Chapter 24
JJ
Audrey opens the door, but Noah steps in first.
“Hey,” he says with a bright smile, looking up at me with his head tilted back. “You’re here.”
Audrey looks at me, her brow furrowing. She glances around the room, and her eyes pause on Miles’ shirt that’s discarded on the floor.
“Hey, Miles is just changing,” I say, hooking a thumb over my shoulder.
“Right,” Audrey says with a knowing smile.
I pick up the shirt, that I know is covered in my cum, and his jeans. No way in hell do I need his sister and her kid to accidentally see that—or worse, touch it.
“I’ll let him know you’re here.” I hurry to the bedroom and slip inside.
Miles whips around in time to see me tossing his shirt and jeans into the laundry basket.
“Thank you,” he says.
“No problem.” I scratch the back of my neck as he puts on a new t-shirt. “I can go, if you want…”
“Why would I want that?” he asks, turning to face me and running his hand through his hair to tame it.
“Because your family is here?”
“I live with them. Well, basically. But even if I didn’t, I don’t need to hide you.”
He walks to me, putting his palms on my chest and leaning up to kiss my jaw.
“But if you’re uncomfortable—”
“I’m not—well, not uncomfortable, but I’m not used to this.”
He nods like he understands. I know he doesn’t. I want him to. Almost as badly as I want to understand his family dynamic. No, not just understand it, but have it.
“I didn’t realize it was so late,” he says. “We usually cook dinner together on Saturdays… I forgot all about it.”
“I didn’t mean to get in the way.”
He looks at me like I’m crazy. “JJ, you’re not in the way. I’m not mad, and if it was a big deal, I’d tell you. Trust me.”
“I’m trying,” I say softly. I don’t mean for the words to come out so… serious and filled with emotion, but emotions are definitely getting in the way here—and it’s out of my control.
Maybe not in a bad way.
Because I keep thinking about the conversation with my brother. I’ve heard his words about Franklin a thousand times before, but I’ve never actually listened. Never really had a reason to. I knew I wasn’t going to leave my husband because what else did I have?
Is Miles a reason to? Can I leave my husband because I met Miles?
It wouldn’t be for Miles…
It would be for me because Miles made me realize what my life should be like. That doesn’t feel as wrong.
“You okay?”
I blink and Miles comes back into view.
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure?” His voice is quiet. I nod. “If you ever need to talk about stuff, you can talk to me, JJ. I may not understand, but I will listen.”
I nod again, cupping his cheek and leaning down to kiss him. He looks up at me with this soft, drunken smile. Just from a kiss? How can I ignore that?
“Thank you,” I whisper.
We leave the bedroom. Audrey and Noah are sitting on the couch. Noah has the remote in his hand, and he’s clicking through the channels to find something to watch.
“We’re making pizza!” he shouts when we get into the living room.
“Pizza? Yum,” I say.
Miles nudges me. “You don’t even like pizza,” he says under his breath.
I huff a laugh.
“Should we get started then?” Miles asks Noah. “I’m starving.”
“Work up an appetite?” Audrey asks with a raised brow.
Miles gives her the middle finger.
“Hey!” Noah shouts. “That’s rude, Uncle Miles.”
“You’re right,” Miles says. “But I’d do it again.”
“Miles!” Audrey scolds playfully. Noah just laughs.
I follow them into the kitchen and stand to the side as Noah and Miles pull out the ingredients they need to make pizza.
His kitchen isn’t small, but it’s not the biggest kitchen either.
It fits us in here comfortably, but if we were all moving around, we’d bang into each other, which is only part of the reason I stay out of the way.
The other part is not wanting to mess with their Saturday night dinner thing.
“Crap,” Miles mutters, opening and closing cabinets, his face growing more concerned as he searches for something he clearly isn’t finding.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
He looks at Audrey. “Do you have flour?”
She barks out a laugh. “Me? Have a baking ingredient?”
Miles rolls his eyes. “Okay, well, I need to go to the store then, or we will be having crustless pizza.”
“Crust is the best part!” Noah pouts.
“I’ll go,” I offer.
“Are you sure?” Miles asks.
“Definitely. Just tell me what you need.”
“Can I come?” Noah shouts as he jumps up and down.
Everyone goes quiet. Miles, Audrey, and I all share a look.
“Please, Mom? Please!”
“I’m fine with it, as long as you are?” Audrey asks me carefully.
“Definitely fine with it.”
“You’re sure?” Miles asks. “Because if you’re not—”
“I’m fine with it,” I say solidly.
“Okay, cool,” Miles says. “Looks like we just need flour, but if you want something else to eat, then pick that up too.”
“He’s going to have pizza like us,” Noah says, grabbing my hand and tugging me toward the door but he isn’t strong enough to move me.
“JJ doesn’t like pizza,” Miles explains.
“What?” Noah screeches. “Are you an alien?”
“Maybe,” I say with a shrug. “You ready to go?”
“Yep!”
“He’ll have to grab a coat on the way out, but the door is unlocked,” Audrey explains.
I kiss Miles on the cheek, which leaves him perplexed but satisfied.
Noah hugs his mom, and then we’re out the door.
It takes him two seconds to run into the apartment and get his coat.
I wait in the doorway, feeling strange about going in when no one is there and I don’t know her like that.
From the doorway, I see the layout is similar to Miles’, but it looks backwards.
Audrey’s kitchen is at the front of the house, while Miles’ is at the back. Odd, but not unheard of.
“I’m ready, JJ!”
“Okay, bud. Let’s get going.” I close the apartment door, and we head outside.
I help him into my truck, because it’s big, and he struggles to step up. He gets into the back and buckles up, then I get into the front.
“This is a big truck,” he says. “I’ve never been in one before.”
“Well, it’s small compared to the fire trucks.”
He laughs. “Everything is small compared to those!”
“That is very true.” I back up and head down the road to the nearest store.
I’ve never, not a single time in my life, ever gone anywhere with a kid before.
Not alone. Not with anyone else. I don’t have kids.
I don’t have friends who have kids. My brothers don’t have kids.
The most interaction I’ve had with them is when we go to school to talk to them or when I’m saving them.
But I try not to think about that while I’m with Noah because I don’t need to let my stressful job bleed into every part of my life outside of work. He’s a good kid. Well-behaved. His mother and Miles wouldn’t have let him come with me if they thought he’d misbehave or something would happen.
“Should I hold your hand?” I ask when we get out of the car. The parking lot is spacious and there are cars everywhere.
“No, I’m good,” he says.
“Okay, but stay close.”
“I will.”
We get into the store without issue.
“Do we need a cart?” he asks.
“Do you wanna push it?”
“Heck yeah!”
“Then sure.”
He grabs a cart and the automatic doors to the grocery store open to let us through. The scent of flowers hit my nose, and I spot them from the corner of my eye.
“Hey, let’s stop over here first.”
Noah follows me into the small area that has many bouquets of flowers. I find one that has a mix of blue and purple and put them in the cart.
“Who are those for?”
“Uncle Miles.”
“Boys don’t get flowers,” he says, frowning.
“Anyone can get flowers,” I tell him. “Don’t you think they’re pretty?”
He looks at the ones in the cart, then at another bouquet still on the shelf. “I like those better.”
They’re very colorful. Oranges, pinks, yellows. Like a sunset.
“They are nice. Do you want to get them for your mom?”
“I don’t have any money. I’m not old enough for a job.”
I laugh. This kid is funny.
“How about I let you borrow the money then?”
“Okay,” he says. “But I won’t be able to pay you back for a long time.”
Shaking my head, I grab the flowers and put them next to the other ones. I find the aisle that has the baking ingredients and choose a five-pound bag of flour. Should be enough.
“Can I get a snack?” Noah asks as we make our way to the register.
“Are you allowed snacks?”
“Yeah, Mom usually lets me pick one out, but I have to wait to eat it until after dinner.”
“You’re a good kid, Noah. You can get two snacks.”
“Two?” he gasps. “Wow.”
I’m impressed he isn’t lying to get his way. He’s fully respecting his mother’s wishes and being honest with me. It’s sweet.
“Actually, do you think we should get a cake or something? For dessert?” I say, looking around to see if I can spot where the bakery is.
“Hmm…” He taps his chin. “That sounds like a good idea… but only if I can still get my snacks too.”
I laugh and turn the cart in the other direction. “Of course, bud.”
We get brownies instead of a cake, because according to Noah, everyone prefers that. I’m trusting him. While we’re in line, he picks out two Twix bars for his snack.
“You know,” he says. “Uncle Miles really likes these.” He points to the Kit-Kat bar.
“Does he?”
“Yep. He’d probably be really happy if you bought it for him.”
I don’t know why it sounds like this kid is giving me pointers, but I’ll take it. I grab the king-sized Kit-Kat and put it on the belt with the other stuff.
“Wait, what about your mom? We can’t forget her.”
“That’s what the second Twix is for,” he says with a smile.
Fuck, can this kid be any more thoughtful?
“But what are you going to get?” he asks.
“Oh, I’m good. The brownies are enough.”
He shrugs. “If you say so.”
Noah helps the lady bag the few groceries we have and even thanks her as we’re leaving. We get back into the truck, and I glance at him in the rearview mirror.
“Hey, Noah?”
“Yeah?” he says, looking up and finding my gaze in the mirror.
“You’re a good kid. Don’t ever change, okay?”
He smiles. “Okay.”