Chapter 14
NOT A GOD
Farrah wasn’t so sure her son got everything from her. She’d like to think he got a lot though.
Especially bonding with the man in front of her.
The one who just had one of the best “father son talks” she could have ever hoped for.
The guy who had only known her son for a few weeks could handle him better than she could.
Listening to him answer Archer’s questions better than she could froze her to the spot when she’d heard them talking and saw their heads down together sharing a sweet treat after a long fun day.
“Sounds like you guys had a great day.”
“We did. It was a blast. How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough,” she said, reaching for her son’s bowl. Her hand stopped. “You didn’t lick yours this clean.”
He laughed, his smile bright, the humor in his eyes hitting her like a long labor pain. Something that hurt like hell but was so worth it in the end.
“Tomorrow we’re going to talk comic books. Can you give me some pointers so I don’t come off like an idiot?”
“Knowing you, you’ll go home and research it to be ready for him.”
“Shit yeah,” he whispered, then looked around to make sure her son wasn’t close to hear. “But who does he like? Or read?”
“He loves Dog Man. That’s his favorite. Most things DC. You’re good if you go that route.”
“Thanks,” he said and moved his neck side to side, then lifted and lowered his shoulder and winced.
“You okay?” she asked.
“I think I pulled something in my back, but don’t tell Archer. I like having him think I walk on water.”
She moved closer and said, “Can I?”
“If you can fix it, go for it.”
She felt around his neck and his shoulder, found some knotted tight muscles but nothing else serious. “Lift your right arm.”
He moved it up and around like she said, almost yelped when she pressed hard in the middle of the knot with her thumb.
“Are you trying to kill me?”
“Don’t be a baby,” she said, grinning, but he couldn’t see her. “You’ve got a knot there. I can work it out. You know, payment for the wear and tear my kid has on your aging body.”
“Very funny,” he said. “But go ahead.”
He let out a groan under his breath while she worked on the knot and felt it giving way.
After a minute she heard Archer coming down the stairs and walked away, opened the cabinet and pulled out two Tylenol with a glass of water. “It will take the edge off and be fine for your stomach.”
“Thanks. It already feels better.”
“Alternate heat and ice on that spot and you’ll be better tomorrow. Just a little sore.”
“What’s sore?” Archer asked.
“You might have worn Jayce out.”
“Not as much as my butthole. I think the ice cream hit the release button.”
“Archer!”
“What? You’re the one who says that happens when you eat too much. The release button lets go.”
Nothing could mortify her more. “I mean it happens to you.”
“But you said it happens for you too. Does that happen to you, Jayce? If you eat a lot, the button pops and you have to run to the bathroom?”
“The joy of having a boy in the house,” she said.
“Gabe and I always grossed Jocelyn out talking about those things.”
“Is Gabe your brother? You’ve talked about your twin.”
“Gabe is my brother. He’s older than me.”
“I want to be an older brother someday. Will I be, Mom?”
“I think your mother has had a long day and probably wants to change out of her clothes. You’ve emptied your stomach and can make room for dinner now.”
“That’s right. What’s for dinner, Mom?”
“I’m not sure yet. I’ll look around.”
“Can Jayce stay?”
“Maybe another night,” he said. “Why don’t you spend some time with your mom before you pass out on her tonight.”
“Sure, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll be here,” he said.
“I’ll walk out with you.”
“I’m going upstairs until dinner is done,” Archer said, and ran toward the stairs off the kitchen while she and Jayce moved to the front door.
“I think we might try the Duke Lemur Center tomorrow. Gets us outside and involved but not working my body much.”
“You don’t have to keep taking him places. You can watch movies at home and hang out.”
“I know, but that’s boring. He gets to do that all the time.”
“He does, just like you and I did. But I don’t want him to think he has to be entertained all the time.”
“I’ll make sure he understands,” he said. “That every time he sees me doesn’t mean we are going to do things like that.”
Which led her to believe he wanted to still come around even after this week of childcare was over.
Two more days. She wondered what would happen then.
Would her son be upset if Jayce decided that he’d met that obligation and just moved on?
She would be, but she’d be damned if she let anyone know.
“I’ll talk to him too,” she said. “I really do appreciate everything this week. I’m sure I’ll hear all about today’s adventure at dinner.”
“Just remember, I’m only a man, not a god that your son is going to make me out to be.”
She laughed and shoved at his arm. She couldn’t help falling back into their old routine from when they were younger.
Back then it was flirting on her part to get Jayce to notice her as more than a friend.
And when he had, she had gotten scared that she was falling in love only to have him leave and become the life of the party at college where other girls much hotter and more experienced than her were going to be in his face.
But he was here now. In front of her. In town and flirting right back.
The only problem was, she didn’t know if he was staying.
Didn’t mean they couldn’t still be friends though.
“My son likes to pump everyone up,” she said. “He’ll be calling me the queen as I sail through everything too. Was he jumping up and down and shouting to keep going and then pointing out every awesome thing you did to everyone around?”
His shoulders dropped. “Guess it wasn’t just me then, huh?”
“Sorry to shoot an arrow through your ego, but he does it to me too.”
“Because he takes after you in the athletic department.”
“Thank God not his father.”
“Yeah, let’s not go there,” he said.
“What did he say about Tucker?”
“Nothing.”
“But something?”
“Not a lot. I get the feeling your ex isn’t much on doing any type of physical activity with Archer and that is what a kid his age needs. He’s got talent, Farrah. I mean just pure athleticism. In the next few years, something is going to click with him and he’s going to take off.”
“I feel that way too, but doesn’t every parent think that of their kids? You were good at basketball.”
“I was, but I worked hard at it. Practiced all the time. I don’t think I was as coordinated as Archer is. Not at that age. I didn’t have the speed he’s got. You were fast.”
“Time will tell. I’m not pushing him. As you said, he has to enjoy it to want to do it more. Forcing him into something he could be great at even if he hates it serves no purpose to anyone.”
“He’s lucky to have you in his life.”
“As you said, I’ll always be in his corner. Someone has to be.”
She shut the door on Jayce a second later and went to her room, grabbed a change of clothes and took a quick shower.
The fact that her hands lingered over her body longer than normal told her she was still alive. That she was a woman with needs and wants and it was nice to have that feeling.
To know she wasn’t just a mom.
When dinner was ready, she went to the bottom of the stairs. “Archer, time to eat.”
“Coming.”
She heard him running down the stairs, then into the half bath to wash his hands and climbing into his chair at the island. It was so much easier to sit there with her son than the table off to the side.
It felt like this big house rarely got used and that was part of why she gave Archer so many places of his own. So it wasn’t such a hollow feeling.
She’d turned it into a place to give her wonderful memories and wash out the bad left from Tucker. The fact that they hadn’t lived here long was the only reason she kept it rather than sell it.
She still had a mortgage on it, but not nearly what she would have because all the equity he’d put down remained. Part of what her attorney went after.
“Sounds like you had a great day.”
“It was awesome. We had pancakes for breakfast, then I had chicken and waffles for lunch to get a big carb load. Jayce said we’d need it with what we were doing and chicken is good protein.”
“It is.” Even though fried chicken didn’t really count in her eyes.
“Then I did the monkey bars and wall climb. I did one Ninja course, but it was really hard. Jayce said I did great. And the ziplines. Those were the best. They had these awesome slides you swing in the air on. My throat hurt from yelling so loud. Jayce had to tell me to be a little quieter.”
She knew her son got a little annoying in his excitement. She’d told him plenty of times to turn the dial down.
“Did you do it?”
“I did. But it was hard. Jayce was laughing just as much. He’s so cool, Mom. Do you like him?”
“I do. We were good friends when we were in school.”
“I know. But do you like him like wanting a real date? Not just with me along?”
Here they went into uncharted territory. She’d never talked to Archer about dating or men. He’d asked before too.
“Right now, he’s watching you for me as a favor.”
“But when it’s done? Will I not see him again?”
She couldn’t answer what she didn’t know. And the last thing she wanted to do was give any false hope.
“I’m sure you’ll see him again,” she said. “He lives in Durham.”
“I hope we do. I really like him,” Archer said.
“Eat up while it’s hot,” she said. “Then we can watch TV and have a calm night.”
Archer yawned. Something he didn’t do often at dinner. She’d bet he was out before seven thirty.
“Can we watch a movie?”
“If you want,” she said. He dove into his mashed potatoes first like he always did. Then sank his cut-up pork chop into the potatoes like a dip.
“Are you happy, Mom?”
“What?” she asked, chewing her food. “Of course I am. Why do you ask that?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just never see you laugh like you do around Jayce.”
Her son was going to be relentless with this, but she couldn’t answer anything until she could figure it out on her own.
“I’m being myself with him like I always am. I think you’re seeing something that isn’t there.”
“Maybe,” Archer said and put his head down.
What more could she say? None of it was a lie.
She really did not know what tomorrow would bring. Maybe Jayce should write that book on how to handle things in life because right now she was stumped.