Chapter 14
Julia
Yet again, getting dressed to see Marcus had me trying on different outfits. My black dress was too formal, and my wrap dress implied I was trying too hard. I settled on a burgundy wrap tank top and jeans. According to Leanne, I looked sexy.
“He’s going to lose his mind,” she said from the doorway of my bathroom.
No doubt I looked good because Leanne would have told me if I didn’t. It was nice to have someone I could trust completely.
“Thanks.” I fluffed my hair, admiring the volume of my twist-out. I added dangling earrings to my ears, and my look was complete.
I turned to face her, overcome with sadness.
She and the girls were moving out tomorrow.
She and her husband had both been playing a game of chicken, neither wanting to be the one to give in first, but the last time he came to pick up the girls, he dropped to his knees and begged Leanne to come home.
“How much more do you have to pack?” I asked.
“I’m at the point where I’m tossing clothes into trash bags because I. Am. Tired.” She blew out a breath.
I pouted. “It’s going to be awfully quiet around here after you guys leave.”
“Please, we’ve been crowding you in your space. I’m sure you’ll be happy to have your living room back and a quiet apartment when you come home after a long day at work.”
“Don’t be too sure. I kind of liked being handed a glass of wine when I walked in the door and having a hot meal waiting for me.”
We both laughed and then slowly sobered. I’d miss them, but I was glad she and her husband had reconciled, and he promised to be more present and considerate of her feelings moving forward.
“I better go before I’m late.” I sprayed perfume on my wrists and neck, the latter reminding me of how Marcus’s lips had caressed my sensitive skin. My inner thighs tingled from the memory.
I grabbed my purse. “Bye,” I said as I headed to the front door.
“Have fun!” Leanne said.
“Bye, Aunt Julia!” the girls hollered.
The drive to Marcus’s condo didn’t take long. When I arrived, he opened the door with a smile and gave me a hug. I pressed myself against him, enjoying the warmth of his embrace and his clean, masculine smell.
“Where’s Noah?” I asked as I stepped inside.
He had a nice open floor plan, with modern furniture and windows that provided an impressive view of the Houston skyline.
The place was clean and organized, but I saw evidence of a child in the home.
Noah’s backpack was on a stand near the door, his drawings were mounted on the front of the refrigerator with magnets, and a pile of toys was stuffed into a corner of the living room.
“I told him you were coming, but he already fell asleep,” Marcus said, pointing.
Sure enough, Noah was curled up under a blanket on the sofa.
“How’s he been doing?” I whispered, placing my purse on a table beside the sofa.
“According to the therapist, he’s going to be fine. She said I’m doing all the right things to reassure him.”
I was really impressed by Marcus’s dedication. He seemed like the typical bachelor, but rather than having his life upended by the responsibility of taking care of a child, somehow he had managed to pivot and embrace his role as a surrogate parent.
“I ordered the pizza about thirty minutes ago, so it should be here soon. I’ll put him to bed, and we can have a drink while we wait. Wine good?”
“Wine or a beer or juice or whatever you have is fine by me.”
“You drink beer?” he asked, sounding surprised.
“Oh yeah. I’m a Full Moon girlie. I love everything the Johnson family put out, including the specialty flavors around different holidays.”
“See, I knew I liked you. That’s my favorite brand too. I have a couple of bottles of their lager in the refrigerator. Help yourself while I put him to bed.”
As he carefully picked up Noah, I went into the kitchen and helped myself to one of his bottled brews. Tilting back my head, I took a big sip and examined the pictures on the door of the stainless steel refrigerator.
“Those top two he made in school, and the other four he drew here. I let him decide which ones he thinks are the best, and we put those on the refrigerator.”
“He has real talent. I can actually see that’s a goat, and those are sheep and ducks. When my goddaughter Paige draws a picture, I can’t decipher what she drew. I always feel like I’m looking at hieroglyphics.”
“Not hieroglyphics,” Marcus said with a laugh.
“I’m afraid so.”
We both fell silent.
“I can’t believe you’re actually here in my house. You look amazing. I like your hair like that.”
“Thanks,” I said, feeling a little bashful.
He edged closer and kissed my cheek. Then he inhaled deeply. “You smell good too,” he added huskily.
Maybe it was because of the kiss at my workplace, but there seemed to be an inordinate amount of sexual tension between us. I touched his firm chest. “How much do you work out?”
“I used to be a fanatic, but I don’t go to the gym as much anymore, especially since...”
“Noah entered your life?”
“Yeah. I used to go after work, but I need to figure out how to reincorporate exercise into my schedule. Why do you ask?”
“I can tell you have an incredible body.”
“You’re making me blush.”
“I doubt you’re the blushing type,” I said.
Slowly, we both stopped smiling. He took my hand and slipped it beneath the hem of his shirt, the movement slow and unhurried.
Warm skin met my palm as I smoothed my hand over his solid flesh.
His muscles tightened, reacting to my touch.
I inhaled softly, my eyes locked on his as he watched me the entire time.
I eased my hand across the ridges of his abdomen and then inched upward, the faint rasp of his chest hairs grazing my fingers.
“You’re staring,” I murmured.
“So are you.”
My thumb traced the edge of his pec and encountered the steady thudding of his heart beneath bone and muscle. Much faster than before.
He stepped closer, erasing the small space between us. My hand remained under his shirt, trapped between us and pressed against his chest. Without breaking eye contact, he lifted the bottle of beer from my other hand and placed it on the counter.
“You were making a comment about my body.”
“Was I?”
“Yeah. You said something about it being incredible?”
“Oh yeah,” I breathed. My body throbbed with longing. I tilted my lips higher, desperate for him to kiss me.
His eyes became heavy-lidded as they dipped to my lips. “I can’t concentrate when I’m so close to you.”
“Then stop trying.”
A smile ghosted his mouth, and his hand slid to the small of my back, urging me closer until the tips of my breasts pressed into his chest. The tension between us cracked and coiled tighter.
But just as he started lowering his head, a knock sounded at the door.
Marcus paused, his eyes locked on my parted lips, my entire body tight with anticipation.
He cursed softly and reluctantly pulled back. “I need to get that. It’s probably our food.”
Disappointed, I slipped my hand from under his shirt. He went to the door, and sure enough, a man stood outside with our pizza. I picked up my beer and moved to the table, and when Marcus brought over the pizza, we sat down to eat.
The hunger we had felt for each other transferred to the food.
Marcus told me the restaurant was a spot a couple of miles away that he frequented because they had great prices and the food was delicious, and he wasn’t kidding.
Half pepperoni and half sausage, it was genuinely the best pizza I’d ever had.
We talked as we ate about all sorts of topics. This wasn’t the fancy date I had envisioned when he first asked me out, but I believed it was just as good in a different way—comfortable and relaxing without the formality of a fine dining restaurant.
I learned a lot about him as we chatted.
We both enjoyed the outdoors—hiking, fishing, camping—and I also learned that he skied, something I had never personally tried.
He had attended Black Ski Weekend in Colorado for the past five years straight, though he admitted he wasn’t only going for the skiing.
He was originally from Atlanta, where his parents and sisters currently lived with their families. I told him I was the youngest of four and that my parents had passed away a few years apart. My siblings all lived in other states, but we kept in touch through a family group chat.
After we finished eating, we moved to the living room, and Marcus turned on Netflix.
“What are you in the mood for? Action, drama...”
“Let’s watch a romantic comedy.”
“Whatever the lady wants.”
After sliding through a few options, he selected a movie and clicked start.
“Oh, I almost forgot. I wanted to show you the ties Noah and I chose. I’ll be right back.” He left the room and returned with five ties.
“These are nice. I love this one,” I said, holding up the tie with Batman and Robin on it.
“As soon as he saw that one, he practically screamed with joy. I had to buy it.”
“And with these other two, you both match. How sweet.”
“That’s what he wanted. I figure in another couple of weeks we can buy more ties if he’s interested.”
“I’m sure he will be.” I placed the ties on the table in front of us. “But, um, you’re talking like someone who expects to have Noah here for the long term.”
“Yeah.” He rubbed his hands together. “I’m going to keep him.”
My eyes widened. “When did you decide this?”
“The night he ran away. He trusts me, Julia, and I can’t let him down.”
“Is that the only reason?” I asked gently.
“Nah. He hasn’t lived with me very long, but I can’t imagine my life without him anymore. He’s more than my little buddy. He’s...” He searched for the right word.
“Your son?” I supplied.
“Yeah,” he said, nodding slowly.
“You know what I think? Brandon and Stacey knew you better than you knew yourself. They knew you would take care of their son like he was your own, and that’s why they chose you as his guardian—over anyone else in their family, including his Aunt Zenobia in Tennessee.
No matter what shortcomings you thought you had, they saw right through you and knew you were the right person. ”
He stretched a hand across the back of the sofa and played with a strand of my hair. “There you go again, trying to make me blush.”
I leaned in and kissed his bearded cheek, the hairs on his jaw gently scraping my lips. We snuggled together, me resting right under his arm. Then he kissed my temple, and I contentedly relaxed against him to watch the movie.