Page 28 of Mate Match: Curtis & Jae
“Uncle Curtis!” He jumped into my arms. “I missed you!”
“Missed you, too, little bug. Sorry I’ve not been around much.”
“It’s okay. Mama says you have a boyfriend. Can I meet him?”
I carried Milo into the house as he spoke. Dad was at the table with Jennie while Lara served them.
“Hey stranger!” my sister called as the others made their greetings.
“Can I meet your boyfriend? Mama says he has a cat. I want a cat, but I’m not allowed.” He pouted at his moms.
“That’s what I was going to ask. Jae would like to meet everyone. How about instead of at Dad’s we have brunch atmy place next time? He’s been staying with me, so it’s familiar territory.”
“Sounds good, means I don’t have to cook,” Dad said enthusiastically. He was a great cook, but it was a lot of effort for him now that he was getting older.
Jennie nodded. “Milo can skip practice if necessary. I’m looking forward to meeting the man keeping you so busy! It feels like forever since I’ve seen you!”
Keeping her and my sister in the dark about Jae made me feel bad. They were my closest friends after Marty. We reasoned there was no point until we had the check up and knew everything was going okay, but I thought it was more about Jae’s nerves than worry over the pregnancy, which was fine. My family could wait. They’d still be there.
I went to both of my sisters to kiss their cheeks before I hugged my dad. Milo clung to me the whole time.
“Little bug, you are going to love Percy,” I told him as I went to grab a plate, holding him in one arm. He was a skinny kid for his age. So bright, though.
“Who’s Percy?”
“He’s Jae’s cat. He’s been living at my house, so you’ll get to meet Jae and his cat at the same time.”
He hugged me close with a squeal. I put him down so he could return to his mom’s side. Jennie stroked his hair while he excitedly chattered.
“How come Jae’s been staying with you?” Dad asked.
I hated the idea of lying, so I stretched the truth. Jae had been planning on staying for a couple days to work before we found out about the baby, so I made an excuse about the light and the room, giving Jae inspiration.
“Huh, well, your house is nice, I guess. He’s got his own place?”
“Yeah, he bought it a while ago. We were struggling to get time together properly with how busy I was at work. His hours are more flexible, but he doesn’t have a car and lives across town.”
“You’ll need to make sure he gets a car, so he doesn’t feel trapped if it ends up being a long-term thing,” Dad advised. He was right. Jae would need a car, one with enough room for all the baby stuff. I made a mental note to talk to him about it.
“Will do, Dad.”
When I returned to the house, Brady was just leaving. “Jae just fell asleep. He ate some of those bars. I’m taking some home. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. Thanks for hanging out with him. You’re welcome over any time.”
Brady patted my arm. “Maybe not anytime, but thanks.”
Watching Jae rest, I felt hopeful for our future.
Thirteen
Jae
Theemailwasaculmination of years of hard work and weeks of redrafting. My few pages of edits I’d submitted were a hit with the publishers! They wanted to give me a contract for the book and a sequel! The best part was that they’d found a gap in their schedule for me, meaning my book would be published in a matter of months. Just before the baby was born if everything went to plan.
To say Curtis was excited was an understatement. He was over the moon for me. Having a partner so ready to celebrate my success was a new experience for me. Curtis was happy to stand in my shadow to bask in my light. He came home early from work the day I got the email, with a cake and another plant for my office. It really was my space now that my things were taking up all the available room. It was just as well my boyfriend was a contractor because we were going to run out of space in thishouse quickly with all my stuff added to his, plus things for the baby.
With how busy things were for his company, Curtis was having to work on a Saturday. I was well ahead of the revisions thanks to a peaceful office to draft in. Percy was obsessed with the catio Curtis had bought for him, and spent most of his day out there in a shady spot where he could watch the birds on a feeder, which gave me some much needed peace to concentrate. It was harder in the morning when my sickness was at its worst. I’d read it was due to low blood sugar and kept snacks for me to nibble on in the morning. Once it hit afternoon I felt better, not completely myself, and there were odd spells of nausea, but more able to function than in the morning.
