Page 72 of Until Forever

“Yeah, I’ve barely ridden it since I got the truck. But it’s my baby.” He takes the helmet from me.

“I remember when you got it. You worked day and night to revive it.”

“Yeah, if it weren’t for Nico Mayson, I probably wouldn’t have it. My father hated it, too. He stopped Bax and me from hanging out years before that, but Nico always checked in. For my seventeenth birthday, he took me to the junkyard, and she was just sitting there.”

“You took good care of it. But we have to get back to pick our kid up from school, so, let’s get moving.”

“Mm,” he mutters when I turn my back to him. “I really do like the way you look in these jeans.”

I glance behind me to find his eyes are glued to my ass. “You are such a perv.”

“You like it.” He yanks me to him, claiming my mouth with his.

“Maybe.”

He climbs on the motorcycle, and once the helmet is in place on my head, he starts the engine and takes off, ignoring the cheers from the kids about how beautiful the Softail is. The ride back is much like it was on the way to the mountain. My heart beats hard, and my nerves are wired. But the one difference is now I feel at peace with my relationship with Jasper.

Things have moved rather quickly for us, but as he said, there’s no time frame but the one we set for ourselves, and I’m happy with that.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

JASPER

The ending credits roll,and we stir back to life. It’s dark except for the glare coming from the TV screen, and the soundtrack toRaising Deonplays in the background.

“All right, bud. Bath time.” I pat JJ on the back.

“Just one more episode,” he negotiates, twisting and turning in his place between his mother and me.

Picking up the remote, I click off the television. “We’ve watched four episodes already. It’s time for you to call it a night for school in the morning.”

He sighs, his shoulders slumping violently. “Okay. But can we watch more tomorrow?” He climbs off the couch and steps over Latoya’s legs, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“Maybe. If you get through all of your homework and chores early, we can probably make that happen.”

Latoya stands and walks past us to her room.

“Great, I’m going to do it so fast. Just watch.” He steps around me. “Dad?” He stops midway and faces me.

I inch closer, dropping to one knee in front of him. Pride drums in my chest and the desire to pull him into my arms take over. “What’s up, buddy?”

“I’m glad you’re back.” He hugs me.

I squeeze him tight, fighting the tear that threatens to fall. “I’m glad I’m back, too. Listen, how about we grab ice cream after school?” With my hands on his shoulders, I maneuver him so that I can look him in the eye.

He nods with a smile. “Deal.” He holds out a hand.

I laugh and accept his gesture, thinking back to the first time we met and he hustled me for a dollar to tell me his name.

He takes off without another word, and I watch him disappear into his bathroom. A second later, the sound of the shower running followed by the close of the door fills the space.

I shake my head, stand, and begin picking up the place. Starting with the cups on the coffee table and the dishes in the sink. Next, I wrap aluminum foil over the leftovers and store it in the fridge, shutting the light off on my way back out.

I make my way to the linen closet in the hall to retrieve my makeshift bedding, knowing full well I won’t be sleeping on the sofa tonight. I haven’t since moving in, but I wake up early to exercise and pretend I have been on the sofa all night so as not to confuse our son.

The door to our bedroom is cracked, and I stop to poke my head in. Latoya is standing over the nightstand, tossing things onto the bed and rummaging through the drawer.

“Hey. I just got JJ situated. He’s in the shower now. I need to read through some emails, then I’ll join you,” I say to her back.

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