Page 67 of Forbidden Forward

I kiss her two more times, lingering in a bid to get my fill. A voice calls my name from across the parking lot, and I snap my head up as my mind races through who might know I’m here and whether they know Jackie—and consequently her brother. My alarm ebbs when I realize it’s one of my sailing kids, Robbie.

He flies across the parking lot toward us in his motorized wheelchair, his exasperated father coming up fast behind him. “Captain Colby! Captain Colby! Dad’s taking me sailing!”

I shake the guy’s hand when he reaches us. “Didn’t know you sail.”

His expression turns sheepish. “Decided to take some lessons since he likes it so much. My ex and I split custody, and I’ve been looking for some father-son activities we can both enjoy. This seems like a good one.”

Before I agree with him, he spies Jackie and leans down to say hi through her open window. Robbie’s chattering at me excitedly, but I don’t hear what he’s saying because I’m too focused on how close his dad is to Jackie. He doesn’t lean on the sill like I did, but he’s being too friendly for my liking as he turns on the charm. Didn’t he see us in a lip-lock just now?

Back the fuck off, bro.

“Don’t you need to get going, sweetheart?” I interrupt. Jackie shoots me a quizzical look, and though I know I should rein myself in, I add instead, “I’ll see you at home later.” Now the delicate skin between her brows pleats, and she looks like she’s on the verge of another eye-roll. That’s better than her wanting to throttle me.

Shit. If I can’t handle some guy hitting on her when he thinks we’re together, how the hell am I going to handle guys hitting on her when we’re back in Raleigh and we must keep this thing between us on the down-low? They won’t know she’s mine, and they’ll come on to her.

Wait. She isn’t mine, is she?

On my way home, my sister calls me again. Just the distraction I need as my truck eats up the highway.

“Calling back so soon? Guess you missed your big brother,” I quip.

“No, I’m calling back because I forgot to mention something really important when we talked before.”

“What’s that?”

“I hear you have a little ray of sunshine in your life these days,” she chirps.

“A what?”

“I heard a rumor the other day that you’ve got a girlfriend,” Lindsey teases.

“Oh yeah? Who told you that?” As if I don’t already know.

“Peggy saw you being all lovey-dovey with a pretty woman named Jackie. She says she’s helped you with the kids a few times and she works for one of the nonprofit boards you sit on. That you got her the job, in fact.”

“Nope. Peggy sits on the same nonprofit, and she got her the job.”

“After you suggested her to Peggy. Aaaand Peggy says she’s very sweet, especially with the kids—which works in your favor, since you’re the biggest kid I know.”

“Har, har.” A measure of fake annoyance coats my voice.

“Sounds like girlfriend material to me,” Lindsey persists.

“What are we? Middle-schoolers? You are so immature.”

“Is that the best you’ve got, Colby James?”

Now I am mildly annoyed. “You’re not getting anything more out of me because it’s none of your business.”

“Whoa! Did I poke the growly bear? Your reaction tells me all I need to know. Not only am I right, but this is serious.”

“It’s not serious,” I counter, unsure why I’m so fucking defensive. Maybe because deep down, I know it can never be serious.

Lindsey’s voice softens, its joking quality gone. “That’s too bad, bro, because I think you need someone like that in your life.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Why am I arguing with my sister?

“Don’t you want to be a dad someday, Colbs? You’d be so good at it.”