Something So Right (8 page)

His hands go around my waist, walking away from the bedroom toward the front door. Well, that answers my question. Guess he’s leaving. He opens the door, and when I’m thinking he will walk down the steps, he walks around to the hammock.

“Lie with me?” he asks.

“Have you seen yourself? You can’t fit in that hammock. You’re huge.”

He goes to lie down, keeping one foot on the ground, lying in the hammock.

“I guess you can fit like that.”

I lie down next to him, or more like half on top of him.

“Babe, we are not getting hot and heavy with the kids inside. I just want to lie down with my woman, chilling.”

“Define hot and heavy.” I’m not even going to try to deny that I want him anymore. I want him any way I can get him.

He puts his finger under my chin, lifting my lips to his, slowly inching his tongue inside of my mouth. It feels like home. It feels that, no matter what happens during the day, if I come home to this, everything is going to be worth it.

That’s what we do in the hammock, we kiss, we feel, we relax, and in all that relaxing I finally fall asleep with my man in my hammock.

Sunday morning cuddles is what I live for. Well, every other Sunday. After falling asleep in the hammock with Cooper, he woke me up some hours later with soft butterfly kisses. Which led to some heavy making out with me ending up moaning out his name. So now I’m waking up to different kisses, kisses from my blond-headed baby girl whispering about her love for pancakes.

Standing up at the counter making Mickey Mouse pancakes, there is a knock at the door, making me look at Matthew like he was expecting someone.

“Matthew, can you go see who is at the door, please?”

“Sure.”

A couple of minutes later, I see Matthew walking into the kitchen, and just before I ask him who it was I see a familiar baseball cap following him.

“Good morning, everyone. I thought I would bring some doughnuts and coffee,” he says, holding the box of dozen doughnuts while he hands me a coffee.

“We can’t habe doughnuts now. Mom is making Mickey Mouse pancakes. His smile is made from chocolate chips. We habe to eat this. Plus, it’s Sunbay. Eberybody knows it’s pancake day.” Allison looks straight at Cooper, showing him her beautiful smile after her instructions.

“I’m sorry, Allison, I didn’t know about Sunday pancakes. Do you think I can have one?”

“Momma, can Cooper habe pancakes? He didn’t know about Sunbay.”

“Umm, I think I have enough for one more,” I say, looking up at him while he bends to kiss my cheek. I look over at Matthew, who is very quiet in the corner.

“Hey, Matthew, how about you set the table for four outside?”

“Yeah, sure thing. Aly, do you want to come help me?”

“No, I habe to help Momma. Cooper can help you. It can be boys with boys and girls with girls.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Matthew, what can I carry for you?”

“You can grab the orange juice from the fridge, the syrup, and the napkins. I got the rest.”

“Okay, so boys will do boy things, girls will do girls. See you outside, ladies.”

When the last pancake is flipped, I lead the way with Allison following closely behind, carrying the box of doughnuts.

“Cooper, Momma said we habe to bring this outside to be bolite, in case you get more hubgry.” Allison is very matter-of-fact.

“Okay, princess, sit down in your chair, and I’ll hand you the pancakes.”

The meal is running smoothly. It’s also the first time I’ve had anyone but James at my table with the kids. I’m mid chew when Matthew shocks the shit out of me.

“So, Cooper, you and my mom...are you guys dating?”

Forget mid chew, I’m now choking on my pancake. I’m not even ready to admit to myself what the heck we are, let alone to my kids. I go to clear my throat when Cooper takes over for me.

“Yeah, bud, we are. I like your mom. Actually I like her a lot, and I hope she likes me, too. I plan on hanging around more and more. I hope that is okay with you and Allison.”

“Do you want to kiss my momma?” Allison asks, and in that moment, I want the earth to eat me up.

“Well, I really like to kiss her, but I also like to hold her hand and hug her. But most of all I like to make her smile. I want to make her as happy as she is when she is with you.”

“Momma used to cry sometimes. I don’t lobe that. I don’t want Momma to cry. Will you make her cry?” My poor sweet girl...while I thought I was being so secretive with making sure she didn’t see me cry, she still did.

“Baby, I promise to never intentionally make your momma cry, and if she does cry I promise to wipe the tears.” He looks over at me with his hat on his head, his face still with stubble from not being shaved today, and he smirks at me, taking a sip of his coffee. In that moment he is all I think I will ever need. No, I don’t think, I know he is everything I wished for.

“So,” Cooper says. “I’m thinking that we could maybe go out for supper. Maybe hit up a nice restaurant. What do you guys say?”

“Cooper, it’s Subday, it’s pancake day and Auntie Meghan swim day. We go there and we swim. I help the twins swim, because I can swim without my lifejacket ‘cause I’m fibe.”

“You guys are very busy on Sundays.” He winks at me. “I’ll send Tom a text to let him know I’ll be there also.”

“Umm, I don’t even know what to say right now. Excuse me.” I push away from the table before I cry in front of them.

I walk inside to the sink, grabbing myself a glass of water. I’m trying to bring down the beating of my heart, struggling to not have a panic attack because right now it feels like I’m watching my life from outside my body. I feel him even before he touches me.

“Baby,” he says while he wraps his arms around my stomach, kissing my neck. “You okay?”

“No, Cooper, I am not okay. I am far from okay right now. I have my son asking if we are dating. I have my daughter telling you that I cry, which I have to say I have stopped doing. That much anyway. And, and”—I shake my head, hoping to clear the fog in my mind—“I have you telling them that we are dating and that you want to kiss me. Do you know what you just did?”

“Yeah, I told them I’m with their mom. I owed it to Matthew to be honest. Babe, they are going to see me around a lot. I’m going to be holding your hand and even kissing you. They have to know.”

“Cooper, I haven’t even dated since my divorce. Well, I’ve dated dated, but not dated.”

“Babe, I don’t even know what the fuck that means.”

“I’ve dated. I’ve had date dates, not sex dates, but I have been out on dates. The point is none of those dates made it home. None of those dates made it to Sunday pancakes, let alone knew the names of my kids.” I’m sure I’m having a heart attack. This is what it must feel like to go numb and hallucinate.

He turns me around so I’m looking up at him.

“I’m not sure I’m happy or not with this dating dating shit. I’m happy you didn’t let anyone else in. But you have to fucking know I’m in there or better yet I’m fucking coming in. Tonight we sit down and have the ex talk, because I have to know what I’m dealing with, because, baby, I will be dealing with this shit. Then we spend the week with the kids. Next Saturday you hand them off to your ex, and I’m taking you on a date. And by that, I mean pack a bag because it’s going to be a date date. A date where I’m going to fuck you till you can’t move. It’s going to be a sleepover date where I will be fucking you the next day. So, we get through this week, then on Saturday it’s us and our date date.”

“That sounds like a lot of...ummm...dating?”

“Yeah, it will be. Now what time is this swimming thing?”

“Usually around one-ish,” I say, putting my hands around his neck and lacing my fingers into his hair.

“Okay, I’m going to go clear the table. Then we are going to sit outside and just relax till we have to go.”

“Umm, okay.”

“Babe, I’m going to be needing that mouth right about now.”

Well, I’m not one to make him wait, so I lean up and give him my mouth.

Our relaxation time consisted of Cooper kicking the soccer ball with Matthew while I gave Allison a pedicure.

When we all loaded up into my Jeep, Cooper snagged my keys because, well, as he put it, “Babe, I’m driving.”

Walking into Meghan and Tom’s back yard with him was a weird thing. I am so used to doing things myself that it was weird to have him carry Allison instead of me.

What freaked me out more was Allison wanting him to carry her. Sure, he tempted her with a ‘you can ride on my shoulders,’ which to her was so much better than Mom’s arms.

In the end it worked out because Matthew wrapped his arms around my shoulders, calling me his short stuff. All in all I couldn’t ask for more. I was, however, a little surprised by the extra kids there today. Some I recognized from the rink, especially the new dad and son that Cooper had a problem with last time.

This should be fun.

It turned out to be more fun than I thought it would be. The kids were all jumping into the pool while the adults watched on from the side. Many in different conversations. It wasn’t till I went inside to get a bottle of water that I came face to face with Sam.

“Hey, Parker, I thought that was you. I’m just not used to seeing you in clothes. Ummm, I mean, not hockey clothes. I had no idea you and Tom were related.”

“Hey, Sam, I thought I saw Michael, but like you it’s hard to see people in clothes,” I say, going with the joke. “How are you guys settling in?”

“Really great. Michael loves his new school, and he can’t stop talking about you and the rink. I was wondering if maybe you would like to take the kids out for pizza one night. I think Michael and Allison are in the same class.”

I’m just about to respond when I hear a semi growl.

“Babe, you coming out or staying in? Oh, hey,” Cooper says, acknowledging Sam. “I didn’t know that you knew Tom. It’s a small world.” He continues being nice, but I know he is about to snap any second.

“Yes, we met at the rink a couple of weeks ago, and Michael loves getting together with the twins, but especially Allison. Actually, last week we couldn’t tear those two away from each other.”

OH, FUCK ME.

“Really?” Cooper has now inched his way to me, holding my neck in his hand, bringing me closer to his side.

“Um, actually I wasn’t here last Sunday. My ex was with her. She refuses to let her Sunday swim day go, so he drops her off.” I try to calm the storm.

“Oh, that must be why you weren’t here.” Sam offers as an explanation.

“Yeah, that must have been the day you spent with me,” Cooper says, and in that moment, I swear he should have just pissed on my leg.

“Oh, wait, are you guys together? I thought I heard Tom say that you were single.”

“She
was
single, but then we had dessert together, so you should know she’s taken as in taken means she’s mine.”

Just at that moment a little wet fish comes in wrapped in a towel.

“Cooper, did you see me do the biggest cannonball eber? It eben splashed the edges.” She looks up at him, and he scoops her up into his arms, not giving a damn that she is dripping wet all over him.

“I did see that, but then I came to get your mommy so she can see.”

“Momma, it was so big. Cooper, can we habe ice cream?”

“We gotta ask your mom first. Mommy, can we have ice cream?”

“Sure, baby, we can all have ice cream. Why don’t you tell Matthew it’s time to go? We can swing by DQ on the way home.”

“Yes,” she says, wiggling out of Cooper’s arm, running to tell her brother.

“It was nice to see you, Sam. See you at the rink,” Cooper says, pulling me away with me turning around to wave.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” I hiss at him.

“Babe, he needs to know you will never go out with him. I’m doing that guy a favor by always asking you out and getting rejected. The shit stings the ego.”

“Really, how many times have you been rejected?”

“Never, but I’m not Sam. So, are we really stopping at DQ because I can’t lie to your kids?”

“You’re unbelievable, you don’t even reason like a normal person.” I shake my head side to side. “Let’s go before you whip your dick out to see which one is bigger.”

“Babe, he can’t win there either. You’ve seen my dick. It’s fucking huge.”

“Oh. My. God. You did not just say that.”

“I don’t lie, babe, it’s a fact.”

“Mommy, Cooper, let’s go. Matthew is in the car.”

And with that, we say our goodbyes and head out to DQ where Cooper buys Allison the biggest cone with sprinkles.

I don’t know if it’s me but this week has been going at a snail’s pace. I just want this week to be over. It may be the fact that I will be having a date date with Cooper Saturday night. Oh, who am I kidding, it is exactly that.

This week has been rough in the orgasm department because the kids are here. My vagina may be a magnetic pull to his dick, but I’m not doing that knowing the kids can catch us. I mean, I’m almost thirty-five. I think I can wait a couple of days. Okay, fine, I have been using BOB in the shower with the door locked. Dude, it’s been a while, so don’t you go judging.

I’m sitting at my dining room table, tossing around the food on the plate, not paying attention to the conversation. I’m thinking about dessert, I’m thinking about him eating dessert, I’m thinking he should eat dessert daily.

“Babe,” he speaks up, waking me from my daydream. It’s been four days since he came over for breakfast, and he hasn’t missed supper once. He either shows up with burgers or a pie or today it was just because.

“Yeah, sorry, my mind was somewhere else.”

“I said I saw this restaurant away from town called the Lobster Trap. I was thinking we could all go tomorrow night. It looks nice. What do you say?”

I sit up straight, trying to hide my hammering heart.

“We really don’t, like, go there,” I say, hoping he just drops the subject and picks another restaurant.

“I know. I was wondering if you wanted to go there?” he says, looking at me, not understanding what my words mean.