A Special Kind of Love (12 page)

Aaron
got that stubborn look on his face, and Sharon knew he was about to make a
scene.
Oh damn, I need to head him off at
the pass.

“Aaron,
are you looking forward to going to the fire station?”

Aaron’s
glower disappeared, replaced by a brilliant smile.
Crisis diverted, yeah me!

“I
can’t wait. I want to learn how to fight fires. I’ve been reading about it on
the Internet. I want to be a firefighter, just like you, Tanner.”

Tanner
looked like he was going to burst with pride. His eyes shone and a blush spread
under the deep tan on his handsome face.

“Thank
you, Aaron. That’s very flattering. But, it will be a long time before you are
ready to fight any fires.”

“Yeah,
maybe.
But I want to know how. What if a fire starts near our house? I need to know
how to put it out.”

Tanner’s
face hardened. “No, you don’t, Aaron. If you see a fire, you call 911. Do you
understand me?”

The
mulish expression returned to Aaron’s face.

“I
could put it out,” he said.

Tanner
reached across the table and even though he knew Aaron didn’t like to be
touched, he held his chin and lifted his face so that he was looking directly
into Tanner’s eyes. “Listen to me carefully, son. Fire is dangerous. If you see
a fire you call the fire department and get to a safe place. You
do not,
under any circumstances, try to
put it out yourself. Do you understand me?”

“Yes,
sir.”
The look on Aaron’s face told Sharon that he was only saying what he thought
Tanner wanted to hear. She’d have to talk to him about this again later. If
there was one thing she knew it was that her son was a stubborn as the day was
long.

The
afternoon passed in a blur. The men at the fire station treated Aaron like
visiting royalty. They showed him how to put on all the protective gear and
even gave him an honorary badge. He got to slide down the fire pole,
yes,
they really had a fire pole. By the time they were
ready to leave, her son was positively glowing.

They
got in the SUV and headed to
Kamani’s
house.

“Where
would you like to go for dinner?” Tanner asked. “There are some nice
restaurants in Cheyenne, if you’re up for a drive.”

Sharon
glanced at him from under her lashes, hoping she looked sultry and not stupid.
“I was thinking I could cook dinner for you at the house. I have some nice
steaks we could grill with baked potatoes and corn on the cob. I may have even
whipped up a cheesecake for dessert.”

Tanners
smile broadened.
“Oh,
really?
I love a good cheesecake.” He waggled his eyebrows. “And if we are at your
house, I don’t have to mind my manners. I can
lick
the dish clean.”

Sharon
swatted his arm and laughed. “You are such a naughty boy. What am I going to do
with you?”

“I
have a few ideas,” he said with a leer.

She
inclined her head toward Aaron. “Keep it PG rated cowboy.”

“I
don’t know what you’re talking about.” His face was the picture of innocence.

They
both laughed.

“What’s
so funny?” Aaron said.

They
laughed harder.
“Nothing, bud.
Just crazy grown-ups,” Sharon
choked out between her peals of laughter.

Aaron
shook his head.

“You
two are crazy. I’m glad I’m going to
Kamani’s
.”

“I’m
glad too. You’ve never stayed all night with anyone but me. Are you sure you’ll
be all right?”

“I’m
not a baby.”

“I
know that. Sorry, but you know it’s a mother’s prerogative to worry.”

“Yeah.
You could win a gold medal in a
worrying contest.”

Sharon
chuckled. “I think I would come in second to you.”

Aaron
scrunched up his face, “I don’t worry. I just plan…cautiously.”

That was the understatement of the
century!

“Oh,
right. Sorry. So what have you
planned
for your sleepover?”

“I
will put my clothes away. Eat dinner.
Kamani
is
making something without meat, right?”

“Mac
and cheese.
Homemade,” Tanner interjected.

“Good.
Then I will watch TV or play with Josh and
Annebelle
.
Do they like puzzles, Tanner? I brought a cool puzzle with me.”

“I
don’t really know, Aaron.
Annebelle
may be a little
young to work on a puzzle that you have.”

“I
can help her,” Aaron said with conviction. “She’s smart. I like her.”

Tanner
smiled again. “I know she is, and she likes you too. What about Josh?”

Tanner
watched Aaron in the rearview mirror. He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m trying to
like him, but he’s mean to
Annebelle
. I would like
him if he stopped being
mean
. I don’t like mean
people.”

Aaron’s
world was so black and white. No shades of gray for her son. His uncompromising
attitude got in the way of his making friends.
I wish there was a way to teach him that just because people sometimes
do bad things, it doesn’t make them bad. But, it is a concept he just can’t wrap
his unique brain around.

“You
just remember to be nice to him
.
It’s
normal for brothers to be a little mean to their sisters. You don’t have a
sister, you don’t understand.”

“If
I had a sister, I would be nice to her. Can I have a sister?”

Sharon
sputtered. “Um, that’s not going to happen anytime soon, Aaron. Remember I’m
not married to daddy anymore. So, I won’t be having any new babies.”

“Tanner
could be the daddy. He could be
my
daddy. I want him to be my daddy. My daddy is mean and he hates me.”

Emotion
clogged Sharon’s throat. She didn’t know if she should laugh or cry. She was
embarrassed Aaron had said such a thing in front of Tanner and so sad that he felt
that way about his own father.

She
stole a glance at Tanner. He didn’t seem upset. So she addressed the other
issue.

“Your
daddy doesn’t hate you, Aaron.”

“Yes
he does. He doesn’t want to see me. He doesn’t even talk to me on the phone and
he left us.”

Tanner
reached across the seat and took her hand in his. He squeezed her fingers in
sympathy.

Sharon
tried again. “Daddy doesn’t hate you. He just has trouble expressing his
feelings, and he’s busy. He loves you, baby.”

“I’m
not a baby. And he does hate me. I hate him, too.”

The
tears Sharon had been trying to
suppress,
spilled past
her lashes.

Tanner
changed the subject.
Bless his heart
.

“What
kind of puzzle did you bring?” he asked.

Aaron
was silent for a moment. Then his face cleared. It was obvious he was glad to
abandon the subject of his father. “It is a picture of a mare and her foal.
It’s really pretty. The mare is an Appaloosa, I love her spots. Do you think
Annebelle
will like it?”

“
Annebelle
loves horses. I’m sure she will.”

Tanner
leaned close to Sharon’s ear and whispered, “It will be okay.”

She
gave him a watery smile. “I’m sorry,” she breathed.

“Nothing
to be sorry about.
I’m sorry. Sorry your ex is such an ass,” he murmured.

“Yeah,
me too.”

They
pulled into the driveway of a lovely ranch house. Before they even got their
seatbelts unbuckled,
Kamani
and the children were out
the front door and heading to the truck.
Kamani
pulled the back door open.

“Hi,
Aaron.
We’ve been waiting for you,” she said with a smile.

Aaron
finished his seatbelt ritual before looking up.

“Hi,
Miss
Kamani
.”

“That’s
kind of a mouthful, Aaron. Why don’t you call me Nana, like Josh and
Annebelle
do?”

Sharon’s
heart melted and tears once again welled up in her eyes. This woman, she had
barely met was willing to claim Aaron as her grandson, and her own parents
acted like he was contagious. She blinked back her tears and cleared her
throat.

Aaron
looked at her. “Is it all right, Mommy? Can I call
Kamani
Nana?”

“If
you want to, you certainly can, since
Kamani
suggested it.”

Aaron
beamed, and in a movement she never thought to see, he leapt out of the car and
launched himself into
Kamani’s
arms.

Sharon
couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. They flowed freely, she turned away to
wipe her cheeks. Tanner reached an arm around her shoulders and pulled her head
to his chest. He stroked her hair and then lifted her chin. He gave her a
gentle kiss, just a butterfly brush of his lips.

“I’m
sorry to be such a big baby,” she said. “But your mother…”

“I
understand. Mom is the best. And she loves
kids,
I
told you she would love Aaron.”

“I
know you did, but I never expected… Are you okay with this? Is it too much, too
fast?”

“No,
it’s just right. I love Aaron already. I’m glad my mom feels the same way. He
choked me up in the car, when he said he wished I was his dad
. I
wish
I was his dad. Maybe one day I will be.” He smiled, stroking her cheek.

Sharon
pinched her leg, was this really happening?
Did
he really just say that?

“Wow.”
Was all she could manage to reply to that unexpected
statement.

He
kissed her nose.

“Come
on. Let’s get Aaron settled and get on with
our
night.”

The
look on his sexy face should be illegal in three counties, maybe even the whole
state. All her worries and stress fell away, replaced by thoughts of the night
ahead and the man she would share it with.

They
got out of the SUV and collected Aaron’s bag from the back.
Kamani
and all the children had meandered their way back to the front porch by the time
they caught up with them. Tanner hugged his mom and kissed her cheek. He
whispered something in her ear, too low for Sharon to overhear, and
Kamani
smiled and patted his cheek.

She
turned and embraced Sharon.

“So
good to see you, young lady,” she said. “I’ve been looking forward to tonight
all week. I love having a houseful of children. Nothing makes a house feel more
like a home than the laughter of children.”

Sharon
returned her hug. She could really grow to love this woman.

“Thank
you. Thank you for including Aaron in your plans, and for giving us,” she
looked at Tanner, “some time alone together.”

Kamani
stretched her arms out, keeping her
hands on Sharon’s shoulders, but now able to look her in the eye.

“It
really is no problem,” she said. “I was young and in love once too.” The
sincerity in her eyes was unmistakable. She nodded once and turned to open the
screen door.

“Come
on in.”

They
all trooped into the house and headed for the country kitchen. A scarred wood
table, surrounded by comfortable looking chairs took up the center of the
bright yellow room. It was obvious that the kitchen was the center of this
house. The room practically glowed with warmth and love. It was palpable. Wide
windows, over the sink, let in plenty of summer sunshine. The smell of coffee
and something sweet and fresh from the oven filled the air. The white lace
curtains fluttered in the gentle breeze. Sharon took a deep breath.
Home.
This kitchen felt like home.