Chapter 35 #2
“Oh fuck, baby. I want to lick every inch of your delicious body and make you come with my tongue.”
I push back forcibly to nudge him away. “Kids!” I half shout, half whisper. He immediately backs away and grabs a dish to dry with a towel. They burst through the door and don’t seem to notice anything different about us as they beg Nick to come back outside with them.
“Only if your mom comes too,” he says with a small wink, and my insides clench at the hidden meaning in his eyes.
I drop my towel and we kick the ball between us until it’s so dark, we can no longer see. We scatter into the house and I bring out the cookies I made for dessert. Marlow gazes between us intently, and I have a gnawing feeling she’s about to say something. I’m right.
“Are you going to marry my mom?” she questions.
Kale’s mouth falls to the floor almost as quickly as mine does. Nick shifts his posture and his eyes lift to mine for some clue as to how he should respond.
Kale notices the exchange and speaks before Nick or I can form a coherent thought. “Are you guys together?” he asks with distress.
“Hey… let’s sit down at the table. Can we do that?” Nick asks.
Kale nods and Marlow is the first to take a seat closest to Nick. Although I practiced what I would say and how I might tell them, the shock of Marlow’s words and Kale’s reaction leaves me speechless and distraught.
“Do either of you know what I do for a living?” he asks.
“Do you play soccer?” Kale asks.
“I used to play in college, but I hurt my knee and had to quit at the end of senior year.”
Another thing I don’t know about him, I think to myself.
“I play soccer for fun now. My real job is being an attorney. Do you know what an attorney does?”
“Is an attorney the same as a lawyer?” Kale asks.
“Yes it is,” Nick says with a smile. Kale seems to appreciate being right.
“What’s an attorney do?” Marlow asks.
“Good question…” Nick intertwines his fingers and sits up a little straighter in his seat. “Attorneys handle legal matters for people. There are all different types of lawyers. Some put bad guys away…”
“And some get them out,” Kale adds. “Is that what you do?”
“No, my job is contract negotiations. I travel to different businesses and help them put legal contracts together for their companies.”
“Sounds boring…” Marlow says as she leans on her hand.
“Marlow…” I admonish.
Nick laughs. “It can be. But most of the time I sit and listen. I listen to what my clients want and I listen to what their associates don’t want.”
“What’s that have to do with us?” Kale asks.
“Well, I was hoping we could talk about this like I might if I were negotiating a contract. I want to hear what you have to say and then I hope you’ll hear what your mom and I have to say. Sound fair?”
Kale and Marlow glance between them and Marlow yawns. “Okay. I don’t like it,” Kale begins.
“What don’t you like?” I ask him.
“I don’t like the idea of you marrying Nick.”
“Whoa…” I say as I hold my hands up. “No one said we were getting married!” I glance over to Nick like, Jeez… what are they thinking? And Nick beams at me. It causes me to do a double take in his direction.
He refocuses on Kale and states, “Right now, that’s not on the table.”
“What is?” he asks.
“I’d like to ask you if you’d be okay with my taking your mom on a date.”
“Just a date?” Kale asks.
Marlow leans farther on the table and yawns again. She doesn’t seem nearly as interested in the conversation as Kale does.
“You want my permission? So it’s my decision?” Kale asks.
“No. Hold on, Kale,” I interject. “What Nick is asking for is really your… blessing. You know that Nick and I knew each other a long time ago, right?”
He nods.
“Well, when we saw each other again, a lot of our old feelings came back. Nick makes me very happy and I’d like to make him happy too. I know it’s hard for you to understand, but—”
“I get it,” he interrupts. “What if he hurts you like Dad did?” I can see the concern in his eyes. He’s worried about me.
“May I?” Nick interjects.
I nod.
“Kale, I know you don’t like to see your mom upset, and I know that it was really hard for you when your parents divorced. My parents split up a few years ago, and even though I’m an adult, it still really upset me too.”
Another thing I didn’t know.
“But I can assure you that the very last thing I would want to do is hurt your mother. She’s always been very important to me. I care for her deeply and I only hope for the chance to prove that to her and to the both of you.”
“Your mom and dad are divorced?” he asks.
“Yeah. It really stunk at first, but now I see that they’re happier apart than they were when they were together. I love them both and I know they love me. Just like they want me to be happy in my life, I want them to be happy in theirs.”
“Does Nick really make you happy?” Kale asks.
Marlow’s head bobs, and she flickers between listening and dozing.
“He really does,” I say.
“Happier than I make you?” he asks.
“Oh, Kale…” I pause. “You make me happy in ways Nick never could. What I feel for him is different from what I feel for you. Nick knows and understands that you and Marlow will always come first. I love you two more than anything.”
Kale smiles and glances to Nick. Nick nods his head. “I’d like to negotiate something,” Kale adds.
Nick motions to him. “You have the floor, sir.”
“If you’re gonna date my mom, then I think you should have to spend time with us too.”
Nick’s lips curl upward into the brightest smile I’ve ever seen. “You have no idea how happy that makes me. I would love to spend time with you guys. Heck, I’d even be willing to spend the night with you while your mom’s at work if that’s okay with her.”
Kale’s eyes bug out and Marlow jumps suddenly at his outburst. “Can he, Mom? Can he?” Kale begs excitedly.
“I think that’s a fabulous idea!”
Kale smiles brightly, and Marlow moves to sit on Nick’s lap. The first ever Haley-Rowen negotiations come to a close with satisfied parties all around the table. Especially me.