Chapter 36
LINCOLN
Ihop out of the taxi, grab my suitcase, and practically skip up the path toward my house.
Home sweet home.
Jules and Cameron are on the porch, but somehow, they don’t notice me right away.
As I get closer, I see that they’re playing an intense game of Monopoly.
Even from this distance, I see that my boy is currently studying the board with the same ruthless focus I apply to a hockey player’s contract negotiations.
I can’t tell from here, but I just know he’s called dibs on the tiny dog.
It’s his favorite. He fights tooth and nail for that piece every time we play.
He looks so content, marching his little game piece around the board as Jules watches patiently. It brings a smile to my face.
When my shoe crunches over some loose gravel, they both look up. Their eyes widen the second they notice me. My little guy nearly flips the game board over as he jumps out of his chair.
“DAD!!” He sprints down the steps and across the yard, slamming right into me. The force of Cameron’s hug knocks the suitcase out of my hand. I laugh.
“I missed you so much!” He squeezes harder.
“I missed you, too, buddy,” I say, chuckling and hugging my boy back.
Over the top of his head, I see Jules walking down the steps toward us, a secretive grin on her face and her eyes on me. Her midriff-baring T-shirt says Step-Mom on Duty. I like that.
She’s paired the T-shirt with some comfy sweatpants. It’s a perfect blend of badass and softness. That’s the Jules I’ve come to know.
I catch a whiff of her signature perfume and my knees grow weak beneath me.
God, I’m so happy to be home. Those few days away felt like weeks.
And the way Jules’s looking at me now makes the hopeful sucker inside me wonder if she feels the same. Her soft brown gaze holds a warmth that melts away the tension I've been carrying for the past 72 hours.
“Hey…” she says quietly.
“Hey…” I respond, my gaze instantly falling to her lips and wishing I had a free pass for another kiss. Giving my head a slight shake, I return my attention to my eight-year-old. “In case you didn’t miss me enough, I’ve got presents,” I sing-song.
“Presents? Yay!” Cameron starts bouncing on his feet.
Jules grins, ruffling his head. “Wow. Lucky guy!”
“For you, too.” I wink at her, and I’m pretty sure my tough girl actually blushes.
“Me?” She jabs a thumb into her chest.
I nod. “Come on. Let’s go check it out.”
When we get inside, we all head for the living room, and I start unpacking my suitcase with my eager audience of two.
First, I pull out two shirts. Different sizes. One for each of them. They’re matching, cheesy T-shirts that say I Heart Seattle. But the way they gush over them, you’d think I came back with some kind of designer brand.
“We match!” Cameron shrieks excitedly to Jules, after they each pull their new shirts on over their clothes.
She beams. “We look great, don’t we?”
My son gasps, kneeling on the couch cushion next to her. “We can wear them when we go grocery shopping next week! We’ll be like twins!”
“Heck yeah. We just need to find you some cool biker boots like mine,” Jules adds, high-fiving Cameron as I sit back and watch.
My head shakes side to side at their shenanigans. I love how well they’re getting along. They look like they’ve been best buds for years, like they didn’t just connect a few weeks ago. Their bond is pleasantly weird to witness.
“Thanks, Dad! I like it.” Cameron beams at me.
“Wait, I have one more thing,” I dig into my luggage again.
I hand each of them their last gift.
“Oh, cool!” Cameron wraps me in a tight hug, and then he runs off to put his new Seattle architecture Lego set in his bedroom.
“What do you think?” I ask Jules, dropping down next to her on the couch.
“1,000 Sassy Comebacks for the Socially Ungifted,” she reads the book title with an amused chuckle and then starts flipping through the pages. “I think you might need this book more than I do, hubs.”
I roll my eyes. “I thought it might help with your T-shirt ideas. You know, if you’re running low on creative insults?”
Maybe the book is cheesy. But I figured this could be a thoughtful, little way to show my support for her business.
Jules grins at me, eyes sparkling. "A book on sarcasm from the man whose life revolves around following strict schedules and making pro-con lists? This might be the most romantic gift I’ve ever received.”
“What? Better than that shiny ring?” I look down at her ring finger.
She twists her lips to the side. “On second thought, nothing beats the ring.”
For a moment, I just stare at her. I’m quietly building the courage to lean in for that kiss.
She speaks too soon. “Hungry?”
“Yes,” I say, but I’m not exactly referring to dinner as my eyes linger on her lips.
Still, the three of us head to the kitchen. Jules warms up leftovers while I hang out with Cameron and go over his homework. She apologizes for not preparing something fancier, but apparently Cameron is on a mac and cheese kick. Again.
Honestly, this creamy, cheesy home cooked meal is so much better than stomaching another plate of rubbery overpriced lobster at another impersonal restaurant that’s too far from home. I’d take macaroni any day of the week, if I get to enjoy it with my favorite dinner companions.
After eating, we lounge around the living room with a kid’s movie playing in the background, while Jules and Cameron start a new game of Monopoly. I serve as the banker, more than happy to sit on the sidelines and watch.
When it starts getting late, I realize that Jules’s stash of money is suddenly growing thin. It takes me a second to understand that she’s slyly letting Cameron win.
But every little victory gets to his head.
He keeps snatching up all the properties even though he hasn’t properly landed on them.
His ego grows and grows, having no idea that Jules is letting him cheat.
Secretly, I’m thankful. This game would never end otherwise, and it’s getting close to Cameron’s bedtime.
When the game is over, I tackle the bedtime routine tonight, grateful to have time with my boy. Grateful to choose the bedtime story. Grateful to give second, third, and forth hugs.
I tell a very sleepy Cameron goodnight, turning off his bedside lamp. He’s still bragging about his Monopoly victory as he drifts off to sleep.
With a smile on my face, I rejoin Jules in the living room. I sit right next to her on the couch.
Her twinkly brown stare locks on mine. I’ve waited long enough. I can’t wait anymore.
Cupping her cheek, I lean in and I brush my mouth over hers. When she doesn’t pull back, I kiss her deeper, letting my tongue slip past her lips to taste.
She sighs, threading her fingers through my hair and pulling lightly. I love the way her body falls into mine and presses up against me. It feels…instinctive. Natural. I’m not even sure she’s aware of it.
“So, how was your trip? Did everything go smoothly with the associates?” Jules asks, while the TV hums quietly in the darkened room.
“I’m glad to be back home.” I sigh, rubbing a tired hand down my face. “I’m very close to sealing the deal with this company. But I need your help, though.”
“Anything.” She doesn’t hesitate, sitting up straighter and angling her body to face me.
“They want to go to lunch next week. With you in attendance…” I grimace, already regretting having to hang out with those men again.
“M-me?” Her voice shakes.
I nod. “You’d have to meet the associates as well as their wives.”
“Okay,” Jules replies, nodding like she’s fully up to the task. “I can do that.”
I narrow my gaze on her, suspicious at her eagerness. She has no idea the torture she’s signing up for. “Will you behave yourself?”
She leans in, running a fingertip along the edge of my collar. “Define ‘behave’,” she requests with a nibble to my earlobe.
The bite of her teeth sends fire shooting to all my favorite spots.
“Oh, I’ll define it for you,” I mutter, launching off the couch, scooping her into my arms, and running up the stairs, two at a time.
She buries her face against my chest, giggling in my arms all the way to my bedroom.
God, I missed her when I was gone.