Whoa, what?
Gemma is not there for me, per se. We’re just old friends getting caught up and I wanted to spend more time with her after getting a bad feeling about her ex-boyfriend.
“Just think about it,” she calls after me and in my heart, I know she means well. The people in my neighborhood are kind and caring, always wanting to introduce me to their friends, or relatives, but my personal life is my own business and I plan to keep it that way.
Music seeps from the open windows and reaches my ears as I approach the house, and breath leaves my lungs in a whoosh as old memories come rushing back. I grip the paint-chipped handrail and hold for a second, the music taking me back to happier times—when Zoe was the one at that piano. Kaitlyn’s squeal of laugher rises over the music and wraps around my heart.
I suck in a fast breath and dart up the three steps. I round the corner and find Gemma and Kaitlyn at the piano. The sight stabs my heart. Gemma’s head lifts, and her smile falls from her face the second she sees me.
“Sorry, we got sidetracked.” She stands quickly. “I’ll help Kaitlyn pack and get going.”
I shake my head and put my hand on her shoulder to stop her. “Why don’t you two keep playing? I’ll pack Kaitlyn’s stuff.”
“Thank you, Daddy,” Kaitlyn yells out.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.”
She gives a small nod and tentatively sits down again. I dash up the stairs, and happy music fills the house and my soul as I pack my daughter’s bag and run the tub. I head back downstairs and find the two laughing as Gemma teaches her basic notes.
“All set for your bath kiddo.”
“I don’t want to.”
“You run up and have your bath,” Gemma says as she checks her watch, and I ignore the heavy feeling in my chest. “I have to get going anyway.”
“Give us a few minutes,” I say. “Her bath won’t take long. Why don’t you pour yourself a glass of wine, and flick the TV on? We haven’t really had a chance to catch up.”
She hesitates, a line in her forehead as Kaitlyn jumps up and dashes up the stairs. “I suppose.” She snorts out a humorless laugh. “I don’t really have to rush home for anything. It’s not a school night.”
“It’s settled then. Grab a beer or a wine, and I’ll just be a few minutes.”
I stand there for a second as she stands and saunters into the kitchen. The second she’s out of my sight, I hurry upstairs, and Kaitlyn is undressing for her bath.
“Daddy,” she begins as I help her into the warm water.
“Yeah.”
“I really like Miss Davis. She’s nice.”
“She is nice, isn’t she? Did you know that we used to go to school together? Many years ago.”
Her eyes grow wide. “Really?”
“Yup, just like you and Liam are in the same class, Miss Davis and I were too.”
“That’s funny.”
“I suppose it is.”
“Can she have dinner with us every night?”
“I don’t know about that. She has her own place and she has things to do.”
“I like that she’s going to be at the Boys and Girls club. She’s always nice to me.”
“That’s good to know.”
“I don’t like Mrs. Follows. She’s grumpy.”
I bite back a chuckle. There’s not a thing wrong with Mrs. Follows, she’s just older and is a little more regimented than the volunteer teachers at the club.
I give her a washcloth and she proceeds to clean herself. Once she’s finished soaping up, she rinses off and I wrap a big towel around her and lift her from the tub. She squeals as I hold her up over my head and fly her to her bed.
I make an airplane sound as I lower her to her bed, and she tugs on the pajamas I laid out for her.
Once she’s dressed, I read her a book, give her a kiss and leave her room. In the hall I take a big breath, and I can’t figure out why I’m suddenly nervous about the idea of spending alone time with Gemma.
The soft sound of the TV reaches my ears as I descend the steps and her mess of hair, now unclipped falls down her back as she does something with her phone.
“Hey,” I say quietly, and she turns, a glass of white wine in her hand and a beer on the table for me.
“I opened a bottle,” she says, setting her phone down. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” I glance at the TV. “What are you watching?”
“Not much on. Found a chick flick.” She crinkles her nose, an apologetic look on her face. “Probably not your thing, right?”
“There are one of two things you’ll find on in this place. Cartoons, or big action flicks.”
“I’ll change it.” She reaches for the remote, but I cross the room and put my hand over hers to stop her. The second our hands connect, a burst of heat zaps through me, and there’s nothing I can do to stop my dick from twitching. What the hell is going on with me?
“It’s okay, we can watch it,” I tell her and her dark eyes, full of something that looks like desire, something that is no doubt reflected in mine, go wide.
“Are you sure?”
“It will do me good to watch something other than explosions and violence.”
“You don’t get that enough in your day-to-day life?” she asks.
I laugh, but it comes out sounding rough and tortured. “Apparently not.”
She snuggles back into the sofa. “Okay then. This is one of my favorites.”
I pick up my beer and take a long pull from the bottle. It’s cold and refreshing but the only thing that’s going to cool my dick down is if I dip it into the brew. I
