27. Double Dose
DOUBLE DOSE
“And here we are once again,” Bella Morgan said two days later. “Getting ready for the little monsters. How many fights do you think we are breaking up on the first day?”
Tasha looked up from where she was arranging the desks in groups of four.
“I don’t normally have that many fights,” she said.
Bella taught fifth grade with her, in the room next door, and they worked together the most, often switching the kids over since she’d specialized in Math and Bella in Science.
“I think you look forward to it. What, did you have too quiet of a summer off?”
Bella laughed. “No. Maybe I’m just used to all the fighting in my house with three teens.
Thankfully, the older two had jobs and were out of sight for most of it, but the younger, she was on my case daily wanting to go shopping, go to a friend’s house, complaining she was bored.
I couldn’t get away with any of that at her age. ”
“I couldn’t,” she said. “But I was an only child so I learned to entertain myself. My parents worked all year round and I was in daycare and then had a sitter at the house.”
“Speaking of daycare and sitters. How is that little man of yours? I bet he’s running everywhere and talking a mile a minute.”
She smiled and walked back a few steps to check out her handiwork in the room. It wouldn’t hurt to take a few minutes for a break and chat because she knew Bella wasn’t going anywhere.
“Yes, to both things. He’s so much fun. But I worked part time this summer too. I don’t think he wanted to give up daycare time and I need to pay to hold the spot.”
“That’s a bummer for you. Having summers off is the best part of being a teacher. Especially with kids.”
Yeah, sure, it was. If you had another income coming in from a partner. Which she didn’t.
“It worked out perfectly. Just four days a week from nine thirty until four. At this age, Micah needs the social interaction anyway. I would have been exhausted if I had to chase after him all day.”
“Have you tried potty training yet?”
She shivered. “No. He’s not even sixteen months.”
Though there was a part of her that wanted to, and even bought the little potty to set on the floor for him, but Micah took one look at it and thought it was a toy and threw some dinosaurs in it.
No, thank you!
Best not to let him think it was a game and hide it away for now.
Out of sight, out of mind... hopefully.
Diaper changing wasn’t the end of the world. Even Baker changed one for her the other night, helping her get Micah ready for bed.
Talk about super sweet.
And him playing with her son while she cooked dinner for the last visit with Brittany and Emme.
Double dose of velvety chocolate goodness.
Her heart, that she’d sworn was off limits to a man she was trying to test the water with and keep simple, had gone splat on the floor.
And when Brittany saw what she had, she thought that maybe she wasn’t alone in those thoughts.
It just wasn’t the time to voice them.
Not yet, at least.
“I think my youngest was past three when she finally would sit on the potty. That was horrible. The other two were around two. I try to wipe it from my mind.”
“I’ll start in a few months. I don’t want to rush, but I also don’t want him thinking he can control it either. I get enough of that in everything else,” she said, grinning.
“Ahh, one of those boys.”
“Yep. He’s not horrible with it, but he has his moments. Which he’s allowed, but he also doesn’t like there are rules.”
“That’s where it comes in handy having another male around. Whether it’s a brother or cousin, grandparent. I know I’m old-fashioned.”
She sighed. “You’re not.” And since she kept so much of her life private in the past, and it only caused more people to talk, she decided to add, “I am seeing someone. And I can tell right away the change in Micah when he’s around Baker.
Sometimes he wants to play more with him than me.
I’m now the source of food, cuddles, and bath time. ”
“Let’s not forget discipline. That was me once the kids decided Dad was the fun one,” Bella said.
Her coworker was rubbing her hands together.
“Fill me in on this man. You rarely talk about any guy and if you started dating him this summer, it’s not been long.
Unless it was before the summer and you’re just saying it now. ”
“This summer. I worked at Fierce-The Brewery over the summer, just checking in guests for the tours. Baker runs the distillery and I met him there.”
“Tell me more about him,” Bella said. “Doesn’t sound like someone you’d be drawn to.”
She wanted to take offense to that. To argue that no one she worked with really knew much about her dating life.
Just a few men and none they ever met.
What the hell?
“Why is that?” she asked.
“You’re insulted, I know,” Bella said. “I’m sorry. It’s just that when you talked about men in the past, they were always guys that worked in an office. Or another teacher. At least that is what I assumed. Was I wrong?”
She sighed. “No. And none of them worked out.”
Having a man who worked with his hands. One who was in control.
Who knew what the hell he was doing and was confident and not just someone pushing papers around and bullshitting all day was much better.
Way better.
Way, way, way better!
From his calloused hands, his not so guarded words because he didn’t feel as if he needed to, to his swagger that he belonged where he needed to be.
Those were the things she’d wanted in her life and never knew.
Then add in the fact that he got on the ground and played with her son, helped her do chores without asking, fixed her tire when she was in need, and made her body not only sing but shout in joy.
Sign her up for more!
“That’s right. So give me the details on Baker.”
“I don’t do those things,” she said smiling politely. “I actually told you more than I have in the past.”
Bella’s face wrinkled in thought, and a touch of frustration. “Yeah, you did. Are you happy?”
“Very,” she said, the grin filling her face. “I met his sister a few days ago. She came from out of town to visit.”
“Okay, that’s huge.”
“See, I gave you something.”
Bella moved into her space, gave her a hug that she wasn’t expecting and said, “I’m really, really happy for you. You deserve that. I get the feeling things have been hard and you just don’t want anyone to know.”
Bella wasn’t wrong.
“No one needs my drama, but things aren’t hard. They really aren’t.”
“You say that now, but we all noticed how upset you were before you announced you were pregnant. As if you had a nasty breakup. I’ve seen enough of that sadness in my life.”
She couldn’t lie. “I was upset. But things happen.”
Like getting pregnant when you never planned.
But she wouldn’t change a thing of that because it would mean that she didn’t have Micah.
“They do and you bounce back, just as you have.”
Bella had stepped back and was still smiling at her. Maybe she could have used that kind of support in the past but had always been so fearful of being judged by the decisions she’d made.
She still was, but it was life now and not much she could do about it.
They were her decisions and she’d live with them. And she was, pretty darn well.
“I have,” she said proudly.