The Right Way

by Ashey, Katie

“I can’t argue with that.” Wagging my brows, I added, “Is there something wrong with being desirable?”

  With a contemptuous snort, Presley swirled her straw around her iced coffee. “I rest my case.”

  I held up my hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. I’m listening.”

  “It’s just over the years, I’ve wasted so much time and energy on guys. It’s time for me to put myself first. Well, not exactly me. It’s always Evie and then me.”

  “I get what you’re saying.”

  Groaning, Presley rubbed her forehead. “Sometimes I just feel so incredibly fucked up.”

  “Trust me, I totally get what you’re saying.”

  “But you’re fucked up because of your grief. I’ve got the grief factor plus my past plus new motherhood,” she argued.

  “Have you ever thought of talking to someone about the way you feel? Someone outside of the family?”

  Her eyes widened. “Like a therapist?”

  “Yeah. Someone like that.”

  As she nibbled her lip, she swept a strand of hair behind her ear. “Oh, I don’t know. I mean, I think it’s great your mom is seeing one—”

  “Wait, Mom is seeing a therapist?”

  Presley nodded. “Since right after Jake died.”

  “I didn’t know,” I murmured.

  “She says it’s one of the reasons she’s still sane.” With a slight smile, she added, “She says Evie is the main reason.”

  I returned her smile. “I would agree. She’s certainly helped my sanity.”

  “Mine too.”

  “So, why don’t you tag along to therapy with my mom?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe it just seems like seeing a therapist is something for old people.” She wrinkled her nose disgustedly at her word choice. “Not that your mom is old.”

  “I’ll make sure not to tell her that.”

  “Please don’t.”

  “Look, I can understand why you think therapy is for people older than we are. But that’s not true. It’s meant for everyone.” When she still appeared conflicted by the thought, I knew it was time I came clean to her. “If anyone should know about therapy, it’s me.”

  Her blue eyes bulged almost comically wide. “You’re in therapy?”

  “Wow, way to make feel like a mental case,” I teased.

  Warmth tinged her cheeks. “I’m sorry. It’s just, you’re the last person I’d expect to be in therapy.”

  “Trust me, I thought the same thing myself before I started.”

  Frowning, Presley said, “But honestly, Jonathan, it’s obvious to anyone why you would need to go. You lost your brother and your best friend.”

  “While that’s true, I didn’t exactly start seeing someone because of that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I then proceeded to acquaint Presley with the story of why I’d started with Dr. Ziegler.

  In a hushed voice, she asked, “You have flashbacks of that night?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Oh, Jonathan, I can’t imagine how horrible that must be.”

  Part of me wanted to play off the severity of the flashbacks to salvage some of my manhood. Like what did it say about me that I couldn’t emotionally endure reliving the night Jake died? But I knew if anyone could understand, it was Presley. “They’re fucking agony.”

  She reached out and grabbed my hand in hers. “Is there anything they can do? Like medication or something?”

  “Dr. Ziegler has given me some techniques. At first, it was just talking about that night that helped stop them. I still have them, but thank God, they’re not all the time like they were.”

  Tears sparkled in Presley’s eyes. “Sometimes I wonder if it would be better to have the firsthand memories. All I can do is imagine how horrible it was in my mind.” She swallowed hard. “And it’s so…vivid.”

  “It was.”

  “Did he…” Presley couldn’t seem to utter the words. But somehow, I knew just what she meant. Grief did fucking strange shit to you, and in our case, it seemed to make us of one mind.

  “No. He didn’t suffer. It was quick.” I snapped my fingers to reiterate just how fast. “One minute he was here and the next he was gone.”

  In a strangled voice, she replied, “Good. I’m glad to hear that.”

  I leaned closer to her in my chair. “I know after it happened, people wanted to say all kinds of gory shit that happened to him, but it isn’t true.”

  Relief flashed in her eyes. “I’d hoped it wasn’t.”

  Agonized silence fell over the table for a moment. I wracked my brain for the right thing to say when Presley launched herself at me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her cheek into my face. Her skin felt so fucking soft against mine. “Thanks, Jonathan.”

  “F-For what?” Great, one hug from her, and I’d become a stuttering fool.

  She pulled away and smiled at me. “For making me feel better, for listening…for everything.”

  “It’s not like I said or did much.”

  “Trust me, you did.” She then squeezed me tight. “It’s not much, but this is for all you’ve been through losing Jake.”

  Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to be comforted even if it was just for a moment. Presley and I were so different, yet at the same time, we were alike in so many ways. We would always be bound together by the tragedy of Jake’s loss.

  As I remained there in her embrace, I began to notice other things about her—the fruity smelling hair shampoo, her flowery perfume, her soft curves. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about her. That was so very freeing and crippling at the same time.

  When I glanced over my shoulder, I caught the Barista Bastard’s face. Something in his expression told me he knew Presley was off limits. “She’s too fucking good for you,” I muttered.

  “Huh?” Presley asked as she gathered up our trash.

  “Nothing.” With a smile, I said, “Come on. Let’s go see Atlanta.”

  Just like when we hung out together at home, Presley and I were having a fucking blast. After we admired the views of the city on the Skywheel, we headed to the aquarium. I’d originally thought we’d just blow through most of the exhibits, but Presley had other plans. She had a genuine interest in all the marine life. She took the time to stop and read all the posted information.

  “Okay, we have to bring Evie back next time,” she said enthusiastically.

  “I’m not sure she would totally appreciate it, but I’m game.”

  “I think she would love it as much as I do.”

  “You know, with your interest, maybe you should be a marine biologist instead of a nurse,” I mused as we finally entered the gift shop and the end of the exhibits.

  “There’s not a lot of opportunity for that around here. Of course, I wouldn’t mind living at the beach.”

  “Yeah, that wouldn’t be a hardship.”

  “I just love animals and wildlife…or I guess in this case I should say ocean life.”

  “Maybe it’s time to get a cat or dog?” I suggested.

  She snorted. “I’m sure Martin would love the hell out of that.”

  “That’s true but not for the reasons you think.”

  “Didn’t you guys have a dog?”

  Nodding, I replied, “We lost him when I was in 11th grade.” Rambler had been a gorgeous and loving Golden Retriever when we had to put him down at fifteen. He’d almost always been a part of my life, and it was hell losing him. While it was hard on us kids, the man with seemingly no soul, my dad, had taken it even worse. He’d vowed not to ever have a dog again.

  After I related the story to Presley, a faint smile came on her lips. “If there’s anyone who could get Martin to have a dog again, it’s Evie.”

  “I can’t argue with that.” I grabbed an overstuffed seal off of the shelf. “Until then, she’ll just have to enjoy this sea dog,” I joked.

  “You’re really getting her that?”

  “Why not?”
r />   Presley giggled. “It’s bigger than she is.”

  “She can grow into it.”

  “If you say so.” After I paid for the seal, I thrust it at her. “Why are you giving this to me?”

  “Because no self-respecting man walks around with a goofy looking seal. Not to mention one with a giant pink collar.”

  Tilting her head, she countered, “Dads and grandfathers and uncles do.”

  “When they have the kid with them. We’re childless at the moment.”

  “You know, I think you’ll be just fine carting that seal to the car.” With a teasing gleam burning in her eyes, she added, “Then one day you can tell Evie the story how you braved being emasculated just to bring her home this seal.”

  “Smartass,” I muttered as we started outside.

  As we walked up the sidewalk, Presley said, “Look at you carrying that seal. You are the man. The manliest man.”

  “If you don’t stop, I’m going to smack you with this.”

  She threw her head back with a laugh. Seeing her enjoying herself and hearing her laughter were pure magic. Even if it was at my expense. I fought the urge to snap a picture so Mom could see her having such a good time.

  Once Presley recovered from her laughter, I thought I was off the hook. But then she started singing Salt and Peppa’s Whatta Man and adding the line, “Whatta man for carrying the seal.”

  “Okay, that’s it.” I then playfully bopped her with the seal.

  She shrieked in fake pain. “How could you assault me with the seal? Now you’ve tarnished the toy for Evie.”

  “Because you’re annoying as hell.”

  With a grin, she replied, “Bet you won’t do it again.”

  “Don’t tempt me.”

  “Fine.” She then broke into a sprint. “Come get me, Mr. Fast Footballer.”

  Holy shit. This extremely playful Presley wasn’t one I’d seen in a long time. It went back to our carefree days in high school. Back before we were mired down in our grief.

  Not to be outdone, I started running after her. Her girlish giggle floated back to me. It both warmed my heart and warmed me below the waist. I imagined hearing that giggle as we rolled around in the bed together.

  “Get a fucking grip,” I muttered.

  Pushing myself, I worked on catching up with Presley. To have given birth four months ago, she was seriously fast. Just before she reached the Jeep, I dropped the seal, swooped in, and grabbed her off of her feet. “Gotcha!”

  She squirmed in my arms. “It took you long enough, Mr. Fast Footballer.”

  “All right, that’s it.” I then hoisted her up and threw her over my shoulder.

  “Jonathan, put me down!” she shrieked.

  Although we were getting quite a few looks from the people who were passing, I had no intention of putting her down. “Not until you stop giving me shit.”

  “You’re so infuriating,” she growled.

  “I could say the same about you.” I then spun us around a couple of times.

  She thrashed against me. “Asshole.”

  Chuckling, I replied, “I’ll put you down if you say I’m the Master of the Football Universe.”

  “Never,” she countered.

  “Okay then. I guess we’ll just take another spin again.”

  Before I could whirl us around, she went for my Achilles heel. Well, she didn’t actually kick me in the Achilles heel. Instead, she went for the symbolic one by bringing both her hands to my ribs to tickle me. Now it was my turn to emit a girlish giggle while cringing and shuffling around.

  “Fine. You win,” I said before bringing her back over me. When she slid down my body to get back on her feet, I instantly realized my mistake. The feel of her soft curves brushing against my body, the full breasts—it was a worse agony than the tickling.

  “How did you know I was ticklish?”

  She shrugged. “Lucky guess.”

  “Seriously?”

  A guilty look flashed in her eyes before she shifted her gaze to the pavement. “Jake was really ticklish on his ribs.”

  And just like that, the air grew tense between us. Although I hated myself for it, I really resented Jake in that moment. I hated he had the power to kill a fun moment with just the mention of his name.

  “Right. I remember.”

  “You do?”

  Nodding, I replied, “When we would wrestle as kids, I always went to his ribs to disable him, and he did the same to me.”

  “What about Jason?”

  “It never phased him.”

  A small smile curved on her lips. “That makes sense. Even though you and Jake were two years apart, you were more like twins. I’m sure Jason felt left out sometimes.”

  With a bark of a laugh, I replied, “Or superior.”

  “I could see that too.”

  Thankfully, the mood had lightened. I unlocked the Jeep before opening the door for her. “Wow, I must’ve tickled loose some gentlemanly behavior, huh?” she teased.

  “Har, har. I’m not a total loss when it comes to treating girls right.” I glanced up at her when I realized the insinuation I made. “Well, you know what I mean.”

  Tilting her head, she teased, “Yes, I’m aware I’m a girl, Jonathan.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re not like a girl I’m with.”

  Fucking hell. Way to totally put my foot in my mouth. While I expected a hurt or angry look to flash in Presley’s eyes, she merely laughed. “You’re not like a boy I’m with either. Maybe that’s why we can actually have fun and be ourselves.”

  “Maybe so.”

  Leaning over, she swept the seal out of my arms. Somehow, I’d managed shove it under my other arm when I’d thrown her over my shoulder. “I can’t wait to see Evie’s face when she gets a load of this.”

  I grinned. “Me too.”

  After closing the door, I went around the front and hopped inside. Like always, Presley and I made easy conversation on the way home. I was thankful there wasn’t any awkwardness after what had happened in the parking lot.

  When we pulled into the driveway, I parked the Jeep, and then I came around the side to meet her. Normally, this was the part of the date where I’d walk the girl to her door, but in my case, we were going to the same place. As we started up the driveway, Presley turned to me. “I can’t thank you enough for tonight, Jonathan.”

  I shook my head. “There’s no reason to thank me. I had a blast.”

  She grinned. “Me too.”

  When we got to the garage door, I hung back as uncertainty overcame me. It was the end of a “date”. This was when I would either kiss the girl goodnight or maybe come inside with her. While I was going to be going inside with Presley, we sure as hell weren’t going to go to the same bedroom.

  I wished we were.

  Shaking my head, I tried ridding myself of the thought. It was so many levels of wrong for me to be thinking sexually about Presley. Of course, as a red-blooded male, it was hard not to. Especially not after I’d felt all of her as she slid down my body.

  But that wasn’t going to happen. We were going to go into the house together, and if Evie was still awake, we were going to show her the seal. What we had now was more important than what could be.

  Chapter Eighteen: Presley

  One Month Later

  The football stadium erupted in cheers as the green and blue came from behind to be victorious. As the fans started trickling out to the parking lot, I said goodbye to my friends before hanging around the concession stand. After buying a Coke and some M&M’s, I leaned back against the building to wait.

  After what felt like an hour, Jake came around the corner. Although he had changed out of his uniform, he hadn’t stopped to shower. His usual sexy smirk curved on his mouth. “Hey baby.”

  Jerking me against him, he placed a kiss on my lips.

  I squirmed in his arms. “You’re all sweaty.”

  He waggled his brows. “You like me all sweaty.”

  “I like t
o be sweaty with you,” I countered.

  Grinning, he replied, “Oh, that can be arranged.”

  Laughing, I reached down to get my purse. At the sound of his departing footsteps, I glanced up. “Jake? Where are you going?”

  Slowly, he turned around. His smile had faded, and his expression was grave. Throwing up his hand, Jake then spun back around before sprinting away. “Jake! What the hell? Would you wait for me?”

  Without another thought, I started chasing after him. He ran past the edge of the field into the woods. “Stop it, Jake. This isn’t funny!”

  After entering the woods, everything around me became dark. I skidded to a stop, tilting my head I tried listening for the sound of his footsteps. The only sound I heard was the panting of breath.

  Then in the distance, I could see a small beam of light. “Jake?”

  I started trampling through the leaves and twigs to get to it. The closer I got to the light, the brighter it got. When the woods around me became illuminated again, I could see Jake standing

  “What the hell were you thinking leaving me like that?” I demanded.

  When he turned around, I gasped.

  It wasn’t Jake.

  It was Jonathan.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. Concern etched across his handsome face as he reached out to take me into his arms. “It’s okay, Presley. I’m here.”

  “I, uh, I was looking for…” Although I’d been running after Jake, I found I wasn’t sad to see it wasn’t him. He’d run away from me. He’d left me all alone.

  But Jonathan was here.

  Peering up at him, I said, “I was looking for you.”

  “Presley?”

  Although Jonathan was standing before me, it was Evelyn’s voice I’d heard. “Presley, wake up, honey?”

  Jonathan pulled back to start shaking me. Hard. “No, don’t do that. I want you to hold me.”

  “Presley!”

  I snapped my eyes open to see Evelyn frowning at me. My gaze bounced around. I wasn’t in the woods. I was in my bedroom. “What happened?”

  “I came in to get Evie for you, and you were having a nightmare.”

  My mind rocketed back to the woods with Jake….and Jonathan. In all the months since Jake had been gone, I’d never had nightmares about him or his death. Unlike Jonathan, I’d experienced all my grief when I was awake. I shook my head at her. “I’m sorry I worried you.”