Where I Belong (Alabama Summer) (15 page)

“I’m not wasting my time. I just wanted to see how you were
doing.”

“I’m doing great besides this tiny little cold. So please go
swim some laps for me. Maybe by next summer we’ll be able to go to the pool on
base together like we used to.”

I stand up and smile. “Absolutely. You’ll be so strong by
then, Mom. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

She will be stronger by next summer. I can’t wait to see my
mom doing everything she used to do. But with that joy comes the heart
wrenching sadness of realizing that I’ll be with her in Georgia and not here
with Ben. Life can be a total bitch sometimes. No, fuck that. I’m not going to
let anything ruin my day or the rest of my time here. After brushing my teeth
and pulling my hair up into a bun, I walk outside to the pool.

“Pwincess Mia! Watch dis!” Nolan is standing on the edge at
the deep end while Ben stands a few feet in front of him in the water. I walk
around and watch him with excitement. He squats down ever so slightly before
jumping off the side and splashing into the water. He goes under and pops back
up after a few seconds, prompting Ben to grab him.

I clap for him and sit down on the edge. “That was awesome.
You’re such a big boy doing that without floaties. I don’t even know if I’m
brave enough to do that.”

Ben moves closer to me in the water, holding Nolan out in
front of him so he can splash around. He turns his body, putting himself
between me and Nolan. His eyes do that shift from sweet to mischievous that he
seems to do better than anyone as he rakes over my body. “You better hurry up
and put that body of yours under the water before I do very inappropriate
things to you in front of my son.” I give him a disapproving smirk. He wouldn’t
dare. He leans in and nips at my bottom lip, sending a chill up my back in the
sweltering heat. “I’m completely serious,” he warns with a smolder that I feel
in places he is only familiar with.

“Well I’d hate to see you put those handcuffs to use if I
choose to disobey orders, Officer Kelly.” I shoot him a teasing look as I slide
into the water. It’s warm but still cools my body off instantly.

He brushes his lips against my ear. “You’ll be in my
handcuffs soon enough. Disobeying me has nothing to do with that.”
Good God.
I was completely kidding, but given the look Ben’s currently giving me, he
definitely isn’t. And I am down with whatever ways he wants to use them on me.
He backs away from me and holds Nolan out in front of him. “Show Princess Mia
how you can swim, buddy.”

I hold out my hands to him, backing up to the wall. His
little legs kick as hard as they can, splashing Ben in the process as he slaps
his arms against the water. It takes him a little while, but he finally makes
it to me with the biggest dimpled grin on his face. “You’re like a little
fish.” I wrap him up in my arms and he immediately draws me closer into a hug.
He buries his face into my neck, holding on to me with all of his strength.
“You give good hugs, Sir Nolan.”

“I wove you,” his husky little voice declares.

I lock eyes with Ben who is watching us intently. “I love
you too,” I vow, never drifting from Ben’s eyes. His lips part slightly as he
moves closer to us. Strong arms find my waist under the water and he pulls the
two of us against his chest. And we stay like that for as long as Nolan allows,
Ben and I stealing kisses above Nolan’s head. It’s the best time I’ve ever had
in that pool. A perfect day with my two favorite Kelly boys.

Ben

I’ve never heard my son say I love you to anyone besides me.
Not even to my family, and I knew he loved them. He was crazy about my parents
and my sister. And I’m sure he loved his mom because all three-year-olds loved
their parents no matter how shitty they were to them. But he’s never said those
words to her in front of me. Like the nose thing, those three words were
something that he and I shared. Something that he kept between the two of us.
Until he met Mia. And I can’t blame him for loving her. She was incredibly easy
to love. Hearing him say it to her hit me right in my soul. It was the same way
I felt when he said it to me. Like I’d just been given this amazing gift. And
he meant it. My son is brutally honest with his feelings. He’ll tell you
exactly how he feels and he won’t sugar coat it. He didn’t hesitate in the
slightest either. His words were strong and steady, just like I knew mine would
be when she eventually heard them.

When she said it back to him, she looked right at me with
those eyes that were impossible to look away from. No woman has ever looked at
me the way Mia does. It was new yet familiar at the same time. Like she’s been
looking at me like that our entire lives. Like she knew me better than anyone.
I was used to women staring at me because they wanted me. I was familiar with
that look. That desire that was completely superficial and void of any real
emotion. I could easily break away from those women. I wasn’t completely pulled
in by a single fucking glance. Ready to hand over my entire life because of
just one look. But that’s how it was with Mia. When she looked at me, she
saw
me. My hopes, my fears, my future that for all intents and purposes belonged to
her. She fucking owned me with that stare and I never wanted to look away.

I wanted Mia to come with me to take Nolan to Angie’s
apartment. She seemed uneasy about it at first, but Nolan turned on that Kelly
charm that she’d become completely helpless against. I wasn’t sure how Angie
was going to take it, but honestly, I didn’t give a shit. No matter how much
she wanted to deny it, Angie was very aware of my feelings toward her. I’ve
always been straight forward and honest, even when I allowed the occasional
blow job. And looking back, I hate that I was weak in those moments of
loneliness. But she knew we didn’t have a future, and I wanted to show off
mine.

“Oh, um, I figured I would just wait in the truck.” Mia
looks at me with an anxious expression as I stand outside her side of the
truck. I hadn’t mentioned that she would be walking inside with me, but she is
well aware of that intention now. She hesitantly puts her hand in mine and
allows me to help her down. “Ben, really, I don’t have to go inside.”

I close the passenger door, pulling her against me and
inhaling her hair. “Baby, relax. There’s no reason to be nervous. You’re the
first woman I’ve ever introduced to my son’s mother.”

“That’s supposed to make me relax?” she asks with a
tenseness in her voice. “If anything, that makes me even more nervous.”

I gaze down at her, cocking my head to the side. “I’ve also
never introduced any woman I’ve been with to Nolan before.” She seems to ease
in my arms, her bottom lip finally releasing from her mouth. “That’s how much
you mean to me. I want you to be a part of Nolan’s life as much as you’re a
part of mine. He loves you and Angie’s bound to find out about you eventually.
We might as well get this over with now.”

She shifts on her feet slightly while she stays in my arms,
keeping her eyes on mine. “Is her son the only Kelly boy that feels that way?”

Wow. Leave it to Mia to put a guy on the spot. I’m certain
there isn’t any question that is off limits to her. But that’s how she is. She
isn’t afraid to call you out on anything. And I’d never want her to be any
different.

“No.” I brush my lips against hers, teasing her with my
tongue. “I’m sure my father loves you like a daughter.”

She smiles against me before planting quick kisses to my
lips. “Oh, is that how you’re going to play this? What if I said it first,
would you give it up then?” I arch my brow at her, daring her to make the first
move. “I…” she kisses my jaw, “love…” her lips move to my ear, “sunflowers.”
She chuckles against me. I bit back my smile, narrowing my eyes at her when she
leans back. She wipes the grin off her face and shoots me a flirtatious stare.

“You know, I carry a spare set of handcuffs in my glove
compartment that I won’t hesitate to use on you.” I grab her wrists and pin
them behind her back, bringing our chests together. Her breath hitches and she
purrs against me. “Mmm, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Not being able to touch
me while I have my way with you. Giving yourself up to me completely.” She nods
and licks her lips. Damn parental duties. My dirty girl wants me to take her
right here and the only thing stopping me is currently sitting in the backseat
of my truck, swinging his sword around his head like a maniac. I release her
wrists and kiss her once, then once more. “Later, pretty girl.”

We walk up to Angie’s apartment, Nolan running ahead of us.
He knocks lightly on the door and then bangs on it several times with his
sword. As Mia and I walk up behind him, the door swings open. Angie’s eyes are
immediately drawn to Mia who is struggling to pull her hand out of mine. But
I’m not having that. I hold on tighter.

Angie crosses her arms over her chest in annoyance. “Let me
guess. Princess Mia?” Her eyes shift to mine. “Really, Ben? Did you have to
bring your latest hook up to
my
apartment?”

Nolan runs past her into the living room which I’m grateful
for. If we are going to have it out right now, I don’t want him hearing it.
“Don’t be a bitch, Angie. I’m doing you a courtesy here. Our son is going to be
spending a lot of time with Mia so I figured you two should meet.”

Mia steps forward as much as my grip on her allows and holds
her free hand out. “Hi, Angie. It’s so nice to meet you. You have the sweetest
little boy. I’m crazy about him.”

Angie glances down at Mia’s hand, refusing to take it. She
turns her attention back to me instead. “Do you really think it’s wise to
confuse
our
son by introducing him to your flavor of the month? And I
thought we were trying to work things out between us, Ben.” She drops her hands
then and wipes the irritation from her face, replacing it with a false hurt.
“It really is what’s best for Nolan.”

“Maybe I should just go wait in the truck,” Mia says softly,
dropping her hand.

I shake my head at her. “No. You belong where I am.”

“Oh, give me a fucking break,” Angie barks out in
irritation.

I look past her and see Nolan at the kitchen table with a
box of crayons. Dropping Mia’s hand, I step closer to Angie and she tenses up.
“You’re lucky he didn’t hear that. And don’t ever take your bitterness out on Mia.
She never did anything to you and she’s amazing with Nolan.”

“
I’m
his mother. And you should be more concerned
with fixing our family than who your dick wants to play with.”

“Ben, can I please have the keys to the truck?” Mia asks,
holding her hand out to me palm up. Even though she states it as a question,
she isn’t asking me. But I don’t want her to leave. Fuck Angie. Mia has every
right to be where I am. Unfortunately, I know now that Angie will never calm
down as long as Mia is in front of her. I reluctantly pull my keys out of my
pocket and hand them to her. “Thank you.” She turns her head toward Angie and
offers her a smile. “I hope you realize how lucky you are to have Nolan.”

Angie grimaces at her comment. I wait until Mia is out of
earshot before I tear into the woman who makes my life a living hell. “Don’t
ever talk to Mia like that again. She doesn’t deserve to be disrespected by
you.”

“What the hell do I care if I hurt your fling’s feelings?”

I step closer to her. “She is not a fling. That woman is
it
for me. Do you get that? She’s not going anywhere, so it would be in your best
interest to accept her. Our son sure as hell has.”

She inhales sharply. “What does that mean?”

“He told her he loved her today. Does he tell you that?”

Her bottom lip begins to tremble, prompting her to pull at
it with her fingers. “I just don’t understand why you can’t at least try to
make this work.”

I am over this conversation. If she doesn’t understand that
the two of us will never work by now, she’ll never understand it. I push past
her and walk over to Nolan, kissing the top of his head. “I love you, buddy.
I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Wove you, Daddy. Look what I dwawed for you.” He holds up
the paper he’s been working on. It’s three people, all looking like circles
with stick limbs coming out of them. Two of them are larger than the third.
He’s even labeled us in his chicken scratch handwriting. “Dats you, dats
Pwincess Mia, and dats me.” He hands it to me with a smile before he runs his
finger down my nose.

I repeat the gesture and hold the picture against my chest.
“Thanks, buddy.” I rustle his hair before I walk toward the doorway. Angie
avoids my eyes, looking down at her feet instead. I don’t have anything else to
say to her so I walk out of her apartment and close the door behind me. I had a
feeling she wouldn’t take meeting Mia very well. Angie still held on to the
idea that we were going to wind up together. And considering that I’ve never
introduced her to anyone before, I’m sure that only added to her delusion. But
pining after me didn’t excuse her behavior toward Mia. And I’ll never let her
treat my girl like that again.

I climb into my truck after folding up Nolan’s drawing and
slipping it into my back pocket. “I’m sorry about that. She won’t talk to you
like that again. I promise.” I reach for her hand and she places it in mine
with a smile. She seems completely unaffected by the hate she just had directed
at her.

“It’s okay, I get it.” She links her fingers through mine as
I pull out of the apartment complex. “She loves you and she’s hurt that the two
of you aren’t together. I’m sure it isn’t easy for her.”

Jesus. She doesn’t even have a negative thing to say about
Angie after that bitchy encounter. She actually feels sorry for her. “I don’t
think Angie loves me. I think she’s just desperate for attention. We had one
night together and neither one of us remembers any of it.”

She shakes her head in disagreement. “She definitely loves
you. I can tell.” Her head rests back on the seat and she turns it toward me.
Our eyes meet briefly before I have to put them back on the road. “Did you ever
try to make it work with her?”

“Yeah, after Nolan was born. I knew Angie wanted us to be a
family and I owed it to Nolan to at least try. They moved in with me after the
two of them were released from the hospital. But it only lasted two weeks.” Her
hand tightens in mine. “We fought constantly about everything and I was fucking
miserable all the time. Having a baby at twenty-three was stressful enough and
then throw in the fact that I couldn’t stand my son’s mother. It wasn’t good.
When I told her it wasn’t going to work she freaked out, threatening to keep
Nolan away from me. I took her to court to make sure I’d at least get my time
with him and that only pissed her off even more.” I park the truck in my usual
spot at my parents’ house. I help Mia out on her side, keeping her hand in mine
as we walk toward the pool. “Sometimes I wish I would’ve never slept with her
that night, but then I wouldn’t have Nolan. And I can’t imagine not having that
little maniac.”

She laughs softly against my shoulder as we round the pool.
“I can’t imagine you not having him either.” I slide the door open, placing my
hand on her back and moving her ahead of me into the house. Tessa is sitting on
the couch, her lap completely covered in used tissues and her face in her
hands. “Tessa? What’s wrong?” Mia goes straight to my sister, sitting down next
to her.

“Are you alright?” I ask, moving in front of her. I haven’t
seen Tessa cry since we were younger, and back then, I was usually the cause of
it. The older she gets, the less she lets things get to her. If she had balls,
they’d be made of steel.

She looks up at me and then back to Mia. “Oh my God. Are you
guys together now?” Mia nods and Tessa begins to cry harder. Not the reaction I
had been expecting. Tessa was my biggest supporter when it came to winning over
Mia. “That makes me so happy. You have no idea.” She sobs, prompting Mia to
wrap her arms around her.

“Do you need a girls’ night?” Mia asks, giving me a knowing
look over Tessa’s shoulder.

I pick up on the message loud and clear. The two of them
don’t need me here for this. Nor do I really want to be here for whatever the
fuck happens at a girls’ night. I lean down and kiss Mia’s forehead. “I’m gonna
head out. I’ll see you after work tomorrow.” She winks at me and nods against
Tessa. I place my hand on my sister’s shoulder. “If you say this is because of
Luke, I’ll go find him right now and beat his ass.” She whimpers against Mia,
and I would’ve taken that as a yes until she begins shaking her head. Fucking
women and their mixed signals. A simple yes or no would’ve been nice. I exhale
loudly in annoyance. “Just call me if you need me.” I smile once more at Mia
and get the hell out of there before I get any more cryptic responses.