Page 39 of Single Dad Problems
A thought occurred to me then and I felt the tips of my ears burn. “She let me show her self-defense moves. She let me show her how to kick a man in the balls if he attacked. It must’ve been like watching a toddler try to teach her to drive a car.”
“That’s embarrassing.” Luke had been mostly silent, his face pinched as he got lost in his thoughts.
I grunted. “Thanks.”
“Sorry. I’m just trying to stack up the things I can offer so when I drop to my knees and beg her to marry me.” His face shifted into something goofy and happy. “Getting shot has never been so sweet. That badass woman let me bend her over and spank her. I spanked that killer and she fucking liked it. Why is her being a secret fucking sleeper cell agent so hot that I could hump this truck?”
A tickle of annoyance crawled under my ribs. “Get in line. I’m going after her for real.”
Before we could lose our calmness with each other over the sudden realization that only one of us could really have her Callie walked out with the kids, face clean and bright. She looked completely relaxed for the first time since I’d met her. Even after multiple orgasms there’d been something coiled inside her that Ihadn’t even noticed until I saw her come alive on the field. I had a hundred questions and the desperate need to ask them while my dick was planted firmly inside her cunt.
She grinned and pulled a trophy out from behind her back. “I got a trophy!”
Her softness was back that fast; gone was the mercenary and back was the teacher with wide, innocent eyes. The slightly spacey woman who seemed a little clumsy and so damn gentle that she’d sing to a sick bird, who was kind enough during meetings with vapid, ungrateful parents to remain the Disney princess version of herself. The cutthroat woman on the field would pick up those parents and body slam them without blinking.
“The guy at the counter said he’d never seen anyone like Miss Morgan and then he asked for her number!” Noah reported it with both pride and annoyance showing through his face and voice. “He was looking at her like this- with his tongue out and everything!”
I watched the face he made, mimicking the little shit inside wagging his tongue at Callie, and let the anger build. It was pathetic that I was already planning on threatening the asshole inside because he deserved it, but also to regain some sense of normalcy. I was man, hear me roar and all that. I could still be her protector.
“Miss Morgan told him no!” Emma stared up at her teacher in awe. “You’re so cool, Miss Morgan. I want to be just like you when I grow up!”
“And then Ollie told that guy that there were enough bacteria particles floating around the air in that sweaty building that he’d probably given himself an infection! It was so cool! And I saw you nailed my dad with your last shot, Ollie! You and your mom are the coolest!”
It was that moment, watching Callie somehow both blush and stare at her son with a pride too big to contain that I knew I was really in trouble. Past trouble. I wanted her. Not just for a physical release but for something more, something real.
“Can we all go get ice cream?” Beth batted her eyelashes at Ben and I knew he was a goner. “Ollie can come, too?”
I knew Ben well enough to know the look he got in his eyes when he saw an opportunity. He nodded, looking pleased with himself. “That sounds like a good plan. Ollie and Callieshouldjoin us for ice cream. Everyone in?”
I wasn’t going to miss a chance to spend time with Callie so I nodded my agreement. Noah cheered with the girls but I saw how he didn’t jump around on Ollie like he did with them. He was gentler and I almost got choked up for a minute, looking at my boy being a good person and knowing he would grow into a good man.
“Mom? Can I get ice cream?”
Callie knelt in front of Ollie and it was so obvious the way she held herself back from showing him love the way she’d naturally want to. Her body grew tighter and she reached towards him twice before putting her hands behind her back. It looked natural enough if you weren’t studying her. Which I was.
“Of course. I’m proud of you for trying something new today. You were great at it.” Her smile made me feel like my bones were melting away. I felt like fucking goo because of a smile the woman wasn’t even aiming at me. “Does that mean you’re going to branch out from vanilla?”
Ollie’s facial expression made me laugh before I could help it. I’d never seen that large of an expression on his face before and it was impossible to misread it. He was silently asking her if she’d lost her damn mind. It was like he had to take a moment to stare at her to make sure she was the same person she’d been before askingthatquestion.
Finally, he sighed and shook his head. “No, Mom, I will not try a new ice cream flavor.”
Callie looked appropriately scolded. “Yes, sir. What was I thinking?”
“You want to ride with us?” Ben nodded to his truck parked just behind us.
“I was actually going to see if he could come with y’all while I try to clean some.” She stood and lowered her voice. “It’s not so easy to clean when there’s a judgy little man watching everything with very few facial expressions until it comes to my cleaning.”
She wasn’t coming? Dammit. Ice cream with the kids would still be fun but I wasn’t finished with her. I needed to know more about her training and her…everything. “We’ll take care of Ollie, of course. You should come, though. We could even help you clean after. He can’t judge you if I’m standing there looking like the world’s least helpful cleaner.”
She looked horrified. “Let you into my house that is slightly messy?”
“Mom. You tripped over a lawnmower in the living room this morning.” Ollie was practically rolling his eyes. “Slightly messy is not an adequate way to describe the house.”
Callie turned bright red and crossed her arms. “I thought we agreed that we weren’t going to discuss the lawnmower.”
“Ice cream first! Lawnmowers second!” Emma looked at her dad and beamed at him. “Are you coming, Daddy?”
Sonofabitch. Luke’s grin was going to cost him when I got him away from the kids and Callie later. He was so smug about outsmarting us. “Actually, I have something I need to take care of, too. Are you okay going with Uncle Cole and Uncle Ben?”
