Chapter 5
five
. . .
Colby
A week. That's all it's been since I kissed Lacy Reeves in the school parking lot, and I swear it feels like I've been walking around with a fifty-pound weight on my chest ever since.
I've tried to keep my distance—it's the right thing to do.
She's Susie's teacher, for God's sake. But I can't get her out of my head.
"Daddy, are we having pizza tonight?" Susie bounces on her toes as I help her pack her backpack for Anna's house.
"Not tonight, princess." I zip up her unicorn backpack and hand it to her. "Anna's making mac and cheese, your favorite."
"With the crunchy stuff on top?" Her eyes widen with anticipation.
"With the crunchy stuff on top," I confirm, tapping her nose. "And you're going to be good for her, right?"
"Always!" She grins, revealing the gap where her front tooth used to be. The tooth fairy visited last weekend, a milestone I celebrated with perhaps too many photos sent to my parents.
I glance at my phone, checking the time.
Six-thirty. Lacy would be home by now, probably settled in for a quiet Friday night with a book or whatever teachers do when they're not shaping young minds.
I think about how soft her lips were against mine, how she smelled like vanilla and something uniquely her.
"Ready, daddy?" Susie tugs on my hand, pulling me from thoughts I shouldn't be having while my six-year-old is standing in front of me.
"Ready, squirt." I grab my keys off the counter. "Let's get you to Anna's."
The drive to my neighbor's house takes all of two minutes. Anna's been a godsend since we moved to Oak Bluff three years ago. A retired teacher herself, she loves having Susie over and has become like family to us.
"Well, don't you look nice," Anna comments when she opens her door, her eyes taking in my clean jeans and button-down shirt. I'd even put product in my hair, something I rarely bother with for just hanging around the house.
"Hot date?" She raises an eyebrow, ushering Susie inside.
"Something like that," I admit, feeling heat creep up my neck. "Thank you for watching her tonight."
"Anytime, you know that." She waves me off. "You deserve some fun. It's been too long."
Too long doesn't begin to cover it. Not since Julie left us when Susie was barely two have I allowed myself to get serious about anyone. A few dates here and there, but nothing that made my heart race like it does when I think about Lacy.
"I won't be late," I promise.
"Take your time," Anna winks. "Susie and I have a movie night planned, don't we, dear?"
Susie nods enthusiastically, already halfway to Anna's living room. I lean down to kiss the top of her head. "Be good, princess. I love you."
"Love you too, daddy!" She calls back, clearly more interested in the prospect of mac and cheese and movies than saying goodbye to her old man.
Back in my truck, I tap my fingers nervously against the steering wheel before making a quick stop at Sal's Pizzeria and the corner store.
Thirty minutes later, I'm parked outside Lacy's small bungalow on Maple Street, a hot pepperoni pizza on my passenger seat and a six-pack of craft beer beside it.
This is crazy. I'm her student's father. There are probably rules against this sort of thing.
But then I remember how she looked at me after our kiss, her green eyes wide and wanting, before she stammered something about professionalism and hurried away. That wasn't the look of someone who wasn't interested—it was the look of someone fighting the same battle I've been fighting all week.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I grab the pizza and beer and walk up to her door. Three quick knocks before I lose my nerve.
When she opens the door, my breath catches. Her hair is down, falling in soft waves around her shoulders, and she's wearing leggings and an oversized sweater that slips off one shoulder. She looks comfortable, beautiful, and completely surprised to see me.
"Colby?" Her eyes dart from my face to the pizza to the six-pack dangling from my fingers.
"I brought dinner," I say lamely, as if that explains my unannounced appearance at her door.
"I see that." She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, a gesture I've noticed she does when she's nervous. "What are you doing here?"
I take a deep breath. "Can I come in? The pizza's getting cold."
She hesitates for just a moment before stepping aside. "Sure."
Her house is small but warm, filled with books and plants and soft-looking throw blankets. It feels like her—inviting and intelligent.
"Kitchen's through there," she points, and I follow her direction, setting the pizza and beer on her counter.
"I'm sorry for just showing up," I start, turning to face her. "But I've been thinking about you all week, and I couldn't stay away any longer."
She crosses her arms, but I can see the pulse beating rapidly at the base of her throat. "We talked about this, Colby. I'm Susie's teacher."
"I know." I step closer to her, not touching, just close enough that I can smell that vanilla scent again. "And I respect your position. But Susie will only be in your class for a few more months, and then what? We pretend there isn't something between us?"
"Is there something between us?" Her voice is quiet, but there's a challenge in it.
"You know there is." I hold her gaze. "I haven't been able to think about anything else since I kissed you. And if there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's that you miss all the chances you don't take."
She uncrosses her arms, her shoulders dropping slightly. "I've been thinking about you too," she admits. "More than I should."
Relief floods through me, and I take another step closer. "Let's eat some pizza, drink some beer, and just talk. No pressure. If after tonight you still think this is a bad idea, I'll respect that."
She studies my face for a long moment before a small smile curves her lips. "The pizza does smell good."
"It's Sal's. Best in Oak Bluff."
"I know. It's my favorite." She moves past me to open a cabinet, pulling out two plates. "You remembered."
I had. She'd included it in Susie's field trip packet last fall, listing "Sal's pepperoni pizza" as her favorite food in a section of fun facts about herself. I'd filed that information away, not knowing then how important it would become.
We settle at her small kitchen table, pizza and beer between us. The conversation flows easier than I expected, moving from Susie's progress in school to my work at the garage to her journey into teaching after initially wanting to be a marine biologist.
"What changed your mind?" I ask, genuinely curious about everything that makes her who she is.
"I did a summer internship at an aquarium, and while I loved the science part, I realized I enjoyed explaining things to the kids who visited even more." She takes a sip of her beer. "The way their faces light up when they understand something new—it's magic."
I know that look. I've seen it on her face when she talks about her students, including my daughter. It's one of the things that first attracted me to her—her genuine passion for what she does.
"You're a good teacher," I tell her. "Susie adores you."
"She's a wonderful little girl." Lacy's expression softens. "You've done an amazing job with her, especially doing it on your own."
"I've had help. My parents, Anna next door. It takes a village and all that." I pause.
Lacy's hand reaches across the table to cover mine. "I'm sorry."
"It was hard at first," I admit. "But we found our rhythm. Now I can't imagine life any other way."
Her hand is still on mine, warm and soft. I turn my palm up, lacing our fingers together.
"I should probably go," I say, even as my body leans toward her. "Before I do something that crosses another line."
"What if I want you to cross it?" Her voice is barely above a whisper, but it ignites something in me.
I stand, pulling her to her feet and into my arms in one fluid motion. This kiss is different from our first—less tentative, more urgent. Her hands slide up my chest to my shoulders as I back her against the kitchen counter, lifting her to sit on its edge.
"Are you sure about this?" I murmur against her lips, giving her one last chance to send me home.
Instead of answering, she pulls me closer, her legs wrapping around my waist. "I've been sure since that first kiss," she breathes. "I just needed to admit it to myself."
I lift her again, her legs still around me, and she directs me toward her bedroom. We tumble onto her bed, a tangle of limbs and half-removed clothing. Every inch of skin she reveals is a new discovery, and I take my time exploring, learning what makes her sigh, what makes her moan.
When we finally come together, it feels inevitable, like something I've been waiting for without knowing it. We move in perfect sync, and I lose myself in the feeling of her—in the sound of my name on her lips, in the way her body responds to mine.
Afterward, we lie facing each other, her leg thrown over mine, my hand tracing lazy patterns on her back.
"What are we doing?" she asks softly, no regret in her voice, just genuine curiosity.
"I don't know," I answer honestly. "But I'd like to find out."
She smiles, nestling closer. "Me too."
I know there will be complications. We'll have to be discreet until the school year ends. We'll have to navigate introducing her to Susie in this new context. But with her warm and pliant in my arms, those challenges seem distant and manageable.
For now, I'm exactly where I want to be, with a woman I can't get enough of, feeling more alive than I have in years. And judging by the contented sigh that escapes her as she drifts toward sleep, Lacy feels the same way.