Harley
My phone pings, alerting me of a text message. When I look down at the screen, I see Jasper’s name and read his text message.
JASPER
Just landed, on my way home from the airport.
It’s been two whole months since Jasper decided he needed some time away after telling me that he couldn’t trust himself to not fall in love with me. But when he mentioned he would be going away for a while, he didn’t tell me that ‘a while’ was going to be two very long and complicated months. I haven’t told him about what happened with Kit at school. I figured that’s a conversation best had in person. Although the matter has been dealt with and Kit has served his punishment, there is still the subject of the medical expenses that Jasper is responsible for. As I put away the laundry, I make my way back down the stairs to find Drew and Candy standing in the kitchen.
“Do you expect me to believe that Jasper hasn’t seen or communicated with his children in two months?”
Candy asks.
“I never said that. That was your conclusion,”
Drew replies.
“Did he at least say where he was going and when he’d be home?”
“Probably to get away from you cause you’re such a nosy cow,”
Drew tells her.
I walk over to them just in time to see Candy pin her with a death glare, and just as she’s about to open her mouth to speak, I intervene.
“Jasper just texted; he’s on his way home from the airport.”
Candy straightens up from where she’s leaning over the counter, her mug in one hand, and she shifts her eyes from Drew to me.
“Oh, I didn’t get any text message. When did he send it?”
“What a surprise, not everything is about you, you know?”
Drew says.
“Shut up,”
Candy snaps.
“He sent it just a few minutes ago while I was doing the laundry, so my guess is he’ll be home shortly.”
“Well, I guess I better get a start on dinner quickly then.”
Drew moves from where she’s standing at the counter and goes over to the pantry where she begins taking out items for dinner. Candy moves toward me and stops when she’s standing only inches away from me.
“What else did Jasper say in his text?”
she whispers.
“Nothing, and even if he did, I wouldn’t tell you unless he asked me to.”
Surprised by my remark, she frowns and gives me a dirty look. I’ve been in this family long enough now to know how this chick operates. Even though she knows Jasper is gay, she never ceases to try and get his attention for affection. Not that the woman needs to try too hard. I mean, she is drop-dead gorgeous and could without a doubt fulfill a man’s sexual desire if, of course, he was interested in the opposite sex. Drew, on the other hand, thrives at torturing the woman every opportunity she gets. I swear if the two of them didn’t hate one another, you’d almost certainly be convinced that they were sisters.
Candy takes another sip of whatever liquid is in her mug, then grabs the newspaper resting on the table and leaves the room. I make myself a mug of coffee and look at Drew as she prepares the dinner for this evening.
“Meatloaf?” I ask.
“Jasper’s favorite,”
she replies.
“That won’t be ready for hours and Jasper is on his way home. He’s going to want to eat when he gets here.”
“I know, which is why I’m going to make a platter with some cheese, ham, and crackers; that should tie him over until dinner is ready.”
At that moment, the doors to the kitchen swing open and Violet walks in, holding a piece of paper in her hand.
“?”
“Yes, sweets?”
“Can you please help me with my homework?”
“I can try. What is it you need help with?” I ask.
“Algebra.”
I look at her with wide eyes. “Algebra? Since when did they start teaching algebra in junior high?”
“Don’t look at me. I suck at math,”
Drew says.
“Come on, sweets, let’s sit down and try and work this out together.”
Violet takes a seat at the table and I join her, then I look down at the paper filled with numbers and try to make sense of them. But no matter how long I stare at the numbers on the page, I just can’t seem to work out the equations.
“Sweetie, why don’t you ask one of your brothers to help you? I’m not really good at this stuff,”
I tell her, truthfully.
“Okay,”
she replies with a beaming smile.
She jumps out of her seat and walks through the doors. Just as I get out of my own seat, I hear the front door open and close and the sound of Jasper’s voice as he announces his arrival.
“Everyone, Daddy’s home,”
he shouts from the front door.
I hear the sound of footsteps running down the stairs and when I walk through the kitchen door into the living room, I find the children hugging their father, and Candy standing by the front door impatiently as she watches on.
“We missed you, Daddy,”
Violet tells him.
“And I missed you too, sweetheart,”
Jasper replies.
“And what about me?”
Candy asks.
“Of course, I missed you too, Candy, but you’re my business partner. It’s not really the same thing as missing my children who are my own flesh and blood.”
I continue to stand by the kitchen door, and he’s completely unaware that I’ve even entered the room. I remain quiet and just watch as one by one he hugs the kids, then he removes his coat and places it on the coatrack by the door. The four of them and Candy move into the living room. The kids and Candy take a seat on the couch and armchair, and just as Jasper is about to sit down, he finally notices me standing by the door.
“Oh, hello . I didn’t see you standing there.”
“It would appear not,”
I say, trying to sound cool and calm when deep down, all I want is a goddamn explanation from this man as to why he’s been gone so long. But this isn’t the time right now. I’ll let him enjoy the moment with his kids, and then later when we have the opportunity to be alone, I’ll lay it all on him. I take a seat on one of the armchairs and enjoy my coffee, while the kids snuggle up with their dad and play catch up. Then I notice Candy move toward me and make herself comfortable on the armrest of the armchair, this time holding a glass of brandy in her hand that she must have sneakily poured herself from the time she moved from the front door to beside me.
“Ever heard of personal space?”
I ask, glaring at her.
She ignores me and continues to watch the show of affection in front of us. Then she brings the glass of brandy to her lips and takes a sip.
“Coffee wasn’t doing it for you?” I ask.
“I need something a lot stronger than coffee if I’m going to sit here and watch him play happy family with his kids,”
she says not too loudly.
“So, the kids were right. You do hate them,” I say.
“What? Where did you hear a ridiculous thing like that?”
“From the children. They told me with their own mouths, all three of them. So, how do you explain that?”
“They just … I mean, they’ve obviously misheard something I’ve said.”
“So, you never told them that you don’t like them? They just made the whole thing up?”
“I didn’t say that. It’s just that somehow, they’ve misheard what I’ve said. I don’t hate them,”
she tries to assure me.
“But you don’t like them either, do you?”
Once again, she ignores me and as I stare at her, I notice her eyes all over Jasper. This chick is seriously obsessed with this man. I can see it in her eyes. Whenever he makes a move or a gesture, they widen and the way her mouth waters is almost sickening to watch. All I can do is sit and watch Jasper cuddle up with his children, even though deep down, I want to leap out of this chair and tear the man to shreds for being away so long without even a phone call.
After what feels like a lifetime, he finally looks up in my direction and notices me and Candy sitting on the armchair. He raises his eyebrows, almost in a way to acknowledge that the two of us had been sitting here this whole time and he hasn’t even noticed.
“Well, I’m starving. How about we all go out for dinner to celebrate my return.”
“Um, Drew’s preparing a rather impressive meatloaf. I wouldn’t want her to be disappointed after going to all that trouble,”
I tell him.
“We can have it tomorrow evening. I’ve missed everyone, and I think we should all go out together and you can all fill me in on what’s been happening here while I’ve been away,”
he says, smiling at the children.
That has me putting down my drink and getting to my feet. I move over to him and start gathering the children together.
“You heard your father, kids. Upstairs and get ready. I’ll have them down in ten minutes, Mr. Harding.”
I proceed to move out of the living room, with the kids leading the way up the stairs. I feel his eyes all over me before I hear him say something.
“That’s the first time you’ve called me Mr. Harding since you started working for us.”
“It is?”
I ask, trying to act all innocent and nonchalant.
“Yes. Why so formal?”
he questions.
“No reason. I didn’t even realize I’d said it,” I reply.
It’s the quickest response I can think of without trying to make it bluntly obvious that I’m pissed with the guy. I also have to remember that despite how angry I am with him right now, he is still my boss and pays my wages. I have to tread carefully.
“I best get the children ready, if you want to get them to the restaurant on time. Do I need to make a reservation for you?”
He looks at me, surprised and says, “Well, you’ll be joining us, so we can just make a reservation from the limo,” he says.
“Oh?”
I inquire. “I thought you would have liked to spend the time catching up with the children. I don’t want to intrude.”
“No intrusion. As I’ve already told you, , you’re now a part of this family, so it’s only natural that you join us. Now, how about you go and put on your best suit and I’ll see you down here with the children in a little while.”
Well, I guess that settles that.
I give him a forced smile, then make my way up the stairs and go to my room. After picking out my outfit, I lay it out on the bed and begin to undress.
When Jasper mentioned he wanted to go out to dinner and catch up with everyone, he wasn’t kidding. Even Candy came along for the little gathering, and of course, she made it a point to sit right beside Jasper and laughed at even the smallest and silliest jokes he would make over the dinner table. Drew sat beside me the entire evening, and all the two of us could do was watch on in disgust at her little show to try and win Jasper’s affection.
By the time we walk in the front door, I’m exhausted and seriously ready to crash and go straight to bed. One by one, the kids all remove their coats and I place them on the coatrack by the door, then I remove my own jacket and fold it over my arm as I begin to head upstairs.
“?”
I stop walking then turn to look at him.
“Yes, sir?”
He looks at me a little puzzled for a moment and says, “Could we have a word, please?”
I nod. I say goodnight to the kids as they go to their rooms, walk over to the coatrack and hang up my coat and then say goodbye to Candy who walks out the front door. I then hear Drew say goodnight as she heads to her room also. When it’s just Jasper and myself standing by the staircase, he moves to the living room, then tells me to sit down on the couch.
“, is there something wrong?” he asks.
“What makes you think there is something wrong?” I ask.
“You didn’t say a single word through dinner, and you’ve pretty much ignored me since I got home. Have I done something wrong?”
I sit in silence, choosing my words very carefully. The last thing I need is for this to blow up and I lose my job. But I also need him to understand that I’m angry and even hurt.
“Actually, there is something on my mind,”
I tell him.
“Care to enlighten me?”
I inhale a deep breath, then exhale.
“First off, you can start by telling me where you’ve been all this time?”
“I told you before I left that I needed to go away for a while. As for where I’ve been, I don’t see how that’s relevant or any of your business really.”
“A while? Two months isn’t exactly a while, Jasper. Not when I’m expected to stay here and look after your kids with not so much as an explanation as to where you’ve been or when you would be back.”
“Like I said, I had a lot of thinking to do, and I needed to get away to do that. And I did call the children every day.”
“And that makes everything all right, does it? What about me? You didn’t stop for one second to think what your actions were doing to me. You just pack up and leave for two months, with not even a phone call. Or email. Fuck, I would have even settled for a goddamn text. Something to let me know that you were alive.”
I can practically feel my blood boiling, now that everything is finally starting to come out in the open. I may as well go all in and tell the goddamn bastard just how hard things have been since he decided to jet set off to wherever it is he went.
“I don’t understand why you’re getting so worked up about this,” he says.
“Of course, you wouldn’t understand because you haven’t been around to see what’s happened these past couple of months.”
“Why don’t you stop talking in riddles and just tell me what you’re trying not to tell me.”
Asshole!
Okay, Mr. Harding … game on.
“I asked first. Where were you all this time? And don’t tell me on vacation or that you needed a break. I want to know the truth.”
He takes in a deep breath, then breathes out before slumping farther into the seat. He rests one hand on his thigh and the other on the armrest and begins tapping his fingers. He closes his eyes, then pinches the bridge of his nose.
“Okay, if you really must know, first I went to visit my in-laws. I haven’t seen them since before Valentine’s Day when they were here visiting the children. Then I went and visited my parents and sister in San Franscisco.”
Okay, that was unexpected.
“For two months?” I ask.
“After what I said that night, I thought it was best for everyone if I just left before I said too much more. You have to understand that my decision was for everyone’s best interest, especially yours.”
“So rather than stay here and talk it through like adults, you just up and leave? How is that being sensible?”
“I wasn’t aware that my personal affairs are any of your business, . I pay you to look after my children, not stick your nose in my business when it’s not required.”
Although he may have a valid point, it still doesn’t excuse what he did, and the fact that I am the one looking after his children while he’s away, I feel that as their manny, I should know where he is at all times in case of emergencies.
“It’s not,”
I say. “But don’t you think I have a right to know where you are in the event of an emergency?”
“That’s what cell phones are for, and besides, if I didn’t think you were capable of taking care of things while I was gone, I wouldn’t have left.”
The man who took it upon himself to take me into his home when he didn’t know a single thing about me delivers a compelling argument. However, I still feel like there is something more here that he is not telling me. This whole conversation could probably have been avoided if he had just called me and explained where he was. I know that if I continue with this conversation, it can go one of two ways. And as easy as it is for him to take the easy way out because he’s my boss and apparently calls all the shots, I still want some answers, even though I know I’m not going to get anything more out of him. Well, not without causing a massive argument, anyway. It’s only been a few months and somehow this arrogant and damn, he’s so fucking sexy sitting there in that suit, man has somehow managed to force his way into my life and stolen my heart.
How the fuck does that even happen?
It took me and my ex, Derek, almost one year to have sex, and a lot of that had to do with my own insecurities. Needless to say, what I walked into seven months ago certainly didn’t help. And yet, in a few short months, I’ve become captivated––okay, that’s not quite the word I was looking for to describe my feelings, but it’s the first thing that comes to mind. Wait, feelings? When did they come into the equation. Goddamn it, this whole situation is confusing and fucked up, and it’s really toying with me at the moment.
“It just would have been nice to have gotten a phone call from you. Especially after what Kit went through.”
I quickly bite down on my lower lip a little too hard and whisper out a curse. I didn’t mean for that last part to come out of my mouth. Not yet, and not like that anyway. I wanted to prepare him a little first before I told him what happened with his son.
“What happened with Kit, ?”
He moves forward in his seat eager to know more.
“A few weeks after you left, there was an incident at school.”
“Incident? What kind of incident? Was he hurt?”
“Not physically,” I say.
“What is that supposed to mean?” he asks.
I bring my hands to my face then rub my eyes, before running my hands through my hair.
“Spit it out, . What happened?”
“I was on my way home from a lunch date when Kit called me. He needed me to go down to the school and pick him up from the principal’s office.”
“The principal’s office?”
“He got into a fight with one of the other students. Some kid named Charlie called him a faggot. And in defense, Kit punched him and broke his nose.”
“Charlie Connors?”
he questions.
“Yeah. You know him?”
“He’s been a problem child ever since Kit started at that school. It’s not the first time the two of them have had a run-in at school. I can’t count the number of times Chelsea has called me down to the school because the two of them have been caught in a fight.”
“Even his father seemed to be quite shocked that his son had called Kit that.”
“Oh? I’ve never met the man. Every time I’ve gone down for a meeting, it’s usually been with the boy’s mother.”
“Well, he was far from impressed, but he was also quick to suggest that you open up your checkbook and pay the medical bills for his son’s surgery.”
Jasper lowers his head, then runs his own hands through his hair, and I notice that there’s a few more greys than the last time I saw him.
“You should have called me the moment you got back from the school,” he says.
I raise my head so that I’m looking him in the face, and I glare at him.
“Don’t you dare throw this back on me,”
I tell him. “I’m not the one who decided to take an extended vacation, remember?”
“, this is my son we’re talking about. You should have called me straight away.”
I get to my feet in a fit of rage. “I seriously can’t believe you’re blaming me for this when you’re the one who decided to leave because things got too ‘difficult’ for you. Well, fuck if I’m going to sit around here and allow you to blame me for something that isn’t my fault.”
With that, I storm past him and walk through the living room, and when I get to the stairs, I turn around to look at him standing up by the couch, his eyes locked with mine.
“You know, if it weren’t for me going down to the school, God knows what might have happened.”
Yeah, it fucking hurts, doesn’t it?
Without another word, I grab onto the railing and take the stairs two at a time until I get to my room and close the door behind me.