Page 37 of Play For Keeps

I feel a wave of gratitude that they have let me into their little world. I am in awe at what an incredible mother Everly is, and Birdie is such a great kid. I want more with Everly, but for now this feels pretty damn good.

Birdie comes to stand next to her mom, and Everly bends to kiss the top of her head. “Dinner is almost ready, Birdie. How ‘bout you go wash your hands?”

Everly gently squeezes Birdie’s chin before she skips down the hall to the bathroom. As Everly finishes setting the table I ask her if I can help with anything. “Feel free to put me to work.”

“Everything is ready but thank you. Now, what can I get you to drink?”

“I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

“Two iced teas it is.” She grabs a pitcher from the fridge and pours us each a glass. “Thank you again for the flowers. I love them. You know, you made Birdie’s entire week by being here tonight.”

“Getting the invite made my whole week too,” I say, my eyes glued to hers. Shit. I am in trouble. All I can think about is kissing her perfect pink lips, finally getting to know what they would feel like against mine.

The room suddenly feels too small. I’ve spent the better part of the past three weeks thinking about this girl. Would it be okay if I kissed her? Has she had a change of heart about being friends and nothing more? My pulse starts to pick up, but just then Birdie runs back into the kitchen. Before taking her seat at the table, she reaches for her cat and places him beside her plate.

“Daisy is eating with us too,” she announces.

“Daisy?” I ask. “Is that her name? Good choice, Birdie.”

“Like the flowers you gave Mommy,” she says with a grin.

My eyes find Everly’s, and that feeling, that longing, immediately returns. I’m starting to feel like I’m losing my mind. I need to know what she tastes like, and I need it to happen soon.

Get it together, Jake. It’s just dinner.

But I want more. Yes, I want a lot more with Everly, but how do I get there? We have chemistry, that is undeniable. But we also have a lot standing in our way. Her ex-husband, for one. Then there’s the age gap, which Everly seems hung up on. Oh, and until a few weeks ago I was still imagining Jade coming back from Italy asking for a second chance.

There is also Birdie. The kid is amazing, and she clearly is everything to Everly. I would never want to do anything, even inadvertently, that could somehow hurt her feelings.

Just a few months ago, I wasn’t even sure I wanted kids. After losing my parents, it’s not something I really saw for myself. I’ve always worried that my grief would impact my ability to be a good dad. I still think it will. But being around Birdie has me questioning all of that.

“Let me top you up,” Everly says with the pitcher in her hand. “Then we’ll sit down to eat.”

I am painfully aware of her proximity to me, of the curve of her hips and her smooth skin. I’ve lost count of all the times I’ve jacked off to those images of her or suffered through a cold shower in the last few weeks.

I feel like I’m 17 again. How much longer can I resist her?

“Cheers,” she says with a smile, extending her glass to me.

I clink my glass with hers, locking eyes. The emotion I see in her eyes seems to mirror my own, and I wonder if maybe she feels the same way. She tips her glass to her mouth, her long, slender neck taunting me.

“Thank you for this,” I tell her, taking a sip and then setting my glass on the counter.

“For what? A glass of iced tea?”

“For inviting me tonight.”

She doesn’t say anything in response, but the heat in her eyes is there. She swallows, and I sense the apprehension in her. She’s holding back. Why is she still so nervous? Is it our age gap? Or is it that she’s been burned before?

She has to know I’m nothing like her asshole ex. I wish she would just give me a chance to prove that to her.

Birdie tugs at my sleeve, interrupting my thoughts. “Jake, want to do something fun?”

“Like what?”

“We can play Nintendo.” Birdie looks up at me with pleading eyes. “I have Mario Kart!”

“Right now?”

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