Chapter Thirteen
I wipe the sweat on my brow as I pull another weed.
Mac had this place looking great when we moved in, but I’ve been slacking on the upkeep. Sure, he mows, but he hasn’t touched the flower bed since we moved in. Not that it’s his responsibility, but I figured I should do something about it.
“Nice house you have there. You buy it?” The young guy from the other side of me asks as he heads across the grass.
I don’t like it. I don’t want him talking to me.
I look over to the kids playing a little bit away before I turn back.
“Nope.”
One word. That’s all I say. I hope it gives off the message. I don’t want to talk.
“Oh, I swear it was up for sale recently. Saw it getting fixed up. Seen you around a lot, but not your husband. Where’s he at?” he asks.
“Not around right now. Can I help you with something?”
“I’m being nice. It’s what neighbors do around here. Not you, though. Where are you from?”
I go to brush him off again, but a roaring motorcycle has me turning toward Mac. Emily runs up to him, chatting his ear off.
He gives her a quick hug before saying something to Tanner. Tanner looks over at me, then grabs Emily and takes her inside.
Mac is on a mission as he heads over my way.
“Mac, my friend. How have you been?” The man next to me says.
“What are you doing harassing my tenant, Dirk?” Mac asks, not returning any pleasantries.
“Oh, you bought the place? I didn’t realize. That’s cool. I was just trying to get to know our new neighbors. Was looking for her husband to see if he wanted to join poker night,” Dirk tells him.
Mac growls under his breath, making me stand and move closer to his side.
“It’s none of your business where her husband is or if she has one, which is really what you were trying to figure out.
She isn’t available for your bullshit. She has two children to take care of, and we both know that you have three you never see.
So leave her alone.” Mac leaves no room for argument.
Dirk swallows hard before nodding. “Yeah. You’re right. I should probably not be messing around with no baby mamas. Message received.”
He starts to back away, but Mac calls out to him.
“Dirk?”
“Yeah?” Dirk asks, stopping.
“Who drives that beater that was around here yesterday?”
Dirk thinks for a moment. Then he snaps his fingers.
“Freddy is back from prison. I bet it was him,” he says.
Mac nods, turning away from Dirk to address me.
“You okay?” he asks.
“Yeah. He wasn’t a danger. Annoying, sure, but he wasn’t getting close to me and only asked questions I didn’t like,” I tell him.
“Good. I’d hate to have to break his face. Honestly, it might help save some poor girl.”
I giggle. “He’s a player, huh? Got three baby mamas?” I ask, imitating Dirk’s accent.
“At least. Dude doesn’t know how to wrap it. I want to feel sorry for the girls, but even after he cheats, they keep going back to him. I see the same girls circling out of his house all week long. If that’s what they want to waste their time on, then more power to them. I stay out of it.”
I try to hide my smile as I look up at him.
“What? You have something to say?”
“I was thinking you don’t want to be in his business, but you seem to be getting into mine a lot.”
He frowns. “I want to keep you safe. I don’t give a fuck about Dirk and his circus of women.”
I touch his arm so he meets my eyes.
“I like it. You in my business, I mean. Not his circus.”
He cracks a smile before looking down at the flower bed.
“You don’t have to do that. I can get one of the guys to come handle it. Honestly, the weather has changed enough that we shouldn’t have to mow much longer. Soon, the leaves will even fall.”
“I like doing it, if you don’t mind. It gives me something to do. A hobby of sorts.”
“Well, in that case, feel free to go crazy on mine too. What’s mine is yours, after all.” He leans a little closer.
Flirting. We are flirting.
The thought hits me out of nowhere. I like this. I like flirting with him.
“You shouldn’t say those kinds of things. A girl could get the wrong idea.”
He brushes hair out of my face. “Whatever idea you have, it wouldn’t be wrong.”
I swear he is about to kiss me, but then Tanner yells out the door.
“Mom, can we come back out?”
I look over and see him standing there, looking worried.
“What did you tell him?” I ask Mac.
“That some asshole was talking to his mom, but I would handle it if he could take Emily inside.”
I gasp. “You said that to my kid?”
He shrugs. “Kid is going to hear much worse in school, especially schools around here.”
I laugh before calling out to Tanner, “Come on out.”
Tanner and Emily come running over to us.
“Did you get rid of him?” Tanner asks.
Mac nods stoically. “He won’t bother her again, but if he does, you let me know.”
“I will.”
I hug Emily as she swings around my legs.
“Why do I feel like you two are conspiring against me?” I narrow my eyes at them both.
They look at each other before Mac speaks.
“We have an understanding. We want to keep you and Emily safe, so that means we are on the same team. Right, bud?”
He looks to me and nods. “As long as he doesn’t change, he can stay.”
I shake my head. “You guys are ridiculous.”
“Mac, are you staying for dinner?” Emily asks.
“Um, I mean…” He looks to me, hope in his eyes.
“We have plenty if you want to. It’ll take me a little bit to make it,” I tell him.
“I’d love to. Maybe I could stay out here and play with the kids while you cook? If you wanted. Take a long shower even. Whatever.”
He looks a little bashful, and I am loving it.
“That would be great. You two be good for Mac.”
“We will.”
I leave them in the front yard, but stop at the door as Mac starts to run around chasing them. I can’t help but feel joy in my heart at seeing him be the man I always wished my husband would have been.
Could Mac be the man for me and my kids?
“You are so big. Pick me up. I want to know what the world looks like from up there,” Emily says as she looks up at me with wonder in her eyes.
Tanner is even smiling. It’s been a great afternoon.
I pick Emily up and place her on my shoulders.
“I am the queen of the world!” she screams.
I laugh as I start to spin around, making her hold on tight.
“Hey, stop,” she says, giggling.
I do it a few more minutes before I set her back on her feet.
“Tanner, your turn,” I joke, acting like I am going to grab him.
“Oh no. I don’t like heights. No, thank you.” He jumps out of the way.
I chase him, grabbing him from the back and swinging him around. He is laughing as Jane comes out.
“Dinner, you heathens,” she says, laughter in her voice.
“Oh no. We are caught. Think your mom’s mad?” I ask.
Tanner shakes his head. “She never gets mad.”
Emily is already running off as Tanner and I walk toward the house.
“That’s good. She’s a good mom,” I tell him.
“The best. She sacrificed a lot for us,” he whispers.
I pat him on the shoulder. “She loves you.”
He nods, stepping into the house first, kicking off his shoes.
I laugh at how messy it looks. I close the door behind me before taking my own off, setting them neatly before I straighten out Emily and Tanner’s shoes.
When I enter the kitchen, I go to the sink to wash my hands. Turning, I find a table fully set. It’s not the noodles I expected. No, she baked chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy, and veggies.
It looks amazing.
“Oh, there you are. Have a seat. The kids are getting cleaned up.” She gestures to a chair.
I take it and wait for her to join me.
“Water or cola to drink?” she asks.
“Water is fine.”
She brings a pitcher of water to the table before filling all the glasses. Then she takes the seat next to me.
Tanner comes in and takes his seat, Emily pulling up the rear, sitting across from me.
“Dig in,” Jane says, grabbing the second plate next to her as she starts to cut up a chicken breast.
I take the plate from her and take over the task.
“You get your plate first,” I tell her.
“What?” she asks. “I can do that.”
“So can I. You eat. I can do this for Emily.” I look up at Emily, making her giggle.
Tanner is frozen as he looks at me.
“You want her to eat first?” he asks.
I nod. “Where I come from, the women and children always eat first. They get to take as much as they want, and if there is anything left, then the men eat.”
“That is barbaric,” Jane hisses at me.
“No, it’s taking care of your kin.”
“You are my guest. Guests eat first.”
I finish cutting up the chicken before putting some mashed potatoes, gravy, and veggies on the plate.
“I don’t like veggies.” Emily pouts.
“They are good for you. They will make you big and strong. All the best queens eat them.”
She frowns. “Really?”
“Yep. I could call one for you if you wanted to ask.”
She lights up, but Jane shuts her down. “No phones at the table. Eat.”
I turn and give her a pointed look. She rolls her eyes.
“Tanner, get your food,” she tells him.
“You first, Mom,” he says, looking at me.
I give him a proud nod. I meant he should eat first too, as he is a child, but he thinks he is the man of the house, so I will give him my approval. One day, he won’t need to be the strong one anymore.
“Ridiculous. You are causing a mutiny in my house.” Jane groans.
“Or getting Emily to eat her veggies,” I whisper to her.
She looks up, and her eyes soften as she sees Emily eyeing a carrot before putting it in her mouth.
Jane gives up the fight, making her plate. Then she looks at me.
“You next, Tanner. I’m the eldest male, so I go last. Unless it is an elderly man, like your grandpa’s age.”
Tanner nods. “Yes, sir.”
I watch him make his plate before I make my own. Once we are all settled, I take my first bite.
“This is delicious, Jane. Thank you for the effort you put into dinner. It is appreciated.”
“Oh, um. You’re welcome.”
She blushes, making me want to kiss the hell out of her. I don’t, though. Instead, I give her a smile as I go back to eating.
Emily starts talking then, telling us all about what she has been learning in school. Tanner studies me throughout the meal. We seem to have come to an understanding. He is still unsure about me, but as long as I am trying to keep them safe, he is on my side.
I respect that. He has seen too much. He doesn’t want to see his mom hurt again.
He will learn to trust me, just like Jane will as well. Emily is the easy one. She trusts so easily. It’s scary in a way, but also a relief. It means she still has that childhood innocence.
After dinner, the kids go to their rooms to clean up while I set to doing the dishes.
“I can do that,” Jane tells me.
“I know. Go get the kids in bed. I’ll handle this.”
She huffs but does as I ask. I have the entire kitchen cleaned, with the leftovers put away, by the time she comes back.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she tells me.
“I know, but I wanted to. Did they go down okay?” I ask.
“Tanner had a few questions about being a man. Thanks for that, by the way. Other than that, yeah.”
“Good.”
I reach out, pulling her into my arms. She comes willingly, hugging me.
“What’s this for?” she asks.
“You looked like you wanted a hug.”
She lets out a light laugh.
“You do give the best hugs,” she whispers.
I hold her for several minutes before I pull back and cup her cheek.
“I’m going to kiss you now.”
“Okay.” She nods, not pulling away.
I lean down slowly, kissing her softly. When she doesn’t pull away, I deepen the kiss.
She surprises me, though. She presses her tongue against my lips. I don’t deny her, opening for her. We kiss for several minutes, her tongue dueling with mine before I finally pull back, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“I should leave before this goes further than either of us is ready for.”
She looks up at me, confusion in her eyes.
“Why wouldn’t you be ready?” she asks.
“I want our first time to be special. To mean something. Right now, that can’t be it.”
“Oh.”
I smile at how adorable she is.
“I’m going to go home now, but I want you to come over for dinner at my place tomorrow with the kids.”
“Oh, you don’t have to—”
I put my finger on her lips to silence her.
“No, but I want to. Tell me you will come.”
She nods slowly. “Okay. I will come.”
“Good.” I press one more chaste kiss to her lips.
“Lock the door behind me.”
Then I pull away and walk out of her house before I do something crazy like claim my woman for good.