“Now, push your arms up but maintain your position against the wall.”
Across from us, the door to Sully’s office opens and closes with a soft click.
“What are you doing?” Sully asks. His voice is low, but I don’t need to glance over to sense his irritation.
He stalks over to us. “Get your hands off her,” he says, slapping Jake’s arm.
“Chill, bro. I was helping her with something.”
“Help from a distance.”
That’s enough of that. “Sully, knock it off.” I drop my arms and pull away from the wall. “My shoulders were bothering me. Jake was showing me some exercises to help.”
His expression softens when his gaze lands on me. “Sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing to her? I’m the one you snapped at,” Jake grumbles, brushing off his sleeves.
“Shut up,” Sully growls without looking at his brother.
“Maddy busy with homework?” Jake asks.
“Yeah, don’t bug her.”
“I won’t. Geez,” he grumbles, walking away.
“As a younger sibling, let me give you some advice—you shouldn’t pick on your little brother,” I say once we’re alone. “It’s not nice.”
“Pick on him,” he echoes, shaking his head.
I reach up and rub his shoulder. “You seem tense.”
He shrugs, and his gaze searches the room before finally landing on me. “I don’t like hiding what you mean to me.”
There’s that swoony-swoop in my stomach again. “It’s not about you or me. Do what you think is best for Madison. I’m okay with whatever feels right to you.”
He stares past me as if he’s considering his options. “Maybe next visit. You can hang with us. Let her adjust to the idea?”
I lean up and give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’d like that.”
Aubrey’s understanding means everything to me. It also helps me relax, knowing she’s at the gym this afternoon. Although I’m still irritated with my brother and not all that thrilled about leaving him alone with her. Which is stupid. Jake’s done plenty of shitty stuff over the years, hitting on a girlfriend has never been one of them.
“If it’s slow tonight, just close early,” I say to Aubrey.
She salutes me and gives my hand a quick squeeze before letting go.
I stride over to the office and tap on the door, pushing it open. “Ready to go?”
Maddy spins around in my chair a few times before answering. “We can’t stay here?”
“Grandma’s waiting to see you.”
“Oh!” She hurries to pack up her stuff, which somehow in the last half hour ended up everywhere. Finally, I get her in the Jeep and headed toward home.
“Are you dating Aubrey?” Madison asks once I leave the parking lot.
“What?” I turn and give her a quick look. “Why would you ask that?”
“She’s pretty.”
“Yeah,” I answer carefully. “She is.”
“You should have a girlfriend.”
“You and Grandma are the only ladies I need in my life right now.” Shit, that feels awful. I don’t like lying to my daughter or denying what Aubrey means to me to anyone. Even if I think it’s the right thing to do at the moment.
“Dad,” she says in her dramatic-breathless-eye-rolling way. “At some point don’t ya think you should get married?”
“Why are you worried about me getting married all of a sudden?” My relationship with Maddy is so important to me. I see so little of her, I don’t ever want her to feel like I’m neglecting her or that I’m distracted by someone else.
“Mom’s got Robert. And you’re like, all alone up here when I’m in Florida.”
“I’m not alone. Uncle Jake’s like lice, I can’t shake him.”
She giggles then turns serious again. “You know what I mean.”
“Grandma lives right next door.”
“Daaaaaad. You’re not taking me seriously.”
“Yes, I am.”
“So you’ll think about it?”
“Think about what?” I tease.
“Daaaaaad. Ask Aubrey out. Old people still do that, right?”
“Careful who you’re calling old, little miss.”
“Well, Aubrey’s not old. Robert is like old enough to be my grandfather.”
Inside I’m laughing, but I force myself not to say something inappropriate about her stepfather. “I don’t think he’d appreciate that. And it’s not really true.”
“Maybe if you guys got married,” she says in an excited rush. “I could come stay with you more often.”
Hold up. What?
I wait until I pull into my driveway and shut the Jeep off before addressing that last part. “Madison, what makes you say that?”
“I dunno.” Her eyes shine with unshed tears. “I just miss you. I only get to see you like once a month.”
Shit, shit, shit. I haven’t messed with our custody arrangement in years, because at the time I’d been granted visitation, I’d been lucky to carve out the time I had. As a young, single father half a country away, the court had made me jump through hoops back then. Honestly, I don’t have the money to battle Lauren again. The last time we went to court, it took every last penny I had.
But obviously, I need to figure out something.
“I miss you too, sweetheart. You want me to talk to your mom about maybe having you come visit another weekend a month?”
Her eyes widen, and I wonder if she already tried to talk this out with Lauren and got shot down.
“You’d do that?” she asks.
“If that’s what you want. I’d love to be able to spend more time with you, Maddy. I don’t want to disrupt your life though.”
“It’s not disrupting my life,” she says. “I love visiting grandma and Uncle Jake. None of my friends have a cool uncle like mine.”
I bark out a quick laugh. “Make sure to tell him that.”
My mother’s front door swings open and Madison jumps out of the Jeep, racing across the lawn to say hello.
I reach into the back and grab Maddy’s stuff. “I’ll be over in a few,” I call out to my mom, who just waves at me.
By the time I make it to my mom’s, Madison’s busy chattering away and helping in the kitchen. I sit back and watch them, thinking about Madison’s request to visit more often.
Owning the gym means I pretty much work there seven days a week. Jake helps alleviate a lot of that burden, but he has his own stuff. Without my mother’s help, I’d be screwed. Can I really ask her to give up another Sunday every month to help me out? Maybe I don’t need to. It was harder when Maddy was younger, but she’s old enough to come with me on Sunday mornings. Hell, she’s suggested I start a kid’s self-defense class a couple times now. Maybe that’s something she and I can work on together.
I wait until after Maddy’s asleep to bring it up with my mom. “Madison told me today she wants to come visit more often.”
My mother raises an eyebrow. “Did you talk to Lauren?”
“Not yet. I don’t want to call while Maddy’s here in case we get into an argument.”
She rests her hand on mine. “You’re a good father. I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks, Ma.” The corners of my mouth lift in a tired smile. “She asked me if I was dating Aubrey.”
“Really? I’d think at her age she wouldn’t want you dating anyone.”
“She’s worried I’m lonely.”
At that, my mother scoffs. “I’m smart enough to know neither of my sons are ever lonely. Even if I don’t want details.”
I give her the side-eye. “Says the woman who asks what kind of birth control I’m using at the dinner table.”
She flashes an unapologetic smile.
“How does Aubrey feel about Madison? Is she upset you’re occupied this weekend?” she asks.
“I told her I wasn’t ready to tell Madison about us yet. She was fine with it.”
My mo
ther nods, clearly impressed. Not many people impress this woman. “That’s a very mature response. When do I get to meet Aubrey?”
“Maybe next weekend? We can do dinner?”
“I’d like that. The sooner, the better. The weekend after, I’m going to Cape Cod with Jenny.”
“Ugh. You know I’m going to worry about you the whole time, right?”
She laughs and pats my cheek. “I’m the parent. I do the worrying.”
I grab her hand, giving it an affectionate squeeze. “I’ll never not worry about you, Mom.”
Jake and I close down the gym together. Celia picks me up, but Jake’s so eager to see his niece, he doesn’t stick around for one of their flirty-arguing conversations.
“Aw, that’s kind of cute,” Celia admits once I explain. “So you met Sully’s daughter?”
“She breezed in like a little tornado.” I chuckle, remembering how nervous I felt under her scrutiny. “She’s kind of intimidating for twelve.”
Celia executes a neat U-turn in the middle of the street and heads home. “That’s because you want her to like you.”
“True. Meeting her made it seem so…real.”
“Uh, that’s because she’s real.” She glances over. “Are you having second thoughts? It’s a big responsibility to get involved with someone who has a kid.”
I consider her question before answering. Sully already showed me this afternoon how much he wants to consider both of our feelings. “Honestly, no.”
“You’re not insulted he didn’t want to introduce you as his girlfriend?”
“Not at all. We’ve been together barely a week. It made me respect him more, honestly.”
“Oh, boy. That sounds like your ovaries talking.”
“What? Why?”
“He’s a good dad.” She wags a finger in the air like she’s reading from a script. “Ergo, he’d be a good dad to your kids.”
“Duh, of course he would.”
She laughs and slaps the steering wheel. “Wow. One week my ass. You’re already making babies in your head.”
“Shut up. I am not.” Well, now that she said it, I kind of am.
All the fun gets sucked out of our night as soon as we get home. Celia flips through the mail and stops at one long, white envelope.
“Aubrey,” she says and my skin prickles at the serious tone she uses.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know. It’s from the parole board.”
“You’re kidding. He can’t be…” My voice trails off as I do the math in my head. Yeah, I guess it’s possible. “Shit.”
“Do you want me to open it?” she asks.
Too upset to speak, I just nod.
She opens the letter and scans it quickly. “That motherfucker,” she grumbles.
“What?”
“They’re asking if you want to come testify on his behalf.”
“What! That’s insane. There’s supposed to be a restraining order even after he’s released.” At the time, I’d been furious my parents insisted on that part. Now, I’m grateful. At least they did one thing useful.
She hands over the letter without any further comment. It’s exactly what she said. An invitation to come testify.
“I can’t go there, Celia. Not even to argue against his release. I can’t. I don’t want to—”
“Okay. Calm down. Write a letter.” She nods to the envelope in my hand. “All the info is there. They’ll have to take it into consideration.”
“I hope you’re right.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
As usual, yesterday went by way too fast. After dropping Maddy off at my mother’s, I arrive early at Strike Back to prep for the morning self-defense class.
Aubrey’s withdrawn and quiet when she arrives. We talked briefly last night after Maddy went to bed and she seemed okay. Did she rethink our situation? Was meeting my daughter too much for her?
I’d hate it if that was the case, but it’d be better to know now rather than later. Especially if I approach Lauren about more visitation with Maddy.
The thought puts me in a foul mood. Something I don’t have time to indulge in when I need to focus on the class.
A talk with Aubrey doesn’t seem possible since I need to leave early for family dinner at my mother’s before taking Madison to the airport.
“Bree’s not coming this week?” I ask Aubrey, trying to coax a smile or something out of her.
Her mouth quirks. “No. She has a big paper or something due.”
We’re stopped from any more conversation by other students arriving.
It’s another scorcher today. Maybe that’s why class is small. I wrap up early and pull Aubrey aside.
“Everything okay?”
Her big eyes meet mine and I finally get a genuine smile out of her.
“Yeah, class was good.” She pokes a finger in my side. “I let some of your students know you’re finally on Instagram. Hopefully word will spread.”
I pull her in closer. “Missed you yesterday.”
Her eyes go soft and she melts into me. “I missed you too.”
“What’d you do?”
“Nothing exciting. Caught up on my laundry.” She fluffs her ponytail. “Talked Celia into trimming my hair.”
“Sorry, I didn’t notice with it up.”
She tilts her head as if she’s confused. Shit, now that she’s called attention to it, I can almost feel my hand twisting around her ponytail while I take her from behind.
I cough and glance away. “It’s slow. Want me to show you that maneuver I mentioned in class?”
“How to get out of the ponytail grab? Sure.”
We’re alone in the gym, so I take my time walking her through the steps.
Damn, she smells good. The fundamental urge to get as close as possible makes me skim my hands over her sides. My fingers tease under her shirt, barely brushing over her ribs and back down to grasp her hips.
She rests her hand on my chest. Right over my heart that I’m sure she can feel thudding against her palm.
In my hands, she feels light and delicate. My muscles tighten as I pull her closer.
“Sully?” she whispers. A warning that we’re not exactly alone.
She blinks up at me and her lips part. I’m a centimeter away from pressing my lips against hers when the back door opens, and voices reach us. Aubrey stumbles backward and rights herself about a second before Maddy and my mother pop into the workout room.
“Daddy!” Madison flies into my arms. I squeeze her tight, never knowing when she’ll decide she’s too old to call me daddy or let me hug her in public.
“You’re like a little freight train, you know that?”
Maddy just laughs and hugs me tighter.
Aubrey slowly backs away and I reach out to stop her.
I lift my chin. “Everything okay, Mom?”
My mother’s shrewd gaze sweeps over the scene in front of her before answering. “We stopped for ice cream and she wanted to see you.” My mother glances at Aubrey, a faint smile curving her mouth. “I hope it’s okay.”
“Yeah. It’s great.” I motion Aubrey closer. “Mom, this is Aubrey. I hired her to help out at the front desk.”
Maddy finally relaxes her python impression and turns to face Aubrey. “Hey again.”
“Aubrey,” my mother says. “I’ve heard a lot of nice things about you. Sullivan says you’ve been a big help.”
“Oh.” Aubrey’s hands flutter in the air for a moment. “That’s good to hear. It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Wallace.”
My mother can be good at recognizing when people are nervous and she lets Aubrey off the hook. “Where’s Jake?”
“He’s here somewhere.”
“Do I hear my favorite ladies in here?” Jake asks, poking his head out of the locker room. “Give me a second.”
Madison strolls away to inspect some of the new equipment I’ve added since the last time she was here. “Be careful,” I can’t help calling out. br />
She throws me an eye-rolling head shake. “I know.”
Aubrey hides her laughter behind her hand and I shrug.
“I should go back to work,” she says. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Wallace.”
Before my mother has a chance to open her mouth and stop her, Aubrey scurries to the front desk.
Mom curls her hand around my bicep. “Am I that terrifying?” she whispers.
“I don’t think she expected to meet you today, that’s all.” I glance at Aubrey, who’s busy cleaning the counter.
“I didn’t want to make her nervous. Maddy really did want to come see you.”
I give her hand what I hope is a reassuring pat. “I love when you stop by. Wish you did it more often.”
“Don’t start with me, Sullivan. I’m up to thirty minutes a day on that treadmill you forced into my house.”
I can’t help laughing and holding up my hands in defense of the accusation. “That’s not what I meant. And I didn’t force anything.” I nod at Jake, who’s coming our way. “He was in on that too.”
“What’d I do now?” Jake asks, kissing Mom’s cheek.
“Nothing,” she says, beaming at him. “I wasn’t sure you’d be working here this afternoon.”
Jake suffers under the misguided delusion that I’m the favorite son, so I keep my working-is-a-stretch comment to myself.
“I’m here.”
My attention is drawn to Maddy approaching Aubrey. Noticing the tension in my posture, my mother follows my line of sight.
“Does she like kids?” she asks in a low voice.
Jake chuckles and I glare at him.
“I think so. She wanted to be a teacher.” It’s not like we’ve been together long enough to discuss Aubrey’s feelings on kids. She’s such a sweet person, I can’t imagine her not liking them. Besides, as Madison is fond of reminding me, she’s almost an adult.
I tried to give Sully and his mother some space. At least appear like I’m doing my job. I feel ridiculous standing here in front of the woman while I’m wearing my workout clothes. A sweaty mess. About five seconds from making out with Sully when she and Madison showed up. Something I’m sure anyone can tell by my bright pink cheeks.