Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Aaron
Later that night, at home in my bed after picking up Colin and getting him through a quick bedtime routine, I think back through all the parts of the evening.
Amelia was weird when I picked up Colin too. “Did you have a nice time?” she asked, sounding oddly suspicious.
All I did was nod and ask if Colin was ready.
“I’m just getting my boots on, Dad!” he called through the door.
“Do you need help with your coat?” Amelia asked him, looking disappointed when he turned her down.
“He’s gotten really good at zipping his own coat,” I murmur.
The look she gave me was full of sadness and betrayal. “I can’t believe how big he is. He made me pottery!”
I grinned, relieved at her reaction. “He was really excited to give that to you. I’m glad you like it.”
“I meant what I said when you dropped him off,” she said as Colin came through the door. “You can join us for dinner sometime. Maybe next week?”
“Oh, uh … let me see what my schedule’s like,” I told her, not wanting to get into anything in front of Colin, but having no intention of taking her up on that offer.
Why the sudden interest in having dinner all together?
Scratching my chest, I think that over. Between trying to hurry up and get to Jenna and then getting Colin home and into bed, I didn’t really have time to think about what seemed so off to me about the invitation before now.
On the face of it, it should be innocuous.
She used to do dinner with us, after all.
But even then, she always made it clear that she was there for Colin, not for me.
That our dinners weren’t “family” dinners, so to speak, but a way for her to be more present in our son’s life when her work takes her away so often.
She was the one who insisted that we confine ourselves to almost a business partner style relationship—friendly and amicable, but not deeply involved in each other’s lives beyond our co-parenting of Colin.
Sure, she knows my mom and I’ve met her parents, but only in their respective roles as Colin’s grandparents.
And there’s never been any pretense of us being a traditional family.
Since moving to our current stage of the parenting plan, the group dinners became a thing of the past.
And that—that’s the thing that strikes me as so odd.
She’s been fairly insistent that we stick to the plan as written.
That if there needs to be deviation not accounted for by the plan, then we would need to revisit how the plan is written at that point.
I’m generally more willing to be somewhat flexible—as long as that flexibility isn’t to Colin’s detriment—but the plan is already written to allow for a certain amount of that because of her less predictable work schedule.
The specific days of the week that Colin is with her are listed as suggestions, with wording to allow for changes if and when her schedule changes.
Last year, her dinner night was Tuesday because that was when she was consistently available.
This year, it’s moved to Wednesday, though like last week, she swapped a shift with someone and it got pushed to Thursday.
That happens occasionally, and we adjust the schedule to allow her the maximum amount of time with Colin.
I know he’s starting to realize it’s a little strange that he doesn’t see his mom very often.
It’s all he’s ever known, so even in preschool and at day care, it was just the way things were.
But now that he’s in kindergarten, and he’s paying more attention to families and the other kids’ parents, it’s evident that even the kids with divorced parents tend to be with their moms more.
It hasn’t become an issue yet—though he’s started asking more questions—and I want to do what I can to smooth whatever challenges he might face as he figures out that our situation isn’t exactly normal.
Still, I don’t think dinner together is the answer to that. That time with Amelia is special and should be just for him.
I’m hoping she’ll come to that conclusion on her own and I won’t have to gently remind her that she’s the one who wanted things this way and we both agreed this is best for Colin—parents who are respectful and friendly, who can work together to give him the life he deserves and make sure he’s loved and taken care of and has all his needs met.
And sticking to our plan is the best way to accomplish that.
Besides, saying yes to Amelia’s dinner invitation feels weird now that I’m seeing Jenna. We didn’t schedule another date, but I plan on asking if she’d like to do something again soon. I haven’t figured out what the next thing should be, though. A movie? A concert?
Colin’s school is doing their annual Christmas concert next week on Tuesday, but that’s not a good date concert.
I’m out of the loop on what passes for nightlife here.
I’ve been too busy raising a kid to think about catching a band anywhere in the local area.
There’s gotta be something like that somewhere, though.
I used to do that often enough before Colin came along.
Or maybe I should suggest doing something on Monday?
She said that’s the day she takes off. Maybe we could have more time to do something relaxed.
We could do something more quintessentially Arcadian Falls—sledding?
Ice skating? I could give her the option between the two.
I’m sure Mom has some extra snow gear we could borrow if she needs it—I know she has boots at least. But we have a few pairs of snow pants between Mom and my sister’s from high school that I’m sure we could find ones that fit Jenna.
And a coat fit for playing in the snow. I can rearrange my schedule to take that day off, and then I don’t have to worry about childcare either.
A grin steals across my face. I think I just planned our next date.
Reaching for my phone, I decide to text her now. Why wait?
Thanks again for being a good sport about my truck picnic idea. I know it wasn’t fancy, but I had a great time. Would you be open to doing something on your day off?
Jenna
Your truck picnic idea was amazing. The food was delicious, and I had a great time too. Monday sounds perfect, though I wouldn’t mind seeing you before then if that’s possible. What’d you have in mind?
I pause and reread her message a couple of times. She doesn’t want to wait until Monday? That’s a good sign. What could we do between now and Monday?
I thought we might go sledding. I have some snow gear you can borrow if you need it. I was thinking late morning, say 10 or 11, then we can get some hot cocoa or lunch after to warm up. What do you think?
Sledding sounds like fun. I assume you have the insider scoop on the best spot to go around here.
And we could come back to my place for lunch, if you’re open to that idea.
I don’t know if I can rival that stew you made, but with this much lead time, I’m sure I can figure out something tasty and warm.
That sounds perfect. I can pick you up at your place too, if that works for you. Did you have something in mind that you might want to do together before Monday?
It takes her a little longer to respond this time, and I sit up, leaning back against the headboard as I wait for her answer, my adrenaline kicking up. Is it excitement? Nerves? Probably a little of both, if I’m honest.
I can’t remember the last time I was this excited to see a woman.
What I had with Amelia was pleasant enough, but we were never trying to be anything more than friends with benefits.
I was always happy to see her, of course, but I was never nervous or excited, much less both, at the mere prospect of spending an hour or two together some evening.
Would you mind meeting at The Red Arrow again on Thursday? I know it’s not that exciting, but I enjoyed the routine of meeting up there once a week. And I enjoyed sharing a drink with you last week.
Could we make it Friday instead? I have Colin both nights, but it’s easier to be out a little later than normal when it’s not a school night.
I can make that work
It’s a date
Relieved and excited, I set my phone down and stretch back out in my bed.
Not only did I get my Monday date scheduled, but we’re meeting for a drink on Friday.
I’ll have to double check to make sure that Mom’s available that night to watch Colin, but she usually is.
If not, I should be able to schedule a play date for him with one of his friends.
I kissed Jenna goodnight again tonight. I wished there was time for more.
Dinner flew by, conversation flowing easily, my alarm signaling the end of our date going off way too soon.
I knew it’d be a tight fit having a date in that sliver of time while Colin was at his mom’s, but I didn’t realize how frustrating it would really be.
We got to her car and I’d hopped out, opening her door and helping her down.
She stepped right into me, lifting her face, clearly expecting the goodnight kiss.
I’d wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close this time, kissing her for longer than I did either of the last two times, and I wanted so badly to take it further.
But I was aware that time was steadily ticking by, and that being late to pick up my kid would be a dick move.
I was also very aware that we were on the side of the road where anyone and everyone could walk past and gawk at us.
Jenna has enough issues with people thinking she’s trying to ruin ChristmasFest. She doesn’t need to give people a reason to gossip about her as well.
God, how I wish we’d had privacy and more time. Though it seems like I’ll only have to wait until Monday for that …
My hand strays down my torso, fingertips dipping into the waistband of the boxers I wear to sleep. My dick’s been perking up as I’ve thought about that kiss. Should I give in? Or should I wait?
Wait for what? The question floats through my mind. It’s a good point. Just because she’s inviting me to her place for lunch on Monday doesn’t mean anything specific will happen. I think there’ll likely be kissing based on our last few encounters. But beyond that …
Well, it’ll be good to be prepared but not presumptuous. I’ll make sure I have a couple of condoms—one is barely better than none, after all. What if it breaks? It’s like the old Boy Scout motto—Be Prepared.
But I definitely won’t have expectations of anything she’s not ready for. And besides, Monday is nearly a week away at this point.
Thinking about sex, even if it’s just a possibility—not even a probability—has my dick reaching full hardness in almost no time. I reach inside my boxers and give it a squeeze, the pressure providing a tiny bit of relief.
Pushing back the blankets, I pull myself out, stroking myself slowly.
I’ve been living like a monk for most of the last five years.
There’ve been occasional flings to blow off steam when Colin’s spent the night with his mom, but nothing regular, and nothing stable.
I haven’t been looking for that. And I wasn’t when I met Jenna either, but something about our connection last week made me wonder …
What would it be like to have a girlfriend?
Not that I haven’t had one before, of course.
I was in a three-year relationship in college, and the only reason my nearly two-year relationship after college ended is because I was moving back here and she had bigger plans than living on a Christmas tree farm in a tiny town in the middle of Washington state.
She had dreams of a music career, and that requires a bigger city to make it work, even on a smaller local scale.
Arcadian Falls just isn’t big enough for that.
Which was why what I had with Amelia worked well.
Between taking over the farm, watching my dad’s failing health, and recovering from an amicable but unwanted break up, I didn’t have the bandwidth for a real relationship.
Of course, when she got pregnant, I was willing to give it a try for the baby’s sake—I was raised that you should marry the girl you get pregnant—but Amelia was the level-headed voice of reason then.
She knew what we had wasn’t built for the long term, and when she laid it out, I couldn’t help but agree.
Besides, she didn’t want to marry me. What else was I supposed to say?
But with Jenna …
It seems like she has a little bit of baggage from her last relationship, but who doesn’t at this point?
She’s smart and funny and gorgeous. I don’t have a roadmap for dating as a father, but plenty of parents manage it, right? It must be possible.
And for the first time, I’m willing to give it a try.
Thoughts of Jenna—her lips soft and warm against mine, her curves pressing against me, that moan she made when she was eating—send my hand moving faster, harder, until I’m shuddering, spurting onto my own stomach.
Once spent, I lie there a few moments, giving myself a moment to recover before climbing out of bed and taking a quick shower to clean up.
Then, I collapse into bed, sated and smiling for reasons I haven’t felt in a long time.