I laughed. “Higgins understands. Linda is a psycho.”
She stared up at me. “He’s a great principal. Linda is a psycho-bitch.”
“That she is, baby.” I gave her a quick kiss on the lips.
After talking a few more minutes, she decided to head back to class to prepare for the morning. With her gone, even being in the same building, I missed her immediately. I couldn’t wait to make her mine forever.
The gym door opened and Linda strode in with a big smirk on her face. “What did Higgins say? You both deserve to be punished.”
I crossed my arms. “Something is honestly wrong with you, woman. Who listens in on two people fucking? Which, we weren’t for the record.” I lied through my teeth and she jumped at the harshness of my voice. “Makes me wonder what weird shit you make up in your fantasies. Stop poking around where you are not wanted.”
“Nobody has ever spoken to me like that.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “This will be the last time you do, Mr. Wells.” She stomped out of the gym for the third time this morning.
She was clearly not someone who needed to be working with children.
I invited Luca over that night to catch up and Faith invited Mags and Eve over. Of course, only Mags showed up. Something was seriously wrong with Eve’s boyfriend and at this point, I think they should hold an intervention or some shit. Mags and Faith bitched about Gerald and how much they missed their friend for the first half of the night.
Luca was standoffish ever since Mags showed up. Mags was doing everything she could to ignore him back, and the tension between the two was so thick I didn’t know when it would end.
“I need a beer.” Luca stretched his legs.
I slapped my thighs. “We’re out. Let’s go get some.”
Faith placed a delicate hand on my shoulder. “Are you sure you want to go out? It’s pretty late already.”
I glanced at Luca who was pacing around like a caged animal. “Yeah, this guy needs some beer.”
She giggled. “Good point.”
I kissed Faith’s forehead. “We’ll be back soon.”
I grabbed the keys and walked out with Luca.
“Thanks, man, I had to get out of there.” Luca shook his head as we walked to my truck.
“What the hell is up with you?” We jumped in and pulled out of the drive. “It’s just Mags. Faith and her have been best friends for years.”
He blew out a whoosh of air. “Fuck if I know. Mags is… Mags.”
I watched him hit his knuckles on his knees. “Listen dude, I know about you fucking her at my house.”
His head whipped toward me. “How the—oh right, Mags told Faith and she told you.”
“I get that you have commitment issues. You’ve had them forever. But Mags is a great person.”
“Yeah, she is. That’s exactly why she doesn’t need me. I fuck everything up.” He dropped his head in his hands.
I chuckled. “You really think Mags would let you fuck anything up?”
He thought about it before laughing. “Yeah, good point.”
“I know you think you’re like your dad, but you’re not. You won’t hurt her.” I pulled into the parking lot of the liquor store.
“I’ve always fucked around with different women.”
“Let me ask you something.” I turned to face him. “Do you think of other girls when you’re around Mags?”
He scrunched his nose up. “Hell no.”
“Do you ever think about her when she’s not around?”
He went silent.
“I’ll take that as a yes. You’re not your dad. You wouldn’t let yourself stray from her. I’d say to give it a chance. You never know. She could be the one for you.”
He rolled his eyes. “When did you get soft on me?”
“Since I fell in love with your cousin.”
He shut the door in my face and walked into the store. I could see him grumbling about something. Luca’s dad cheated on his mom. Luca was a lot like his dad in every way except for that part. His parents worked it out for the best but he still resented his father for his actions. I get it, but he shouldn’t doom himself for something he didn’t, and wouldn’t, do.
A few minutes later, Luca hopped in with a pack of beer. “Got the good shit.”
My fingers tapped on the wheel as we drove home. “Can I tell you something?”
“What’s up?”
“I’m going to ask Faith to marry me.” My heart fluttered like it did every time I thought of her.
“It’s about damn time.” He smirked. “What can I do to help?”
My class and I sat in a circle on our rug Monday morning when little miss Rosie came into our classroom. She got a warm welcome and the students just about swarmed her. She was bright and excited to be back, thanked everyone for the cards they sent her and ran over to give me a tight hug. I gave them some time to welcome Rosie back before insisting we get on to our lesson. The morning flew by and it was time to take them to the gym.
Instead of a line, they walked in a blob surrounding Rosie to the gym. They rushed off into the gymnasium without waiting for Asher’s instructions. He was scanning some paperwork by the door so I went over and tapped on his clipboard. His eyes met mine and he gave me a small smile.
“Rosie’s back. The kids are so excited. It’ll probably be a rough day with them.”
He shrugged. “That’s fine. Thanks for telling me.” He glanced back down and made some marks on his papers.
A heavy silence settled over us, thicker than the strange tension that hung in the atmosphere. I shifted on my feet. “No hug? No kiss?” I tilted my head.
His gaze drifted up and he furrowed his brows. “We never do that in front of the kids.”
I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean, Asher.”
“I love you, but I have to teach.” He turned and
