- Text Size +
Chapter Twenty Nine

"Cool! They look like Mickey Mouse!"

"Well, duh."

Jake was looking at me like I had just stated the most obvious thing in the history of the world. I looked back down at my pancakes. I was more impressed than a three year old. Lauren leaned over and kissed the top of my head.

"I think this is the first time you've been excited over my breakfast," she said. I smirked.

"Not true. I love to eat your--"

Lauren clamped a hand over my mouth. Jake looked up at Lauren and laughed.

"Silly," he said. He reached for the syrup Lauren had transferred over into a squeezable ketchup bottle thingy, stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth, and drenched Mickey.

"So Jake," Lauren said. She took a seat by me. I took the syrup bottle and went to town. "Have you ever gone bowling before?"

Jake grinned. "Yeah-huh. I pusheded this HOOGE ball and it went roll-roll-roll! down the lane and it knocked the pinnies over and mommy went 'Yay, Jake won!'" He fist pummeled the air for effect.

"Would you like to go bowling with your dad and me?" Lauren asked. "I'm not that good. Maybe you could help me."

I stared over at her in surprise. She kicked my ass in bowling. She winked at me. I guess it was part of her child reverse psychology that she told me she always used on me. I cut Mickey's ear off and stuffed it in my mouth.

"I can help," Jake said shyly. He had done really well, but there were still moments where he kind of backed off a little bit.

In fact, sometime around midnight he had wormed his way into my bed. I had woken up this morning with his feet in my face.

"It's gonna be fun," I said, working around my mouth of pancake. Jake shook his finger at me.

"You have to go-" Jake demonstrated a gulpy swallow. "Before you can talk."

Lauren laughed. "Yeah, Nick."

I made a dramatic show of chewing vigorously and swallowing. Jake looked satisfied. He picked up his fork and took another big bite.

I felt Lauren's hand on my knee. She ran it just barely over the inside of my thigh. I glanced over at her, but she wasn't looking at me. She was still watching Jake.

For someone who had told me she hadn't been born with the maternal gene, she was doing a damn good job. I reached under the table and took her hand. I was going to place it a little, ahem, higher up, but she pulled it back.

"Not going to happen," she said lightly.

"But I want it," I whined. "Later?" I asked hopefully.

"Probably not until the weekend's over," she teased.

"Can I have it?" Jake asked.

Damn. I had forgotten about my mini-me. He looked between the two of us. Lauren's mouth opened.

"Well, uh--"

"Yes," I said with a sigh. The look on Lauren's face was epic. "Lauren won't let me have ice cream on the weekend. But I bet she'd let you have some after bowling." I looked over at my gorgeous girlfriend. She blinked quickly.

"Ice cream? Oh yeah, you can have some Jake. I guess I might let your daddy have some too."

"Is that a metaphor?" I asked hopefully.

"Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


The Dos Equis was still on the nightstand when I woke up the next morning. I was feeling hung over, but not so bad that I was going to be hugging the toilet for hours on end. I took a long shower.

I felt like an idiot. I had taken leaving Jake harder than I had expected. Yes, Shay Gerard was an overemotional person, but I usually wasn't so pathetic.

The night before was glazed over by the alcohol. I didn't remember drinking through all the bottles in my trash. I vaguely remembered a phone call. I prayed I didn't drunk-call my mom or sister. The last thing I needed was that thrown in my face.

I was okay with being the black sheep. Moving away from LA had been, above all, the smartest decision I ever made. I couldn't imagine raising Jake with mom lording over every one of my mistakes. I didn't always get it right, but I tried to best.

My thoughts were getting me depressed again. I was contemplating calling Nick to make sure my son was still alive, when my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

I smiled. "Hey Kevin."

"I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise for me?" I asked with a laugh.

"Open your door."

"Kev, I'm not at home. I'm--"

"Open the door to your hotel room."

With my curiosity at a high, I walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. I gasped.

"You weren't supposed to peek first," he chastised over the phone. I threw open the door and hugged him tightly. He laughed.

"What are you doing here?" I asked happily.

"One of the leads got sick today so our night shoot is postponed until tomorrow night. I thought you might want some company."

I looked up into his eyes. He held me in his arms and waited for my answer.

"I'd love company," I said. His fingers brushed a curl from my face.

"It sounded like you had a rough night."

He stepped forward; I stepped back. When he was completely inside the room, he closed the door behind him.

"Were you my drunk phone call?" I asked lamely. He nodded.

"I was throwing myself a pity party," I said. "It was stupid. I'm tougher than that. Really. I'm just a mush where Jake's concerned."

"I completely understand. But, on behalf of Nick, he seems to have really taken on responsibility with heart. I think this might be good for them. And you."

His voice lowered on the last part. My toes began to sweat. Do toes sweat? I dunno, but mine felt like they were. He was staring at me and I felt like I was being x-rayed. If any other man did that, I would have bitched a fit, but Kevin was an exception.

He had played the lead role in my daydreams too often lately for me not to want the attention in real life.

"So what should we do today?" I asked.

"I have an idea," Kevin said lightly. "I think the two of us need a workout."

My mouth dried up. My jaw could have fallen off and I don't think I would have noticed.

A workout? Two different scenarios came to mind. One involved sweating and failing miserably not to look clumsy on the stairmaster while admiring Kevin's perfect body from afar.

The other scenario involved both of us rolling around in bed. Sure, it would probably include sweating, but I was totally okay with that.