15. Trey
Chapter fifteen
Trey
Seeing Gareth in a family environment is surprisingly endearing. The affection he still carries for his ex-wife is something I never thought I'd see. I always thought divorces meant drama and hatred and custody battles.
I know he has a crush on me, but he dropped everything to prioritize his kids' and wife's comfort without the slightest hesitation. I'm starting to really like this man. And that's a problem.
A tug on the back of my shirt has me turning to look down into two sets of wide blue eyes. Oh, God. Kids.
"Who are you?" the boy asks. Micah, if I remember.
I kneel so that I don't intimidate them with my size and height. I hold my hand out to the boy, who has positioned himself in front as if to protect his little sister. "I'm Trey. I'm your dad's friend."
Unimpressed, he crosses his arms across his chest and pops a hip. God, this kid is cute.
"Mic, don't be rude," Gareth says, still typing on his phone, likely ordering supplies for his wife. Ex-wife.
"It's alright. I'm a stranger, and I haven't earned his trust yet. I get it," I say, returning my smile to the kids.
"I've never heard of you," he states, leveling me with a skeptical look. It makes my smile widen.
"I knew your father back in high school, and we just became friends again," I explain. It's not a great one, but it's the best one I've got.
"Well, I don't know you, so I don't trust you."
God, I love this kid's confidence.
"Mic..." Gareth says in warning, still distracted.
"That's because you're a very smart man. Don't give your trust out to just anyone. Make sure they earn it."
His tiny chest inflates with pride.
"Especially when it comes to your family. They're the most important thing you'll ever have, so you have to protect them."
Gareth finishes ordering and turns to us.
"Trey, this rude little boy is Micah, and this is Lily, or Lil for short. Mic, Lil, this is Trey."
I stand and nod at them. "Pleased to meet you two. I've heard a lot about you." It's not a lie. At our first dinner, he couldn't stop talking about them.
Gareth ruffles Micah's hair and mumbles something about him needing a haircut. Awkward silence descends, and I know I need to leave. I shouldn't have stayed in the first place. Red flags have been waving in the back of my head since he opened the door.
That's a lie.
Red flags have been parading around in my mind since the hotel called me about the missing phone, and the fact that I was excited to see him again so soon.
"Well, I'll leave you guys..."
"Wanna come to the park with us?" Gareth blurts out, and it causes a grin to tug on my lips. The flags wave harder, but a bigger part of me really wants to see Dad Gareth in action. I'm starting to like him a lot more than I should. Maybe if he's a shitty father, I can put this crush to rest.
Too many men have kids and let the woman do the majority of the active parenting. Nothing would give me the ick more.
"Sure," I say, and warm, liquid honey spreads through my chest at his blinding smile.
"Alright, guys, lemme pack a bag, and we can go to the park. Micah, go grab your baseball bag, and Lil go grab anything you're going to want to play with," he says, turning quickly and pulling a backpack out of a closet I hadn't noticed.
He turns his back to me to open the cabinets and the fridge, filling the backpack with snacks as my eyes drop to his ass.
I can't help it. I am only a man. A vision of him, on his back, my tongue in his ass flashes across my mind, and I clear my throat, wrangling my errant thought before we're around minors again.
Unfortunately, Gareth catches me checking out his ass, and the bashful grin he gives me makes me think he's remembering the same thing.
The kids thunder back into the kitchen, Micah with a black backpack with a baseball bat tied to the outside, and Lily trails behind him with a book and a Barbie doll under one arm.
Gareth sets his backpack on the floor, pulling his baseball glove out of the closet and shoving it in the bag. Micah puts his bag down, too, and takes the book and doll from his sister, adding them to his bag for her.
Gareth watches the interaction and smiles fondly.
As we're filing out of the apartment, Gareth ruffles his son's head and whispers, "Proud of you, son." Tears prick my eyes. He not only noticed his son's actions but also made sure to show his approval and was liberal with his praise. Micah smiles up at his father, and my chest tightens.
Shit.
I follow behind them silently, waiting as he locks the door and leads us out onto the street.
The kids skip ahead of us on the sidewalk, holding hands.
Micah places himself on the side closest to the road.
I don't know what I expected Gareth to be like as a father, but in the few seconds I've been around them, it's obvious he's raising great kids.
I lean into his space a little, pressing my shoulder against his. "I'm starting to suspect you might have turned into a really good man, Brockman."
I watch in satisfaction as pink creeps up his neckline and colors the apples of his cheeks.
"Thanks," he whispers in return. We pass a few other people minding their own business, and I wonder if we look like a couple.
Like two dads taking their kids to the park.
My mind has been a jumbled mess lately; two sides believing two completely different things.
One wants to get to know Gareth better - likes being around him - and wants more.
One warns me to keep things professional.
The first side is getting bigger by the minute. Every blush, every smile, every time he shows me he's actually a really good man, it makes me want more.
A touch so light I barely feel it grazes the back of my hand, and I look down, realizing it was the back of his hand. I smile, wondering whether he meant to do that on purpose or not.
I imagine sliding my hand into his. I imagine this being our Sunday morning routine with the kids. Would I want that life? I never thought about being a father or being an influence on a child. If I keep hanging out with Gareth, outside of work, it means hanging out with his kids.
Kind of like I'm doing today.
I should bail.
I'm not going to bail.
I want to see more of Gareth being a good man and a good dad. I'm feeling a little addicted to the idea, honestly.
The kids drop back to hold Gareth's hand and look both ways before crossing the street.
Gareth drops his bag by a bench and takes out the glove while Micah hands Lily her book and Barbie.
Lily flops onto her stomach and sets her Barbie up against her shoulder so she can read to her.
She's only five, so the words are slow and simple, but it brings a smile to my face.
"You wanna throw?" Gareth asks me. "I can give you my glove?"
"Naw, that's alright. I'll hang out with Lil for a bit," I reply. I don't want to take time away from father-son bonding. They find a place that it seems they've thrown before, still close enough to Lil to keep an eye on her, but far enough she won't get hit if a throw goes wild.
After watching the boys throw for a bit, I sit on the ground cross-legged next to Lily. "Can I listen, too?"
She smiles up at me, not an ounce of fear in sight. "I'm not a very good reader, but Sally doesn't mind."
Sally must be the name of the Barbie. "I wasn't a very good reader, either, when I was your age, but I got better with practice."
"That's what my dad says, too."
"He's a smart man."
Her smile falters a little. "I worry about him sometimes."
"Oh? Why is that?"
"I worry that he's lonely when we're with Mom."
I hum a little in contemplation. This is what I wasn't prepared for. How do I tell her it's not her job to worry about him? That she's sweet for worrying, but she's five. Worry is a big emotion for such a small person.
"Would it make you feel better if I promised to hang out with him whenever he feels lonely?" I know it's a tall order, and maybe he won't ever call me if he gets lonely. But, I want to take the worry off her shoulders.
"You would do that?" Big blue eyes look up at me with such a sparkle, a rush of protective pride surges through me.
I have the sudden realization that I would do anything for this small girl sitting next to me.
She's so small, and observant, and deeply empathetic if she's worried about her father's happiness so much.
I don't think that's normal for little kids, is it?
I vaguely remember kids her age only seeing and caring about what was important in their own lives.
I've never felt such a strong urge to protect her from the shit of the world, and in the same breath, want to give her absolutely everything she could ever want.
Huh. Is this how fathers feel? Shit. I imagine her asking for a pony.
I'm pretty sure I'd figure out how to build a stall in my backyard for her.
I nod. "Sure. Why not?"
She tilts her head at me curiously, like she doesn't fully believe me. I avoid her gaze, though, and watch as Gareth adjusts Micah's grip on the ball and demonstrates how to move his shoulder, elbow, and wrist to throw the ball better. A small smile tugs on my lips.
When Lily doesn't start reading again, I bring my attention back to her. She levels me with a stern look.
I tug a piece of her hair gently. Because the fact is, I like hanging out with her dad.
I like seeing sides of him I never thought would exist. I like how great he is with his kids.
I like it when he blushes. I really like it when he gives me honesty when he doesn't have to.
He's open and vulnerable, knowing I could hurt him.
So, yeah, if he called to hang out because he was sad or lonely, I wouldn't tell him 'no'.
"Your dad is a good person. I certainly don't mind hanging out with great people," I explain to her. She seems satisfied with that answer, and her head drops back to look at her book again.
"Thank you. That makes me feel better. Knowing that he has a friend," she says quietly.
My heart squeezes in on itself with the fact that I was able to take that weight off of her.
I know kids of divorce go through it and often pay for their parents' mistakes.
She shouldn't have to bear the weight of her parents' decisions.
But I'm shocked when she pushes up from the grass and crawls into my lap, her back to my front, settling her Barbie in her lap the way she's sat in mine, and hands me the book.
"Will you read for a bit? I'm tired."
My nose pinches, and I have to blink away tears as this little girl carves my heart out of my chest. I clear my throat to dislodge the emotion that threatens to crush my windpipe.
"Sure, pipsqueak," I say, my voice tight and strained.
I look up and see Gareth watching us, his arms slack at his sides. Micah throws the ball up in the air and catches it himself, completely unaware of what's happening. Gareth's head drops back as he stares at the sky and wipes a hand down his face, muttering something to himself.
Pride inflates my chest as I wrap an arm around Lil's waist. She chose me. She chose to trust me and chose me to read to her. To be a part of her life, which seems like such a small, simple thing, but it's rocked me to my core.
I start reading to her, but I'm having an out-of-body experience.
I know after this, I'll never be the same.