunting in frustration when he doesn’t pick up. My grasp is white-knuckled around my phone as I lean against the counter, fighting the tears that threaten to fall.
Suddenly there’s a knock at the door. I wipe away the wetness beneath my eyes as I open the door, only to be met with Dane’s handsome face.
“Well, that’s a sight I didn’t expect this early in the morning. Not that I’m complaining,” he mutters, his eyes never leaving my chest and that’s the moment I realize I never actually finished doing up my blouse.
“Shoot,” I murmur. Of course, this would happen today. First, he sees me in my lazy Sunday outfit, looking like I didn’t care about anything, especially my appearance, and now he sees me with my black lace bra on full display.
“What do you want, Dane?” I ask, doing up the tiny buttons as the heat of his stare follows every pass of my fingers.
“Well, hello to you too,” he says, stepping through the door and stopping dead when he sees the water coming from the ceiling. “Holy shit.”
“Yes, as you can see, I’m a little busy at the moment, so if you could tell me what you wanted so I can get back to the small lake forming in my kitchen, that would be great.”
My breath starts to come in pants as I lean against the counter, feeling the panic settle into the center of my chest. But before it crests, Dane’s strong arms surround me, his cologne overcoming every other sense and causing my breath to catch. Every thought leaves my brain, focusing on how good he feels against me, and I don’t think, I just turn, wrapping my arms around his waist, bringing him closer.
I’ve missed this.
I’ve missed this feeling of someone else taking charge, someone else having my back instead of me shouldering everything until I almost collapse.
“It’s gonna be okay,” he murmurs into the top of my hair, but when I start to shake my head, he squeezes tighter. “I know it might seem overwhelming right now, but we’ll figure it out.”
I take a deep breath as his words sink in.
“We?” I question, untangling myself from his arms, wondering when we became a “we.”
“Nel, I’m here, so there’s no reason I can’t help.”
I’m speechless. Utterly without words. Since when do men offer to help out women they barely know?
“Well, I’d say we know each other a little considering I know what those lips feel like and how good you feel pressed against my chest.”
Shoot. I must have said that out loud and now he’s laughing and all I can do is remember what his kisses felt like, and how much I wish I could experience them again.
“Mommy! I’m going to be late for school!” Jaxon yells, his feet pattering down the hall as I close my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Hi, Dane!” The smile that lights up my son’s face mirrors the one on Dane’s face as he comes to stand beside my leg. “Did you see all the water?” he questions innocently as his eyes keep darting between the pool that’s forming and Dane.
“I did, little man.” Dane crouches down so he’s the same height as my son and I don’t know what about that move causes my insides to flip, but my heart starts to beat just a little bit faster. “Why don’t you go get dressed and ready for school as fast as you can so your mom can drop you off, okay?”
Jaxon smiles right before darting back down the hall toward his bedroom.
“Dane, I still have to get a hold of t
he landlord, stop this water somehow, and get it cleaned up. Then I’ll need to figure out where we’re going to stay while they fix this mess, I need to call work, and—”
He must see the alarm on my face because he places his palms on either side of my face, cutting me off, as he instructs me to take a deep breath.
“Sweetheart, calm down.” I shake myself out of the internal panic attack and look into his eyes. “I will call the landlord for you. You take Jax to school, come back here when you’re done, and we’ll figure the rest out from there.”
I don’t know if it’s the fog his touch put me under or the fact that he just put my son’s well-being before his own, but either way, I’m struck dumb.
“Are you sure? We aren’t your problem, Dane, this is mine and mine alone. I don’t want to keep you from…”
He shakes his head and gives me that megawatt smile that I’m pretty sure is the reason I kissed him in the first place.
“Nel, stop. I’m offering, so please just accept the help. I have nothing to do today, and clearly you have a lot, so please take Jax to school.”
As if he hears his name, Jaxon appears beside us, carrying his backpack, lunch box he must have gotten out of the fridge all the while holding his favorite pair of shoes.
“I’m ready!” He beams, sitting on the floor as he struggles to decide which shoe goes on which foot.
We’ve been over this a thousand times and I’ve tried every trick in the book to teach my son to know his left from right. I even tried using the sticker trick where you cut one sticker in half, placing each inside the corresponding shoe. But Jaxon was more preoccupied with playing with said sticker than using it to learn.
“You need help, sweetie?” I ask, knowing we need to get going but wanting him to learn on his own.
“No, I gots it.”
My heart melts at the way his vocabulary still jumps from toddler to little boy. I know it will leave in time, and I know I should probably correct him, but right now it reminds me that he’s still my baby.
After a few minutes, we’re out the front door waving at Dane who promises that he’ll get someone in to fix the leak while I’m gone. I want to trust my gut, which is telling me he will do exactly what he promised. I just hope it doesn’t steer me wrong.
Chapter 8
The second Nellie left with Jaxon, I got to work calling the landlord over and over until he finally picked up. I explained what happened, asking him to check on the neighbors upstairs since I’m pretty sure the cause of the leak is more human error than an actual pipe problem. We eventually got the water shut off, got a hold of the neighbor, and figured out that Mrs. Wilson has a cat that likes to take baths in the kitchen sink.
“She’ll need to be out of here for at least a week while we repair the floor and the ceiling.”
The bastard doesn’t bat an eye at the suggestion that a single mother has to up and leave her home. I expect him to offer up one of the apartments that I know are sitting vacant, but no. So, I watch as he leaves out the door and I begin to feel uneasy about telling Nel that she needs to leave her home the next morning; I’m dreading her reaction.
“Dane?” Her voice carries through the room as I turn and see a woman who is in desperate need of a good night’s sleep, some wine, and maybe a pizza or two. “What’s wrong? You look…” She doesn’t finish the sentence because she doesn’t have to. I know the look I’m giving her and from the forlorn look in her eyes, she knows it’s not good news.
“The good news is that they found the issue and turned off the source of the water leak.”
Her eyes scan the kitchen, stopping at the pool of water that still lingers. God, how I wish I could just kiss her and make her forget this whole thing.
“The bad news?” she whispers, knowing what’s coming.
“Bad news is they need you out of here by tomorrow morning so they can get started on the repairs. You’ll need to be gone for at least a week, hopefully, they will be done before Christmas.”
The tears stream down her face as she takes in her apartment and it’s right then I realize just how decorated it is. From the tree in the far corner to the garland that seems to sit on every surface. She leans back against the closed front door, her purse dropping to the floor with a loud thud. Right now, all I want to do is wrap my arms around her, but I know that’s not what she wants. Not yet at least.
“Where am I supposed to go?” Her voice breaks my heart as she sinks to the floor, placing her head in her hands.
“Can you call someone? Maybe your parents or a friend?”
She shakes her head, her breaths coming in shudders as she takes deep breaths to try to calm down.
“N-No. My parents live out of state and all my friends live in one-bedroom apartments.”
Shit.
“Can Jax stay with his dad?” I know I’m straddling a very thin line asking this question, but I need to know if the idea that’s forming in the back of my head will work. And when she shakes her head, I feel a small smile form on my lips.
“No, Brian is traveling this week. Conferences in Boston… or was it Ohio? I don’t remember.”
We’re silent for a while, wishing the distance between us wasn’t the size of this apartment. Just as I’m about to get up and walk toward her, I stop dead in my tracks. Because I’m in awe as she finds her resilience, pushing herself off the floor, and pulls her phone from her purse as she starts pacing the room.
“Nel, what are you doing?” I ask, getting dizzy from her going back and forth.
“I’m trying to find us a hotel room, then I have to pack Jaxon’s things and some stuff for me. Shoot, I need to call work and tell them I’ll be out for the rest of the week.”
I shake my head as I take hold of her shoulders, stopping her from creating a worn path on the floor.
“You don’t need any more added stress. What would you say to staying with me and avoiding all of this?” I ask, motioning to her phone? I watch the moment what I said sinks in because her eyes widen and her head shakes vehemently.
“No, not happening.” Her eyes look anywhere but where I’m standing as I take a deep breath.
“Why not? I have an extra bedroom I’m not using, it’s across the hall so you wouldn’t have to move as much and it’s less of a change for Jaxon.” I know I’m hitting below the belt by mentioning Jax, but I really want her in my space. She worries her bottom lip between her teeth, and I smile, knowing I almost have her convinced.
“I can’t stay with you, Dane. I hardly know you.”
Okay, that’s it. I make my way toward her, her back hitting the wall as I cage her in between my arms.
“Sweetheart, that excuse doesn’t work for us…”
She shakes her head as mine dips, lightly brushing against the shell of her ear.
“Because I remember the way you looked at me in that bar. I remember the way your lips felt against mine and I fucking remember the sounds that left your mouth as I devoured you.”
She moans as my lips kiss the hollow of her throat and her fingers find the loose hem of my shirt, pulling me closer.
“I know you want more, so do I. But right now, I just want to make sure you and Jaxon are safe. Please come stay with me.” I’m begging. I know it seems desperate, but at this point, I just want her near me, and if that means having her and her son living in the room next to mine, so be it. “What do you say?”
“Okay,” she whispers after a few seconds, and for the first time since the night I stopped texting her, I know there’s hope.
Chapter 9
I’m so freaking stupid. Who thought moving in with a guy you kissed then ditched was a good idea? The absurdity of the idea replays in my mind over and over as I pack Jaxon’s bag and then my own, so much so that I decide to call Jenn and see if I am making a horrible mistake.
“Jenn Martin speaking,
how may I help you?”
She must not have seen my number because if she knew it was me, that’s not the way she would have answered the phone.
“You will not believe the day I’ve had,” I say, explaining everything that’s gone wrong, ending with the news that Dane asked me to move in with him.
“You said no, right?”
When I don’t say anything, she sighs loudly—too loudly.
“Nel, I love you like a sister, but you’re thinking with your vagina and not your head right now.”
“I am not. He’s right, moving across the hall for a week is a lot easier than taking Jaxon to a hotel and totally flipping his life around.”
She groans as if what I’m saying makes absolutely no sense to her.
“Let me repeat myself. You. Do. Not. Know. Him.”
I know she’s right, but my gut is telling me I should trust him, and for once in my life, I’m going to follow it.
“Jenn, the man spent all morning yelling at my landlord, talking with repairmen, and trying to calm me down after I had a mild panic attack.” She doesn’t say anything so I continue, “Plus he actually asked me if I could stay with friends first. He has really helped me out today.”
“Oh, well… I’m sorry, let me get him his medal of honor.”
I laugh, but I note the worried tone in her voice.
“You know you could have stayed with me?”
That’s when I burst out laughing.
“Jenn, you live in a one-bedroom that hardly fits all your own stuff and you want me to fit me and my son in there too? Not gonna happen.”
“He just wants in your pants,” she accuses and I know she’s partly right, I knew that was part of the motivation when he pushed me up against the wall and made me weak in the knees, but to be fair, I am very much okay with that.
“That might be true, but I either stay with him for free or dip into my savings and stay at a hotel. And I’m sorry, but I’m going with the free option. Besides, maybe I want him in my pants.”