26. William
26
WILLIAM
T he kids were crowded around my kitchen island, happily munching on crispy bacon, eggs, and a smorgasbord of pancakes. Chocolate chips for Kylie and me, blueberries for Hunter, and strawberries for Zoey.
Logan was the last to emerge, lured downstairs by the smell of breakfast food. He lumbered into the kitchen and made himself a breakfast sandwich, smashing leftover bacon and eggs drizzled with syrup between two plain pancakes.
Seeing everyone together in my house, carefree and happy, put a smile on my face.
I really need to send a thank you note to the inventors of Bisquick.
With all of them settled, I loaded up a plate, grabbed a mug of coffee, and snuck into my room to surprise Kristin with a little breakfast in bed.
The creak of the door startled her awake.
“Huh? I’m up, I’m up!” She sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Shit. Am I late for work?”
I chuckled and kicked the door shut behind me. “You’re off today, Sunshine. Remember? ”
She flopped back against the pillows and laughed. “I can’t remember the last time I slept in this late.”
“Sleep well?”
She nodded. “So good. How’s it going out there? The kids haven’t gone all Home Alone on you yet, have they?”
Food in hand, I shuffled over and slid her breakfast onto the nightstand. “No paint can concussions, icy steps, or blowtorches.” I pressed a kiss to her temple. “But the day is still young.”
“I’ll be out in a sec. Just need to get dressed and brush?—”
“Sit,” I said firmly, then pointed to her breakfast. “And eat.”
“Will,” she groaned. “You’re spoiling me too much. I need to get up and check in on the kids.”
“The kids are fine. They’re eating breakfast. When they’re done, I’ll tell them to get dressed and then take them out to play in oncoming traffic. If we have time, I’ll teach them to put forks in light sockets. Might even let them run with scissors.”
Kristin hurled a pillow at me. “Smartass.”
I snickered as it ricocheted off my body. I headed out the door and left her to stew. The woman needed a fucking break, and damn it, I was going to give it to her.
“So, what are we supposed to do?” Hunter asked when I made it back to the kitchen.
Four sets of eyes turned to me. I couldn’t tell if they were planning a mutiny or awaiting further instruction.
“Well, what do you want to do?” I asked.
“I wanna finish my book,” Hunter said.
“Cool with me.”
“Can we play outside?” Zoey asked, swinging her feet back and forth.
I shrugged. “Yeah, it should be pretty nice outside. I’ll be in the backyard if y’all wanna join me.”
They quickly loaded their plates and forks into the dishwasher, then disappeared into their rooms to change clothes .
I wandered outside with a cup of coffee and sat down on one of the Adirondack chairs I had lined up on the edge of the waterfront. There were four chairs, but I only ever used one. Maybe it was time to get two more.
I didn’t want to make things weird by lingering in the house. I decided to let them come to me. The kids were responsible and respectful. I didn’t know jack shit about parenting, so making up ground rules as I went would have to do.
To my surprise, Logan was the first one out the door. He wandered toward me with his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans.
“Hunter is in his room,” Logan said as he drew closer. “The girls are still gettin’ dressed. Zoey wanted braids, but Kylie isn’t good at doing them. It’s taking her forever ‘cause she doesn’t wanna bother Kris.”
I patted the chair beside me. “Women are a handful.”
He smirked.
“How’d you like the room?” I asked before sipping my coffee. It was lukewarm now, but I didn’t mind. “The video games I have up there are kind of outdated. I figured if you let me know what you like, I can pick some new ones up.”
“You don’t have to buy us shit, you know.” His words carried a sharp edge. A warning that the fleeting moment of affection he showed last night was just that—fleeting.
“I know,” I said calmly.
Teenagers confused the shit out of me. Even though I preferred computers, working as a civilian defense contractor taught me how to deal with all kinds of people. Letting the emotions of others direct a conversation always led to disaster.
“There aren’t many things that I have to do,” I said. “I just do what I want.”
He cut his eyes at me, then looked back at the water. A smile flickered at the corner of his mouth. “That guitar’s real nice. ”
I chuckled. “Yeah, she plays real nice, too.”
“It’s yours?”
I nodded.
“You know how to play?”
I shrugged. “Used to play in college. It helped with the stress. I haven’t played in a while, but I figured you might like to give it a go.” With a grin, I added, “It helped me pick up girls. That’s why I learned how to play.”
Logan snorted in disbelief. “My sister says you look like Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds put together. Even I know that’s not a bad thing. No way you had trouble picking up girls.”
“Maybe not now, but back then? I was a lanky computer nerd with zero social skills. My body hadn’t filled out. I had the metabolism of a hummingbird. My height just made me look skinny as hell. Being a six-foot-four computer geek in baggy clothes didn’t make me much of a catch.”
I caught him trying not to laugh.
“I went to college on an academic scholarship, so I busted my ass to keep my grades up. I practically lived in the library and never set foot in a gym. On top of that, I got friend-zoned by every girl I liked. Literally all of them.” I cracked a smile. “It was brutal.”
Logan laughed and shook his head as he watched a crisp white sailboat cruise up the Neuse River.
“So, I started leaving my dorm room a little more. Started working out and put on a little weight. I saved up and got the guitar that’s sitting in your room. Music is math and art put together, so it made sense in my head. I taught myself how to play. The ladies, uh, they quite liked it.”
With a smirk, Logan quipped, “So, you’re saying we should change ourselves to make other people like us.”
I snorted. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Never be true to yourself. All those Disney movies telling you otherwise are just setting you up for failure. ”
Logan grinned. “Very inspirational. You should write a children’s book.”
“Agreed,” I said, laughing as I clapped him on the shoulder. “No, that’s not what I meant, smart ass. I’m just saying it’s okay to look in the mirror and not like what you see. I didn’t make changes for the approval of others. I saw potential in myself that I wasn’t living up to and decided to get out of my own way. Sometimes circumstances limit the choices available to us, but that doesn’t mean we have to let them make our decisions for us. No one ever wandered into being a better version of themselves. You have to take control of your life instead of being a bystander in your own story.”
Logan nodded, but remained quiet. Finally, he cleared his throat. “Think you could teach me how to play? Guitar, I mean.”
“Yeah, man. I’d love to.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes as boats floated by. The weather was crisp and the current was smooth—a perfect day for sailing. Leaves rustled overhead as the wind whipped off the water.
“Must suck to have to leave this place and come to our house,” Logan muttered as he stretched his legs out.
“Nah.” I mimicked his posture. “I like going to y’all’s place.”
“Kristin hates when people come over,” he said, glancing at me. “Well, except you. I just mean she hates it when Miss Hannah Jane or Steve and Chase come by. I know it’s because we live in a trailer.”
“I grew up in a trailer.” I cut my eyes over at him. “There’s no shame in it. Good people live in all types of homes.”
Logan was quiet, so I took the chance and changed the subject—one I knew Kristin had been bugging him about.
“You ready to graduate?” I asked.
Logan scoffed. “They ain’t gonna let me graduate. I’ll probably just drop out. ”
A flare of anger pulsed through my veins. He didn’t sound lazy. He sounded defeated. “Why?”
Logan shrugged. “I hate school. I’m not good at it. My teachers suck and my grades suck.”
“What are your plans after June, then?”
He shrugged again. “Dunno. Figured I could get a job working construction or something.”
“Construction jobs pay well,” I said. “You ever thought about going to community college for HVAC? Those guys make bank.”
“Probably couldn’t get in.”
“You wanna bet?”
Logan snickered sarcastically. “I gave up on winning at life a while ago.”
“Do you want to go to college?” I pressed.
He looked out at the water, jaw flaring with irritation.
Good . I wanted him angry. Anger would give him the drive to fight for something .
“It’s a nice thought,” he said. “But we don’t have money for it. Not even for community college.”
His attitude was getting on my last nerve. I needed him to fuckin’ believe in himself.
“Well, how about this,” I said. “If Kris says it’s cool, let me help you with your homework. Give it your best for the rest of the school year. If you graduate and get into college, I’ll pay for it.”
Logan eyed me suspiciously. “And if I don’t graduate?”
“Then you go find a job. Sounds like you’ve already got that ending planned out.”
“What if you and Kris break up?” he asked.
It was a fair question, but it also made me think about the engagement ring I had looked at a few days ago. I considered telling Logan about my plans to propose to Kristin, but thought better of it. It had no bearing on my promise .
“I don’t see that happening,” I said. “But my word is good no matter what happens.”
Footsteps swished through the grass behind us, drawing closer and closer. I glanced over my shoulder and found Kristin coming toward us, bundled up in jeans and my old MIT sweatshirt.
“There you are,” she said with a pretty smile. Her arms crossed around her middle. “I looked everywhere for you.”
“Hey, beautiful,” I said, tilting my head up.
She leaned down and gave me a chaste kiss.
“What are you boys doing out here?”
“Just talking,” I said. “Hunter was going to hang out in his room. Did you see Kylie and Zoey inside? I thought they were coming out.”
Kristin jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “Yeah, they’re on their way down now.” She dropped her hands on top of Logan’s shoulders. “Morning, kid.”
“Hey,” he grunted.
She snorted. “Y’all are a lively bunch.”
Logan pressed his hands against the wooden armrests and pushed out of the chair. “I’m gonna go inside and work on some stuff for school.”
Kristin frowned. “Lo, I told you to just relax today. We can work on it together tomorrow night.”
He shrugged. “I wanna get a head-start on it. If Zo and Ky are out here, it’ll be quiet inside.”
Kristin raised her eyebrows. “Okay,” she said, giving his arm a squeeze. “Let me know if you need anything.”
She started for Logan’s vacant seat, but I wrapped my arms around her hips and pulled her down into my lap. Her ass wiggled against my crotch as she settled on top of me.
“So, what was that about?” she asked once Logan was out of earshot. “He’s never taken initiative with his homework. It’s like pulling teeth to get him to even open his backpack. ”
“Must’ve gotten a little motivation,” I said, kissing my way up her neck.
Kristin hummed happily and melted into my arms.
“Are you having a good morning, Sunshine?” I asked.
“Mhmm, the best,” she said in a sigh, closing her eyes in contentment. “I don’t want today to end.”
I pressed my lips to the nape of her neck. “Me either. And as much as I want to haul you back to bed, I enjoy having everyone here. A lot.”
“You mean that?”
“Of course,” I said, smiling. “You know, I was thinking… The kids will be on Thanksgiving break soon.”
“Yeah?”
“And I’m guessing you still have to work.”
Kristin nodded.
“Do you let them stay home alone while you’re at the inn?”
“I usually try to have someone stop by for a few hours. Erica’s a huge help.”
“What if y’all stayed here while they’re on break? I know it’ll double your drive to work, but they can hang out here. I’ll be around. You won’t have to worry about babysitters and schedules or them being unsupervised. And as a bonus, I get you in my bed.”
Kristin’s lips pursed into a hard line. “A little birdy told me you like to let kids run with knives.”
“Scissors, sweetheart.”
She snickered. “I’ll think about it.”
Quiet solitude had always been my preference, so I was surprised by how much I loved having a noisy house. It had been a full day, but it was the best one I’d had in a long time. I’d been having more of those best days as of late, thanks to Kristin.
I wanted to press harder until she agreed to stay here over Thanksgiving, but I decided to let it go for now.
She agreed to think about it, and that was a win. I didn’t want to scare her off. Kristin could be stubborn as a mule. If she felt cornered, she’d dig her heels in and outright refuse.
Before long it was time for us to head back to Havelock. The moment Kristin told them to go pack their bags, the waterworks erupted.
Zoey wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist and begged not to leave. All four kids argued for one more night and begged Kris to not make them go home.
If it had been up to me, I would’ve hitched their house to my truck and hauled it over just to make moving in easier.
But Kristin and her pride told the kids to load up in the truck.
“Kris, they can stay another night,” I whispered as the kids sulked their way out the door. “I don’t have anything going on.”
She shook her head. “I have to work tomorrow, they have schoolwork, and we need to get back into a routine before Monday.”
“Kristin—”
She put her hand up. “Don’t argue with me about this too, Will. I need you to be on my side.”
“Wanting to spend more time with them doesn’t mean I’m not on your side.”
“This went well.” She ran her hand back through her hair and looked up at the top of the door frame. “Like, really well. But I need space to check in with them and see how they’re doing with all of it.”
I cupped her cheeks. “They’re okay, and they’re resilient. It’s you I’m worried about running out on me.”
Kristin popped up on her toes and pecked my lips. “I’m not running.”
Reluctantly, I grabbed my keys and headed for the truck.