39. Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Lilly
I t was two thirty Friday afternoon, and I pulled into an already crazy-long pickup line at Orlinda Valley Elementary School. I put the car in park and rolled down the windows. It was a beautiful afternoon, still warm enough to enjoy the waning summer days but with a little less humidity so the heat wasn’t squelching.
I glanced through the statistics book I’d picked up earlier at the community college library after I registered for my classes. I was starting with statistics and biology on Mondays and Wednesdays, and on Fridays I had a math lab—since my entrance exam scores were a little low—and my biology lab. My classes were all at eight o’clock in the morning through lunch; then my plan was to stay on campus and study in the library until it was time to pick up Madeline.
I waved to Brenda, another mother whose daughter was in the same class as the girls, as she pulled up in the line next to me and rolled down her passenger side window. She leaned across the seat and spoke out of the window toward me. “Zyanna and Zeek are excited about tomorrow. Do you think they’ll be able to swim?”
I leaned my arm on the window and leaned out a bit so she could hear me better as well. “They sure will. The pool is still nice. So, make sure they wear their swimsuits.” Tomorrow was Madeline’s birthday, and we were having her Moana party at my mother’s. Along with the Hawaiian theme, they were going to swim.
“Great. I’ll drop them off at one.”
“Perfect. I’m glad they’ll be there, and James will be excited to have another boy to hang with,” I answered.
We said our goodbyes as the doors to the school opened, and little people burst forth. I spotted Madeline, Darcie, and Lena immediately. They were standing with Zyanna and some of their new friends. Madeline’s face was lit up with excitement. I was so thankful that she was happy and settling in.
Finally, it was my turn, and all three girls climbed into my car. Rose had started a part-time job at the doctor’s office in town this week, so I picked up the girls most days. This worked perfectly. It gave me time I loved with some of my favorite little people, and I always knew at some point I’d get to see Jamison. Today, though, was Friday, and we were stopping at Shear Perfection.
“Who wants to stop by Frosty Freeze and get milkshakes before we go to the salon?”
My question was met with highly enthusiastic me’s and squeals, which woke up every cell in me that might have possibly been exhausted. We drove the short drive—everything in Orlinda Valley was a short drive—to Frosty Freeze, waited in line with what seemed like every other kindergarten parent, and ordered milkshakes. Two strawberries, and one vanilla for Lena, then it was off to Shear Perfection.
The grandmothers were waiting for the girls with open arms. They had planned a celebration for the completion of the first week of school and the beginning of birthday weekend. To say my mother was going overboard for Madeline’s fifth birthday was an understatement. I couldn’t argue with her, though, as this was her first birthday to celebrate with Maddy in person.
I followed Summer as she got the girls situated at the pedicure stations. They continued sipping their milkshakes.
“Your hair’s pretty, Summer,” I said. The woman who was always doing something out there with her hair for as long as I could remember had suddenly started coloring it more normal colors, and now it looked as close as ever to her original light brown I remembered from high school.
“Thanks,” she answered. “I decided it was time to start growing up a bit. I’m over crazy hair color, for now, anyway. We’ll see how long before I get an itch to try something new.” She turned her attention to the girls. “So what colors are we going to do on these, little women?”
I stood back and watched as the girls chose their colors, and Diane and my mother came and joined Summer. Spa day had officially started, and I was in the way. I needed coffee and went into the kitchen to roast a Keurig pod.
“So, you made it through the first week of your baby in kindergarten,” Tonya commented as she took a seat at the table with a can of Diet Coke in her hand.
I nodded and sat with her. “I did.” That’s all I said. She wasn’t just in here to chit-chat about the girls’ week. She was fishing for information about me and Jamison. Since Monday’s day of college searches and admissions of love and desire for each other, the week had been fun. I’d cleaned his house again on Tuesday, and to my surprise, he came home from work at noon, and we had each other for lunch and dessert. Wednesday, we had pizza night with the girls and stole kisses and touches without the girls noticing.
Tonight, we are having a date night and shopping for some last-minute things for tomorrow’s party. The kids were having their weekly camp out this week at Tonya’s, and I was looking forward to a camp out of my own in Jamison’s bed, which was what Tonya was fishing for—where I was going to spend my night and with whom.
“Did you get your college classes set up?” she asked.
Again, I nodded. “I did.”
She narrowed her eyes and studied me intently. “You’re being very unforthcoming with your explanations.”
“Not true at all,” I said as I sat up tall and smirked at her. “I’m just answering your questions directly.”
“Fine, then.” She sat tall to meet my eyes. “Then I will ask a direct question and stop dillydallying. What are your plans for tonight since the girls will be out of the house? Are you planning a sleepover of your own?”
“Don’t answer that, Lilly-Pad.” Jamison’s deep voice and footsteps filled my ears, and my heart flipped in my chest. He leaned down and kissed me lightly and held my gaze. “What you do on your child-free night is none of my nosy mother’s business.”
“Nosy mother? Is that a respectful way to talk about the woman who was in hard labor for forty-eight hours and gave birth to you?”
“Oh, please, Mom. Don’t try to guilt me with how much trouble I gave you during childbirth and how long it took you to recover. If it was so bad, you wouldn’t have had any more children.”
“Well, it was bad. Your dad and I planned on having three babies back-to-back, but you traumatized me so much, I had to wait two years before I could think of pushing another watermelon out my hoo-ha.”
I about spit out my coffee and choked on it.
“Seriously, Mom?” He pulled me out of my chair, and I got control of my choking. I don’t know why Tonya surprised me. She didn’t say anything out of the ordinary. “Come on. I want to say hi to the girls and get you out of here. I want to hear all about your day.”
Our fingers intertwined, and I smiled into his soft blue eyes. “Sounds great to me.”
He let go of my hands long enough to kiss Tonya’s cheek. “Love you, Mom. Sorry, I gave you such a hard time thirty-six years ago.”
“Oh, baby boy, I’ve forgiven you. Don’t you worry your handsome little self about it anymore.”
I laughed as Jamison rolled his eyes.
The girls were getting manicures when we found them. “Daddy!” Darcie wiggled her fingers toward his face.
“Beautiful, princess.” He kissed her head.
Madeline and Lena wiggled their fingers at him in the same way.
“Y’all have the same color.”
“It’s princess pink, and we wanted to match for my birthday,” Madeline told him.
“And we’re all going to wear our same swimsuit tomorrow,” Lena said.
“Yep. We need everyone to know we’re princess sisters. Princess Lena, Princess Madeline, and Princess Darcie.”
“Princess sisters, huh?” I said, my hands on my hips.
“Yep,” Madeline answered. “We don’t have flower names like you and Rose, but we wanted names the same so we could be sisters just like you.”
Jamison shook his head. “God help Orlinda Valley,” he said with his eyes to the ceiling. “Do me a favor,” he said as he crouched in front of them, all three sets of eyes on him. “Be sweet cheerleaders and not the terrors of the town.”
“What?” I squealed and slapped him. “We were not terrors.”
“That’s not what I remember,” he teased.
“Well, if you want to go shopping with me tonight, I suggest you stop this conversation now,” I warned.
“And if you want to keep things under wraps,” Summer said. “I suggest you two get out of here as soon as possible. We need to finish the princesses’ nails, and you’re bothering me—Seriously.” She shooed us away.
“Bye, girls,” I said as I backed away with a chuckle. She was right. We needed to leave. We said our goodbyes and decided to go on our shopping trip in his truck. I climbed in, he pulled out of the parking lot, then pulled into the Dollar General parking lot down the street.
“Jamison, what the . . .” I didn’t finish my sentence. He had the car in park, my seatbelt unbuckled, and pulled me to him in the hottest kiss of my memory. It went on for a while and was so hot and deep that a moan escaped from my throat.
Finally, he pulled away but lingered close. “I couldn’t wait any longer and didn’t want little eyes to see.”
“That’s fine, but maybe shopping can wait.” I dragged my nails up his chest to his neck. “Maybe a quick tryst in bed would cool us both down.”
He moaned as my hand slid down his body toward the waist of his jeans. “Woman,” he clasped my hand and stopped its descent, “that sounds amazing, but I think we better get shopping. I’ve been fantasizing about tonight all day, and with what I have planned for you, we won’t be leaving my bed till morning.”
I smiled wickedly as I moved over and buckled my seat belt. “Then let’s get shopping over with. I want to know what you have planned. It sounds exciting.”