Love Rekindled (Love Surfaced) (22 page)

“How fast can you drive?” I give him a chaste kiss on the lips and move back over to my side.

“I know back roads.” He starts up the truck and I buckle myself in. He cranks on the defroster to high, to be able to see out of the fogged up windows.

I lick my lips as he looks at me while backing out of the parking spot.

“Temptress,” he murmurs with a sly smile.

A warm buzz strums through my body with the thought of being lip-locked with Brad in the basement of his parents’ house.

Brad parks the truck under his basketball hoop and I wonder if Em or another kid will play on it one day. Will Brad and I really defy the chances and live happily ever after? I’m not sure how long I’m off in la-la land, but Brad’s hand moves across my face and I blink to come back to the present.

“I made record time here.” He glances at his watch before escaping the truck. He jogs over to my side and opens the door, holding his hand out for me.

“Yes, you did. And your hands didn’t veer over the console once.” I lean closer. “That was a little disappointing.”

His chuckles echo through the still, dark night. “I hate to disappoint you. Let me escort you in.” He guides me up his sidewalk to his front door, stopping on the cement stoop like he’s not about to come in with me. “I had a great time, Taylor.”

I roll back on my heels, my eyes fluttering up to the sky. “Me too.”

“Could I kiss you?” He steps forward, but I hold my hand up in the air.

“On one condition.” He stops, tilting his head in intrigue. “It’s on your basement couch.”

“Deal, baby.” The term baby only spurs more warmth in my heart for him. He used to call me that more than my actual name, and I’ve longed for it again.

He inserts his key into the lock, and I eagerly wait behind him, my stomach fluttering to be with him again. We quietly step into the foyer, each toeing off our shoes. The house is quiet and I’m thankful Chris and Maggie accomplished getting Em to sleep. We both look upstairs to my room where she should be nestled in the Pack ‘N Play. We look at each other, and I’m fairly sure we’re contemplating ditching our other plans to check on her.

“No,” I mouth, and Brad’s lips purse because he doesn’t like my answer. I shake my head again and he smiles, waving his hand in the air.

We tiptoe toward the basement door, and right as we’re there, Brad’s hand molds to my hip and he flips me around so my back presses to the wall. The hand snakes up my body and his thumb brushes my cheek.

His lips slowly move over mine, and I suck in a breath and let it go slowly, knowing that we’re together. I melt into the gentle touch of his lips, sinking in the familiarity of him and us. His other hand slowly rises and his thumb brushes across my nipple, making me want to drag him down the stairs myself.

“Dada!” Em screams, and Brad flies off my body like I’m a live grenade.

“Emerson,” he croaks out and moves behind the island in the kitchen, shielding his arousal from her.

I stifle a laugh and his pleading eyes fly to mine to handle the situation.

“Em.” I bend down and hold my arms out to her.

Her eyes are red and sunken as she shuffles over in her pajamas.

“I’m sorry, guys.” Maggie rounds the corner in a nice matching plaid pajama set. Her hair still looking perfect, but her make-up is scrubbed off.

“It’s okay.”

I scoop Em up and Maggie looks over at Brad with a confused look.

I watch him adjust himself once more, and then he tentatively slides into view.

“Did she not want to go down?” he asks his mom, hiding his body behind mine.

His hand reaches out to his daughter and he smooths out the back of her hair.

“She fell asleep, but then woke up about forty-minutes ago, and we’ve been trying to get her back down ever since.”

“I’m sorry, Maggie. I’ve got it. Go get some sleep.”

“Did you guys have fun?” she asks, opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water.

“We did, thank you for watching her.”

Maggie moves to the hallway and we follow. Brad holds his hands out to Em, his predicament obviously calmed down now. Kids can put out the fire of arousal faster than a bucket of water to a match.

“Baby girl, it’s sleepy time,” he tells her as she nuzzles her head in the nook of his neck.

“Anytime.” Maggie stops at the bottom of the stairs and places her hand on my shoulder. “Chris and I had a lot of fun with her.”

“Thank you.”

She walks up the stairs and I hear her bedroom door shut. We follow and Brad places Em on the bed. Instead of rolling over to sleep, she sits up and stares at the television.

“Peppa!”

“No, it’s bedtime,” I say, but she shakes her head.

“Peppa!”

“That damn British show.” Brad rolls his eyes.

“Peppa!”

I look at Brad, exhausted, and he chuckles.

“Do you want me to take her to my room for the night?”

He’s so sweet and I love the fact he’s willing to do that for me.

“Why don’t you stay with us for a while?” I’m not even sure why I’m okay with all three of us in the same bed, but I’m not ready to be away from him.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks.”

He grabs the remote for the television and clicks on the On Demand feature to find
Peppa Pig
.

Em snuggles up in the crook of his arm and laughs when the pig family is introduced.

“Peppa,” she says in a much calmer voice.

I smile at them together. It’s truly magical how close they’ve become in such a short time.

“I’m going to get ready for bed.” I sneak into the bathroom to change and wash my face.

Things between Brad and me are moving so fast, I can barely see a straight line now. But the scariest part is I’m not sure I want to. I’ve yearned for this life since I walked out on him, and I’m going to fight to keep it. I scrub my face and dry it with a towel, planning how I’ll tell Brad exactly my thoughts on our future. How I don’t see my future without him in it.

I open the bathroom door, and there, in that bed, is my dream come to reality. Em’s arm is thrown over her daddy’s stomach. His arm is above his head with his eyes closed. I move over and pry the remote from Brad’s lifeless hands. Clicking off the television, I grab the extra blanket and put it over each of them. I nestle into my side and reach my arm across Em to Brad’s stomach. His hand comes down and he links his fingers with mine.

“Good night.”

“Good night, Tay,” he mumbles, and nothing has sounded better than those three words.

Slap

Slap

“Mama!”

My head shakes and my eyes blink a few times before I realize it’s Em smacking me in the face.

“No.” I grab her wrist when she’s coming down on me again.

I sit up and see Brad’s asleep.

“Shhh.” I hold my finger up to my lips.

“Shhh,” she mimics me.

I pick her up, and luckily, she stays quiet in my arms until the door is shut behind us.

Knowing my time is precious to get her downstairs if my point of having Brad sleep in is successful, I rush down the stairs. We are the first ones up, and when I check on the clock, I see why. It’s six o’clock in the morning. Even for Em it’s early.

I set her down on the floor and she instantly walks over to the new toys. I’m winding my head around to free the crick in my neck from the way I slept when the back door opens and shuts quietly.

I push my fingers through my hair to look presentable when Chris rounds the corner from the garage. He’s all decked out in running gear. He breezes by us, until Em squeals.

“Pa!” she says, and I’m impressed she’s nailed down all these names so fast.

He swivels around in shock.

“Emerson,” he responds, and a smile hijacks his serious face. He bends down as she runs over to him. “I thought you’d sleep in after the night you had.”

She doesn’t allow him to hold her for very long before she wiggles out of his hold and moves back over to her toys.

Chris looks up and sees it’s me with her, not his son. He nods. “Taylor.”

“Hi.” I wave my hand in the air like an idiot.

Awkwardness fills every square inch of this man’s home. The one I entered in with full will. Stupid decision really.

He toes out of his running shoes and enters the room.

Oh, God.

My stomach knots thinking about what he wants to talk about.

“Brad and Maggie still asleep?” He sits in the armchair, his arms resting on his thighs. In this position, he resembles Brad. I see that same dimple in his right cheek as he smiles over at Em.

“Yes.”

“I’m surprised Maggie is still sleeping. Then again, she’s not used to chasing after a two-year-old.” I take it as a dig, but when I look up at him, he’s not being bitter, just stating a fact. My guilt for keeping her away from these people who would love her misinterpreted his tone.

“She’s tiring.”

“I imagine it’s been hard with you doing it all by yourself.”

“It is what it is.” I shrug, not really wanting to have this conversation, especially with him.

“I think I owe you an apology, Taylor.” He slides down and rests his back along the chair. Em rushes over and hands him a toy onion from her shopping cart.

“No, Chris, I’m sure you don’t.”

“Yes.” He nods his head. “See this whole thing scares me on multiple levels. The fact that you kept her from Brad and us for two years terrifies me. The thought that you might do it again does too. It’s the reason I was standoffish at first. I didn’t want to get too close, then have her stripped away.”

“I’m not going to take her anywhere, Chris. You have my word.”

He nods, but his furrowed brow shows he’s not completely convinced.

“Maggie already loves her, so I hope not.”

“You don’t have to worry about it.”

“Thank you, but I still will. Second, it’s Brad. He’s made a lot of mistakes in his life and he’s still finding his way to where he belongs. To me, it seems he fits in with you and Em, of course.”

My heart swells at hearing that someone outside of us sees the rare connection Brad and I have.

“But if you hurt my son, I worry he’ll never recover. He’s quickly finding out that when you’re a husband and a father, all the needs of your family come before yours. That everything you do is for them, not yourself. That’s a hard thing for Brad. I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone as selfish as my son.” He shrugs, like what can he do about it now?

“So, I guess what I’m asking you, Taylor, is to please protect my family because the control of their hearts is slowly turning in your hands. It scared me when you first walked through that door because I don’t know you very well.” I nod, unsure if I should argue back. This man, who has made me nervous every second this weekend, is now being so open with me. “I’d like to change that though.” He smiles and there’s that matching dimple of Brad’s.

My shoulders relax. “I’d like that, too.”

“Roosevelt isn’t that far from us,” he reminds me. “If you and Brad are going to give this an honest try, you’ll need some time without Emerson. Let Maggie and I get to know our granddaughter.”

I look over at Em, going back and forth between two bins to hand Chris and me food. How can I take her away from this family, who has accepted us both with no conditions or qualms?

“Thank you, Chris. I’d like that, too.”

His hands smack his legs. “Good. I’m glad you woke your mommy up so early so I could talk with her.” He lays down on his stomach and Em climbs on his back.

I laugh at her riding him like a pony. “Go, Pa!” she exclaims when a much younger version with just as big of a heart barrels down the stairs, his eyes searching for his family.

Our eyes lock on one another as he stops in the hallway, finding us. A slow and easy smile comes over his face and all my worries fade. He sees his dad on the floor, and his stature tenses.

He closes the distance and comes alongside me, kissing my temple. His jean-clad legs rub along my old pajama pants. “How did you sleep?” I ask him, finding his dad’s eyes glance over a few times.

“The best I’ve had in two years.” He winks.

A scorching warm bolt hits my heart, telling me that my love for this man overflows it.