Page 15 of Single Dad Dilemma

“Well, that’s good. I’m glad you found something to keep you busy that’s also something that makes you happy. Not everyone gets that, you know?”

“I know,” he agrees. “I’ve gotten lucky many times in my life, more than I deserve, I’ll tell ya that much.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I found the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with early. We were only in college. She married me and gave me the best daughter I could ever imagine. I landed an amazing job in the city, and it’s provided me with enough money to livethe rest of my life comfortably if I choose to. And now, I have this. Another shot at being happy with my work.”

I smile. “It sounds like you have been happy. That’s good.”

I can’t help but to think of the luck I’ve had. It’s nowhere near as good as his. I was born to a poor family, my mother died, and then my dad started using drugs, which eventually led to his death. At the age of nineteen, I was completely alone, left to fend for myself and walk this world alone. I still haven’t found the man I want to spend my life with, and I don’t have the family I’ve always dreamed of, but I did get lucky enough that I was able to buy myself a home, and I own a pretty successful business, so I guess I’ve made out better than some too.

“So is Margo going to start school here this fall?”

He nods. “That’s the plan. She went to pre-school in the city, but this will be her first year in kindergarten. She’s looking forward to making friends her own age.”

“I bet. It’s probably hard on her being the only kid around. I know she didn’t hold back with me today. We had a tea party, played dress up, and played with dolls and every other toy in her room. But don’t worry, I picked it all up.”

He smiles. “That’s the least of my worries. I’m glad she had fun today.” He pauses and nods. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself as well. She’s just clung to you for some reason. She’s never done that with anyone before.”

I laugh. “Well, I kind of bribed her with baked goods.”

His laughter mixes in with mine. “That always help, I’m sure.”

I nod in agreement. “In my experience.”

I take another drink and look up to meet his eyes. They’re already on me, looking at me like he did earlier in the shop. They’re moving up and down my body, taking me in fully. His jaw is cocked, making it appear even more sharp, like he’s trying to hold something back.

I can feel the air between us grow thick. It feels heavy like it’s been charged, with tension or emotion, I’m not sure. I guess it could be either given our talks today.

I’m not sure what to say or do at this point, so I finish off my beer and set it on the table. I stand up. “I guess I should probably get going.”

“Oh.” That snaps him out of his trance, and he stands with me. “Of course. I guess it is getting late. I should probably shut the garage down for the night.” He follows me to the open garage door and turns off the light, leaving us in darkness. He hits a button, and the door starts to lower once we’re on the other side of it.

He turns and nearly bumps into me. “Thanks for coming over today. I know I’ve said it already, but it really did mean a lot to Margo.”

I smile as I look up at him in the darkness. “Anytime.”

I don’t know why my feet won’t move, but I suddenly find myself locked in place. I don’t move and neither does he, but that heavy feeling seems to form between us again as he looks down at me with his smoldering eyes. His tongue comes out, wetting his lips, and they part like he’s going to say something, but no words come out.

The next thing I know, he’s bending down, pressing his lips to mine. I’m frozen in shock, unsure if I should pull away for Margo’s sake or if I should keep going for my own desire. Every last thought falls from my head the moment his hand lands on the small of my back, pulling me closer. The dam built up inside of me breaks, and emotion comes pouring out. My lips begin to move against his, and my arms raise to wrap around his neck. I pull him closer and he pulls me closer. He turns me around and walks me backward until my back is pressed against the side of the garage. There, our kiss deepens.

His tongue comes out, tangling with my own, and my heart starts racing inside my chest. My breathing picks up as our kiss grows in urgency. My fingers lace into his dark hair, tugging slightly, and one of his hands moves up to cup my jaw. The kiss slows and he pulls back, his eyes finding mine.

Suddenly, we’re both in shock. How did we get here? What lead us to this moment? Why did he kiss me, and why did I kiss him back? Other than the obvious—he’s sexy, strong, and a good man.

I remove my arms from around him, and he steps back. I press my lips together and let out a giggle. “Sorry, I don’t drink much and one beer gets me. I should go,” I say, not giving him time to respond. I dash for the car and climb behind the wheel. I twist the key, throw it into reverse, then hit the gas. I don’t look back until I’m already down the road. Then I’m hit with the nerves. What was that? We kissed! And it was epic! His lips were soft and smooth, and he knew just the perfect amount to pressure to apply to make my knees weak. The way he held his hands against my body was hot and heavenly. And his scent—he always smells good, but up that close, it’s intoxicating. My head is still swimming from kissing him. But he has so much going on…and there is always Margo to consider. Is this something we can explore without hurting her? Without this ending badly?

SIX

Carson

Istand back and watch as her taillights disappear into the darkness. I’m breathless from our kiss, and I have a million thoughts in my head, all of them similar: what the fuck did I just do? Why did I kiss her? I probably just chased her off for good now. I took the only other person here that Margo has gotten close with and chased her away. Why did I do that? It doesn’t matter how hard I’m trying to ignore how badly I want her. I never should have risked something like this. And for what? A kiss? An innocent kiss?

I’m angry and disgusted with myself as I head into the house, locking the door behind me. The first thing I do is check on Margo, and she’s sound asleep in her bed. Her dark hair is smoothed into a braid and her lips are pursed together. The room is quiet except for the sounds of her deep, even breathing.

I close the door behind me and go for a shower, needing to get all this sawdust off of me and out of the places it doesn’t belong. I shower quickly and head back downstairs. I open the fridge and pull out the leftovers and a beer. I toss the plate of spaghetti and garlic bread into the microwave and pour some dressing over the small salad that’s in its own separate bowl.

I open the beer and take a swig. By the time I’m setting it down onto the counter, the microwave is beeping. I remove the plate and take everything back to the couch to eat in front of the TV. I turn on the news and dig into my spaghetti. On the first bite, I’m hooked. I only had one jar of sauce in there, and it doesn’t taste anything like this. I’ll have to ask her what she added into it. After this, jar sauce will never be the same.

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