Page 34 of An Unexpected Turn
“But I’m suspended ...” Mike rubbed his eyes.
“I know, but we’ll deal with that. In the meantime”—Jake smiled, his eyes still on his son—“let’s go home, and we’ll talk about it. But I’m not angry with you, I’m mad that it happened. Okay?”
“Okay,” he said on a long sigh.
“Are you hungry? It sounds like you didn’t get to eat lunch today.”
“I’m fine, Dad.” Mike picked up his backpack from the floor, slowly hooking it on his shoulder. The poor kid seemed exhausted in every way.
“Wait for me outside. I need to talk to Ms. Miller.”
He nodded and looked back at me. “Thanks, Ms. Miller. For ...” He trailed off, lifting a shoulder. “For everything. I promise I’ll say something sooner next time.”
“Of course.” I tried to give him an easy smile and not give away how upset I was for him. “And you better.”
“Thank you for staying with him,” Jake said, rubbing the back of his neck after Mike stepped out of my office. “I’ve been sick to my stomach since you called, but so damn relieved he was with you until I could get to him. I know he’s fourteen, but he’s my ...” My eyes followed the roll of his throat when he gulped. “I never regretted babying him all his life more than right now.”
“Only children get babied. I have firsthand experience.” I grinned and, although I shouldn’t have, reached out to wrap my hand around Jake’s wrist. “But for what it’s worth, remember that Mike didn’t back down today. He defended himself. Babied or not.”
Something in his eyes made my breath catch in my throat. Regardless of where we were, I wanted to grab the back of his neck and pull him to me as he’d done with his son moments ago, then press my mouth to his and kiss it better like he almost did for me in my kitchen.
His eyes holding mine, he peeled my hand from where it was still wrapped around his wrist and brought it to his mouth, all the air rushing out of my lungs when he pressed a kiss to my knuckles.
“Thank you,” he whispered, our gazes lingering for a long moment before he left my office and told Mike, “Let’s go.”
I pressed my hand to my chest, my breathing quick as my heart thudded against my palm. I traced the top of my wrist, still feeling the wet warmth of Jake’s lips and the scrape of his stubble when he pulled away.
This thing between us grew bigger every time we tried to shut it down. We were overpowering, all-consuming, and just a matter of time.
SIXTEEN
JAKE
Mike seemed to take his day of suspension in stride, and although he was supposed to be punished, I let him lounge around doing whatever he wanted. I did feel better that he defended himself, but I worried about retaliation. I trusted that Peyton would watch him, but she couldn’t be everywhere. His principal assured me the same, but I almost offered to donate free contracting work if I could hang out at the school for the next few weeks.
In all fourteen years that my son had been alive, I’d never been this crippled by helplessness.
I wished for the days he was little enough for me to wrap my arms around him and shield him from bullies, growing up, and parents who disappointed him.
I had no reason to be at Peyton’s condo tonight. I’d sent my workers in while she was in school to replace the floors and cut out the beginnings of mold from the bottom of the wall in her living room. Although I had that primal need my sister had called me on to fix it all myself, I wanted it to be finished for her as soon as possible. The job was more than halfway done, and I didn’t have to bother her by stopping by on a Friday night to install the new drywall against the wall.
Kristina said we were awhen, not anif. Every time my eyes fell on that gorgeous face or roamed along Peyton’s beautiful body, or when she gave me a glimpse as to how big her heart was, I wanted us to be anow.
I wanted that so fucking much I could no longer think straight or make good decisions.
And being alone with Peyton for an entire evening was the worst decision I could possibly make.
Aaron’s mother offered to have Mike over for pizza because she didn’t want them to feel punished either. With the unexpected extra time on my hands, I found myself texting Peyton to find out if she was home, telling her that if I installed the drywall now, it would help the guys finish quicker next week.
It wasn’t a total lie, but the reason I’d reached out was because something in me needed to be near her—and that something was a hell of a lot louder than my conscience warning me away.
Despite how wrong it was to want her, I couldn’t stop. My resolve had cracked right down the middle, and no matter how many times I reminded myself why it couldn’t happen and the ripple effect of chaos after if it did, it was falling apart and I couldn’t stop it.
“Hey,” Peyton said as she answered the door, her loose T-shirt draping over one sexy shoulder. My eyes drank up every gorgeous inch of her body, over the black leggings that clung to every curve. Averting my gaze higher didn’t help. Her chestnut hair was piled on top of her head, with little curls falling over her face and highlighting her cheekbones.
“Come in. Your crew has made good progress so far.” She smiled and my skin tingled, the tiny hairs on the back of my neck sticking up as if I’d just tripped a live wire. This was the first time since our almost-kiss that we’d been completely alone.
“So I’ve heard.” I scanned the space, happy to see the guys did a great job. You’d never know the entire place was flooded.“I’ll only be here for a little bit. The wall should take me no time.”
