Chapter 11 #3
A boy skidded to a stop on his dirt bike. Large chunks of mud dripped off his tires. It hadn’t rained in a few days, so I could only imagine where he’d found enough mud to skid around in. “Hey, Miss K.”
“Hey, Deon. How’s school going this year?” He’d been my student last year.
“Eh. You know.”
I did. I knew exactly what his teacher was going through.
Deon was an active young man. His brain worked almost as fast as his body, which led to a lot of interesting and occasionally infuriating moments.
He was a good kid, but if he’d gone to school in a large town, he’d have had a lot of trouble.
Thankfully, in Bourbon Canyon, we could be a little more flexible and creative to accommodate active kids with vibrant learning styles.
“Did you have a good long weekend?” I asked.
He shrugged. “My stepdad worked all weekend.”
“That stinks. Does he have to work over the performance?” He was in Scarlett’s class and their performance was a couple of weeks after my class had theirs.
Deon nodded and looked away. He adored his stepdad, but the guy did shift work and couldn’t help his schedule. “My grandma’s coming though.”
I almost said which one. Between his parents and stepparents, Deon had a lot of grandparents. He was a lucky kid. “I’m looking forward to it. You guys have worked so hard.”
He ducked his head again. His brown gaze lifted over my shoulder and his forehead crinkled a moment before the screen door opened. The corner of the door brushed against my back, but I didn’t move.
A wall of heat was between me and the house. I didn’t look up. I picked one of the fudge-striped cookies out of the creamy cookie salad and licked the vanilla pudding and whipped cream mix off.
“Who’s that?” Deon asked, staring at Gideon.
“Uh . . .” Shit. How did I tell my students? I was bracing myself for work tomorrow, but I’d been anticipating adults.
“The proper way to ask is to introduce yourself first.” Gideon’s tone was almost disapproving.
My defensiveness rose, uncovering my mischievous side. No one messed with my kids, but Gideon did have a point and the teacher in me couldn’t miss a teachable moment.
Deon screwed his face up more. “Huh?”
I put my cookie down. “You say ‘Hi, I’m Deon’ and stick your hand out to shake his.”
The kid eyed me dubiously.
A disgruntled snort came from behind me, and I grinned. Deon was almost as dirty as his bike. The mud streaking up his legs was drying, same with his hands and arms, but there was no way someone was getting out of a handshake unscathed.
“It’s okay. He’ll tell you who he is once he shakes your hand.” I peeked over my shoulder, making my expression as full of censure as possible. “Right?”
Gideon towered over me. His dark gaze was intense and his stance was unyielding. He clenched his jaw once but said, “Right.”
Deon shrugged and laid his bike on the sidewalk. He swaggered across the lawn and up the stairs next to me. He thrust his hand out. “Hi. I’m Deon. Miss K was my teacher.”
I clutched my plate. Would he shake the kid’s hand? Deon was bold but sensitive. If Gideon was rude to my former student, he’d have to sleep on the lawn tonight.
Gideon shook Deon’s hand as if he were a fellow CEO. “Nice to meet you, Deon. I’m Gideon James. Miss K’s husband.”
“No sh—kidding?” Deon’s wide eyes swiveled back and forth between us. “I didn’t know you were married.”
“Surprise,” I said weakly.
His grin spread wide, showing off a missing canine. “Wait—so are you Miss J now?”
“I . . .” Shit. “Yes? Mrs. J.” I said it slowly, testing the flow. I’d only ever known Miss K, and it wasn’t like I’d had time to rehearse answering to something new.
He jogged back to his bike. The side of my leggings he’d brushed up against was covered in dirt.
“See ya tomorrow, Miss J!”
He rode away. Most kids would drop the missus and call me miss. It was just the different letter I’d have to get used to.
“Why are you eating out here?” His question cut through my contemplation.
“Because the company inside is rude.” I plucked my cookie off my plate and took a bite.
I didn’t bother to finish chewing before I spoke.
“You were quick to teach Deon about manners, but you sure sucked at them today.” I brandished the portion of the cookie I hadn’t chomped off.
“Did it occur to you to share why you ripped me away from a party that was partly for me? That had almost my whole family there? They all showed, with less than a day’s notice, and they even brought food.
I ate all the cookie salad, by the way, and I’m not even sorry.
You’re not the only one who can be thoughtless. ”
His sharp inhale almost made me cringe. Had I gone too far? I didn’t really know this guy. Would he get upset?
“Trust I had my reasons,” he said evenly.
I’d slept in a bed with this man twice. I trusted him with my physical safety. I trusted that he’d do a lot to keep his family’s land from getting sold. But to trust him around my family? With my feelings? That was yet to be earned. “Why don’t you trust me with your reasons?”
Several silent moments ticked by. I ate the rest of my cookie and polished off my plate.
“We each entered into this marriage with our own separate yet related agendas. That doesn’t give you access to everything about me, just as I don’t expect to have access to all of you whenever I want it.”
Ouch. What he was saying was true, but the hurt made my gut twist. I regretted those last few bites.
I wanted kids. I wanted a family. Should I press pause on expecting him to hold up his end of the bargain?
I wasn’t sure I could help him with the land anyway, and I didn’t want my kid to have an emotionally unavailable father.
Without kids, I could enjoy this little fantasy until Gideon went back to Vegas.
Once he was gone, I wouldn’t have a reminder about what a stubborn ass he could be.