25. Big Step
BIG STEP
“Ican keep Micah overnight,” her mother said the next day.
“No,” Tasha said. “It’s fine. It’s just a few hours. I appreciate you taking him. It’s an early dinner and I’ll be back before seven.”
Brittany and Emme had tickets to some play and had to be there before seven, so they were having dinner at five, close to the event, where they could leave to get there right after.
It worked for her with as nervous as she was meeting any of Baker’s family.
“But you might have wanted a night with Baker,” her mother said.
“Papa, Papa!” Micah was hollering and wiggling to get down.
“Papa isn’t here,” her mother said. “He went to the store.”
She set Micah down and he ran toward his toy chest in the living room off the hall where she could chat with her mother for a minute and keep an eye on him.
“I know it’s odd for just a few hours. I should find a babysitter to pay. I’m positive there are some in the development if I ask around.”
“Nonsense,” her mother said, waving her hand. “I could have come to your house to do it also, but then I’d meet Baker and I’m sure you don’t want that. Am I going to meet this guy soon now that you’re meeting his sister?”
She knew darn well this was coming.
“Yes. Maybe next weekend. I’ll talk to him about it.”
Her mother reached for her hand, held it loosely and squeezed her fingers. “I’m thrilled you’re telling me about him sooner than you have any other man in years.”
“It’s hard to keep it a secret if I need someone to watch Micah.”
“Get that smirk off your face,” her mother said. “If you had wanted to keep it a secret, you would have. You would have done exactly what you said and found a sitter. Meeting family is a big step. You’ve got feelings for him?”
“I wouldn’t have brought him into Micah’s life if I didn’t.”
“Do you think you love him?”
“Now you’re getting ahead of yourself,” she said, laughing. “Slow down some.”
Her mother’s eyes went wide. “Oh, the horror. I’m asking personal questions to my daughter. But you didn’t bite my head off so I’ll take that as a win.”
She gave her mother a quick hug. “I’m sorry, Mom. I guess for years I’ve felt like such a failure when it came to relationships.”
“And maybe I was intrusive. We are both to blame, but it seems you might find the right thing now.”
“I hope so. But then the other part of me says not to hope.”
“Don’t talk yourself into things or out of things. Just let them happen organically.”
Like getting pregnant when she was protecting herself against it?
Not only pregnant, but with a married man?
That kind of organic?
Best not to say those words. She could only imagine her mother’s response.
“I’m trying. Micah.” She turned. “Come, give me a kiss. I’ll be back in a few hours.”
Micah’s little legs had him racing back, his arms out, a big hug received and a wet sloppy kiss on the cheek. “Bye, Mama.”
She kissed his cheek and handed him over to her mother. If she put him on the floor he might make a dash for the door while she went out of it.
Her mother was holding her son, the two of them waving in the doorway as she pulled away and drove the few miles back home to shower and change.
She was finishing up her makeup when the doorbell went off.
Looking at her watch, she realized Baker was early and took off for the door, opening it wide and seeing him standing there in cotton pants and a button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, looking so yummy that she almost wanted to tell her mother to keep Micah for the night.
Maybe he could still stay some after Micah was in bed.
She’d let it fall the way it would. Organically as her mother said.
“Look at you,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows. “I just realized I’ve only seen you in jeans and shorts with T-shirts.”
“The same. If you twirl does that fly up in the air?”
She did a little spin in her summer dress. Nothing fancy, but dressier than what he’d seen her in.
“Did it?”
“Not enough for me to see your ass.” He reached toward her, pulled her close, his hands slapped her hard on her butt cheeks and yanked her against his crotch. Then he planted a kiss on her as if he’d been gone for years rather than her seeing him last night.
“Maybe you can see it later,” she said. “Much, much later once we know Micah is fast asleep.”
He leaned back. “Do you want that?”
“I think that it’s a step I’m willing to take, unless you’d rather not.”
Could she have been so wrong about things? Or putting herself out there too quickly?
“I’m fine with it. It’s like I told you before, you’re the one setting the pace.”
“I seem to be running. Or at least my mother thinks so and she’s pretty happy about it.”
She stepped out of his arms. “What did she say when you dropped Micah off?”
She walked toward her room to get her sandals with Baker at her heels. “She was thrilled that I’m not keeping you a secret like I have other men in the past. She even admitted that I could have easily found someone else to watch Micah if I wanted to do that.”
“Why didn’t you?”
He looked unsure. Or maybe uncertain of even the words coming out of his mouth.
Telling him about Shane had been difficult and she looked for any sign of him stepping back. Any sign that he was changing his mind about her or how he felt.
She’d seen nothing.
Either it wasn’t there or he was good at hiding it.
She didn’t want to think it was the second.
“I don’t know if I’ve got the energy to keep up the ruse. Hiding one more thing. I know that’s horrible, but it’s so hard to have the weight of it in me. I don’t have any flags with you like I have other men in the past.”
She didn’t want to think it was because of Jolene, but maybe it was.
Or if it wasn’t Jolene, then it was the fact that there were so many stand-up people in her life who knew Baker. Who had nothing but good things to say about him.
It was hard to look for the negative when so much positive was in front of her face.
Did he have flaws? Of course he did. Just the same as her.
“That’s good to know,” he said. “That I did a good enough job not waving them around.”
She laughed. “Oh. You did. I might have kept things in more if you hadn’t opened up first, so yeah, you did a good job on a lot of things.”
She stood up from the bed once her sandals were on, then went back into his arms for another hug.
“My sister is looking forward to this. She’ll go light on you.”
“It’s fine if she doesn’t. It just tells me she cares.”
That he had people in his life who did because it sounded like his parents weren’t there for him.
“Sometimes too much,” he said drily. “Emme is pretty funny, but I only spent a short time with them. They’ve got a pretty packed vacation. Brittany isn’t one to let moss grow on her. Vacations to her mean not sitting still and, honestly, I can’t keep up.”
“Nor do you want to run around here. I get it, but if you want to spend time with them tomorrow, go and have fun.”
“They’ve got a day planned. I forgot what it was. Something outside. Maybe going to the Biltmore Estate. That’s a few hours away to get there and then back.”
“I went once. It’s nice. The gardens are pretty and it’s neat to walk through somewhat of an American castle.”
“I thought Brittany was a little high maintenance, but Emme seems more frilly. Kind of right up her alley.”
“And nothing at all you’re interested in,” she said, laughing. “I’m ready if you are.”
They left the townhouse and climbed into his SUV, then drove the fifteen minutes to the restaurant Baker had picked out and parked.
Not even a minute later a silver sedan parked a few spaces over, a woman waving frantically at them with a wide grin.
“Did I warn you that my sister is a character?”
“No,” she said. “Looks like she’s just excited to see you again.”
“Nope, it’s meeting you.”
Exactly what she was afraid of.
She squared her shoulders and walked forward, then was pulled into a hug by Brittany, then Emme, both of them laughing.
“We’ve heard a lot about you,” Brittany said. “I can’t wait to see how you two are together.”
She turned and lifted her eyebrow at him. “What did you tell them?”
“The basics. You’re a teacher and you have a son. You’re putting up with me too.”
She laughed and nudged his arm. “Your brother is pretty laid back.”
“Oh and we know about Jolene Fierce,” Brittany said. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think that is making this easier for me. To me, it’s not like you’re some stranger.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Oddly, I understand that. Not that I’ve said this to Baker, but it almost feels as if you were going to hire someone and had to check their references. It was kind of done.”
“Ouch,” he said. “That’s cold.”
She put her head against his shoulder quickly, her arm around his waist. “I’m only picking on you. But you can’t say it hasn’t crossed your mind also.”
“It might have.”
They went into the restaurant, were seated and placed their drink orders.
“I teach middle school. I always say I think it’s the worst age, but you’re trying to get them ready for it,” Emme said.
“I liked the kids when they were young. I really enjoyed first grade, but they moved us around a few years ago and I ended up with fifth. I’ve gotten used to it now, but it can be trying. Definitely the oldest that I’d want to teach.”
“I’m curious how Emme is going to be once school starts,” Brittany said. “I saw her frazzled at the end of the year.”
Tasha laughed. “Oh, I know that feeling well. The beginning, I’m frazzled but differently. Just so much to do and get ready. Learning the kids and their quirks, what works for them. You know how it is.”
“So I’ll see another side of you?” he asked.
“Not a bad side. I don’t lose my temper or anything. I’ll be tired, and maybe a little chaotic, but I try to plan and organize as much as I can. I’ve been doing some already at home. Next week it will be nice to get into my classroom and get things set up.”
“That’s the thing about middle school,” Emme said. “I don’t have one room that is completely mine. I end up moving around to three different rooms.”
“You two could bond all night about teaching,” Brittany said. “I want to know more about you, Tasha.”
“Just ask,” she said. “I’m not sure what Baker has told you.”
“The basics. I know you’ve got a son. He showed me a picture.”
“He did?” she asked, turning to look at him.
“The one of him in the sandbox I sent you the other day. Him and his trucks.”
“Did Baker tell you he bought those trucks for Micah? The two of them get along so well. I’ve got pictures too.”
She pulled her phone out, unlocked it, then slid it over for Brittany and Emme to look at Baker playing with her son.
“Ahhh, can I have some of these?” Brittany asked.
“Not so subtle at all to get her number,” he said sarcastically.
“Okay then,” Brittany said. “Since I’m not, why don’t you go to the bathroom for five minutes and give us time to talk to Tasha.”
Emme stood up. “I’ll go with you, Baker. Sorry, it’s your sister’s thing. This way we can just chat and you can grill me on your sister like she’s going to do to Tasha.”
She looked at Baker, saw his surprised face and reluctance to get up. “Go. It’s fine.”
“No bathroom,” he said. “We can go outside for a minute.”
Once they were alone, she said, “What is it you want to say?”
“I like you. I can see that my brother does too, but Baker, he’s had a hard time of it. He told me you know about Alexa.”
“He told me. I think if he didn’t take the first step to say it, I might not have opened up as much either.”
“He has a hard time keeping things back even when he wants to. He’s always felt as if he had to be the one to care for our mother, do what needed to be done, make decisions and hold her up because my father wasn’t always doing that.”
That was news to her. “Then why did he leave?”
“Because he got tired of it. It wore him down. And he’d met Alexa.
I’m sure he told you he did all the things that my father doesn’t do for my mother.
He paid attention to her, he took care of where they lived, he didn’t really coddle her, but maybe he put her on a pedestal more than she needed to be. ”
She couldn’t keep the frown from her lips. “He doesn’t do that with me.”
Brittany reached for her hand. “And that is a good thing. He doesn’t feel as if he has to.
You’re strong and he’s okay with it. I know he is.
He was hurt deeply. He’s a family man even though we didn’t have a great one.
He was upfront all along with what he wanted with Alexa and she never told him otherwise. ”
“But did she ever talk about the future with him? Or just go along to be peaceful? Or don’t you know?”
“I know more than most. She never said she didn’t want what he wanted, but looking back, he admitted that she never contributed much to the conversations.
She had ample opportunity to say she wasn’t ready and didn’t.
He’d been talking about moving and getting engaged for a solid year and she was even looking at new places with him. He said she talked about rings.”
“Then I don’t get it.”
“No one does. She didn’t have anyone else on the side, but I think the more she thought of things, the more she realized she wasn’t ready to settle down.
Baker doesn’t know this, but she’s in a relationship now.
I still follow her on Facebook. I hadn’t even realized it and she doesn’t post much, but she posted that. ”
“Good for her.”
Brittany laughed. “You don’t really mean that, do you?”
“I do. I don’t know her. I can’t judge her. She wasn’t ready or Baker wasn’t the person for her. As someone who was willing to settle a few times, I realize now that you can only do what feels right for you. She hurt him, but she did him a favor. I won’t hurt him like that.”
“And that is all I wanted to know,” Brittany said. “Here they come. They are both laughing. Emme is good at relaxing just about anyone. It looks to me as if you are too.”