Travis pulled away. He let his son go. At least he was moving in the right direction.
Over the last year, before the kids' mom died, Travis had become moody and withdrawn. When he'd tried to talk to his son, he got nowhere. Meeting with Claudia to discuss their child had only frustrated him. She'd already given up on being a supportive parent and let the kids run wild. He'd done all he could do when he had them on the weekends, but the kids, especially Travis, resorted to withdrawing into himself.
Having the kids living with him full-time, even with the death of their mother, he thought they'd settle faster. With him, they could be kids and put their worries behind them.
Then, their stepfather showed up, and Travis went back to sneaking around and not talking to him.
"Hey." He caught up with Travis. "How about I pick you up after school tomorrow. You know Frank, who works for me. He's got a couple of dirt bikes he's mentioned I could borrow. Do you think you want to learn—"
"Yeah." Travis straightened his shoulders. "For real?"
He smacked his son on the back and chuckled. "Not joking."
"Cool." The corner of Travis's mouth lifted.
Confident he'd done something right that interested Travis, he looped his arm across his son's shoulders, and for once, Travis never pulled away.
They arrived at Joey's apartment door together. He took the pizza box from Jess.
His daughter glanced from him to Travis. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, baby, we're good." He kissed the top of her head. "Let's get going. The pizza is probably getting cold, and you guys have homework tonight and school tomorrow."
"Cold pizza is okay," said Travis.
"Not as good as hot pizza," argued Jess.
Stretching his arm out between his kids, he knocked on the door before they started fighting over the color of the sun.
The door opened, and Joey's smile made his decision to surprise her with dinner the best choice he'd made all day.
"What are you guys doing?" She waved them inside. "Come on in."
"We thought we'd share our dinner with you." He walked inside, going straight to the table, and set the pizza down in the middle. "Have you eaten?"
"Uh...no." She followed him and picked up the ledger, envelopes, and empty water glasses, moving them out of the way. "What's the occasion?"
"Travis has something to tell you." He picked up a slice of pizza and handed it to her, then took one for himself.
The kids had already started eating. Food was no joke to them.
"I'm curious." Joey stood at the end of the table. "What's going on?"
"Dad said, yes." Travis continued to chew. "I can work for you."
Joey raised her gaze to Wyatt, her gaze softening before she smiled at his son. "Awesome. Come over on Saturday, and I'll show you the mower and what needs to be done."
Travis nodded and picked up another piece of pizza. "Cool."
Wyatt leaned against the wall, taking in the calmness being with Joey brought over his family. The kids were comfortable around her. Even in her apartment, they attacked the pizza as if they were at home, and Joey never blinked at them, arriving without calling ahead of time.
He crooked his finger. Joey's eyes warmed, and she stepped over to him. It'd been a hell of a week. Work was jammed, his kids were unsettled, and one look at Joey and he was ready to go up against anyone who got in his way. He'd storm the school, work all the overtime he could do, and go to battle over anyone who told him he was incapable of parenting his kids by himself.
She gave him that because all week, he'd thought about her. He'd wanted to come over and take out his frustrations with mind-blowing sex, but he'd forced himself to stay away because it wasn't fair to her.
Joey could've taken his absence as a slap in the face, and instead, she walked to him, open and willing, and non-judgmental.
He slipped his arm around her and pulled her against his chest. She stiffened, and he held her close.
"The kids," she whispered.
"Are old enough to see who makes their dad happy." He kissed her solidly, inhaling deeply through his nostrils, and just taking that softness, the caring, the excitement from her. Pulling back an inch, he said, "I missed you."
"You did?" Her hand came up and fisted his T-shirt.
"Mm-hm." He kissed her lightly. "Thought about walking over here every day. Every night."
"You could've," she whispered. "I wanted you, too."
His chest inflated. "I got shit going on, tiger. Stuff that shouldn't touch you."
She raised her gaze and frowned. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not now." He glanced at the kids and then back at her. "Better take another piece before the kids finish off the pizza."
She grabbed one for herself and him. Then, she returned to his side, leaning against him.
"Next time, I want taco pizza." Jess plucked a pepperoni off her half-eaten piece. "Or, just tacos. Dad, have you ever made them?"
His cooking leaned toward sandwiches, cereal, burgers, and picking up a pizza on his way home from work. "No. Have you?"
When their mother was alive, Jess was often left to make meals for Travis and herself. Now that she lived with him, he wanted to take that responsibility away from her. It wasn't a fifteen-year old's job to raise her little brother. Even if that meant eating the same food all the time, he would be the one who fed his kids.
Jess shook her head. "I don't know what spices to use."
"I don't have spices," he said, remembering to ask about that at the store next time he bought groceries.
Beside Wyatt, Joey's body shifted. "I know how to make tacos."
Both kids stopped eating and looked at her. Wyatt could feel their interest filling the room.
"I could make dinner for everyone." She looked up at Wyatt. "Tomorrow?"
He already knew his answer. "What do you say, kids?"
"Yes," said both of them.
Jess laughed. "Can I
