Page 58 of Here You Are

We continued to lie in bed naked, although we did slip under the covers when I got a little cold. I lay the top of my body on his bare chest, soaking up his body heat and his intoxicating man-smell. We were having an easy conversation about everything, and almost an hour passed.

“Did you think of a good nickname for me yet? I feel more confident asking this now.”

I smirked and patted him on the chest. “Oh, I’ve had a nickname for you for years.”

“You have not.”

“Yep, I’ve had my eye on you since you moved in.”

“Well? Does it still fit?”

I wiggle my eyebrows at him, and in the sexiest tone of voice I could muster, I reply, “Oh yeahhhh, Grass Daddy.”

He roars a laugh, his whole body shaking, nearly wiggling me off him; he was laughing so hard. “You have opened up so many opportunities for me to make lawn care innuendos for you. ‘Hey, baby, want me to turn on your sprinkler?’ I’m not going to lie, it’s kind of hot to hear you call me ‘daddy’ if I separate it from thoughts of the other people who call me that.”

“I’ll stick to Grass Daddy to avoid any confusion.” I pause and remember something. “Hey, are you going to tell me now why you wanted to be at my house instead of yours?”

“It was all a part of my grand plan for redemption. First, I wanted you to be as comfortable as possible. And second, my plan was to do whatever you do when you're alone, and I didn’t know if I would need some nightstand supplies. I just wanted to be prepared like a Boy Scout. Also, it’s possible my house may be a sexual wasteland. You remember the preview I gave you. Not good.”

“Ah, so this was a trauma response. Didn’t want to go back to the scene of the crime.”

He lets out a breathy, low chuckle. “Something like that. I needed a confidence booster, first.”

“Well,” I say, slapping his belly. “You totally redeemed yourself, so let me know when you're available to show off more of your skills.”

Ben immediately pulls me toward him, so I am lying chest down on top of him. “I’m always ready. At least while I have some good years left in me.”

He ended up sleeping over, though not much sleeping happened. It is an impressive feat for an almost-forty-year-old and an over-forty-year-old to pull an all-nighter. And we did end up getting into those nightstand supplies.

Chapter 24

August 30th, 2021

Ben and I have been almost inseparable when time allows, given his busy single-daddying schedule. Our routine has been spending time together at night when his girls are sleeping. It’s usually an hour or two because we both have to get up early and be adults the next morning. There have been a few late nights that have turned into mornings, but it's been important to him that the girls don’t wake up to me being there—especially Brooklyn. She still remembers her mom vividly, and he doesn’t want to upset her by seeing us together without first explaining things. It’s all still very new, so we are trying to be cautious. I’m really just along for the ride and trying to support him in what he thinks is best. I also make sure that when I go for a run, I go past his house every time, so he doesn’t forget about me.

We have hung out quite a few times with him and the kids in a neighborhood setting. Since it’s summer, everyone is out and about in the neighborhood, and that has led to a lot of impromptu driveway gatherings. Linden—the cockblocker—has taken a real liking to me, surprisingly. After being assaulted with the hose the first night we met, I didn’t think she was a fan, but apparently, it wasn’t a personal attack.

Last night, Grass Daddy was mowing the lawn and glistening. I’m trying not to make fun of him being abnormally sweaty anymore. Speaking of mowing, he recently started mowing Widow Jenkins lawn, too. He found out that she had been paying for a lawn service and took it as a personal attack. It’s just a matter of time before I wake up to the sound of a mower and the smell of fresh cut grass outside my bedroom window. While he was mowing, the girls were in the driveway playing with sidewalk chalk. I was outside talking with WJ, when Linden hollered at me to come over.

“Ah, your future stepdaughter is beckoning,” Widow Jenkins informed me with a bony-fingered jab to my ribs.

“Get a life, Jenkins,” I tell her.

“You know that part in The Lion King, when Nala and Simba are falling in love, but don’t realize it. Timone explains it to Pumba. I can see what's happening, and they don’t have a clue, they’ll fall in love, and here’s the bottom line, our trio’s down to two,” she sings in a meerkat voice. “For future reference, I do not accept being kicked out of the trio.”

“It’s possible you aren’t right about this,” I replied.

“Well, there’s a first time for everything. I don’t think I’m wrong about this, though. A woman’s intuition is seldom wrong.”

“What about my woman’s intuition?” I snapped back at her.

“Yours is either broken or hasn’t grown in yet.”

With a disgusted grunt, I turn back toward Linden, who is staring at me with her hands on her hips.

“I better get over there. It looks like I’m in trouble.”

I made my way over to their driveway. They had made an obstacle course with the chalk, and it was adorable. Lots of different ways to hop, skip, and dance with all of the colors of the rainbow. It was easy to see which girl had worked on which part.