Page 30 of Breakaway

Agh. He knew enough about women to know that what they said wasn’t always what they meant. Why the fuck couldn’t they just say what they meant? It would make the world a lot simpler.

He drove into the underground parking garage beneath the high-rise building in which he lived, navigating the concrete pillars and parked vehicles until he arrived at his spot.

He couldn’t give up. He was determined to get past this and deal with the old crap that kept surfacing. He was going back to that classroom next week, even if it killed him.

His cell phone rang as he rode the elevator up to his apartment and he thunked his head back against the wall, recognizing the ring tone. It was Brianne. He still had his phone programmed with that Sexy Chick ring tone for her.

He looked at the phone, closed his eyes and let it go to voice mail.

Why did she keep calling him? This was the fourth time since they’d broken up. He hated to hurt someone’s feelings, but how much clearer could he make it? They were done. The phone beeped to indicate a voice mail. Gritting his teeth, his listened to it as he let himself into his apartment. “It’s me,” her breathy voice began. “Please, Jase. Please call me back. I miss you so much. I need to talk to you.”

Hell.

“Are you sure you want to work on this committee?”

A week later, Remi was in the principal’s office, talking to her boss about a joint parent-teacher fund raising project to support the school’s music program. “Of course,” she said to Jennifer.

“You’ve taken on a lot of extra projects lately. Stars for Reading, the anti-bullying task force and now this…”

Remi gave her boss a bright smile. “I like to be busy.” She’d been spending even more time after school with some of the kids who liked to hang around too, trying to keep herself from missing her sister and brother and harassing her friends.

Jennifer nodded slowly. “Okay.” Then Jennifer’s gaze went past Remi’s shoulder and a smile broke across her face. “Ling! Hi!”

Remi turned to see Ling, the school’s administrative assistant, standing there holding her new baby. She’d been off on maternity leave since having her son two months earlier.

“Did you bring that sweet baby in to visit us?” Jennifer moved from behind her desk and hurried over to Ling.

Ling smiled. Her cheeks glowed from the cold outside and her silky dark hair swung forward as she set the baby carrier on the floor. “We sure did come for a visit. Josh fell asleep in the car on the way here, though.” She quickly unbuckled him and dug him out of layers of padding and blankets.

Remi smiled at the baby, snuggled into the seat, with his littlethatch of dark hair like his mom’s and chubby rosy cheeks. Then his eyes flickered and he blinked at them, and gave a mighty yawn.

“Oh, you’re awake. Let’s get you out of there so you can say hello to everyone.” Ling lifted him out and stood.

“He’s beautiful.” Remi couldn’t take her eyes off the sweet little face. She touched his hair, then his cheek, so smooth and soft.

“Here, you want to hold him?”

“Oh yes!” Remi eagerly accepted the little bundle and held him to her, letting his small weight sink into her arms. “Hello, Josh, you handsome man, you.” He smelled like baby powder and she closed her eyes and breathed him in. She felt an ache of longing that went all the way from her heart to her womb, and she opened her eyes to smile down at him, then looked at Ling, who regarded her with a knowing smile.

“You need one of your own,” she said.

Remi laughed. It didn’t seem likely at the moment, but some day. Maybe. “Is he a good baby?”

“He’s so good! He hardly ever cries. And he’s slept through the night the last four nights in a row.”

“That’s awesome.”

“He wants to eat all the time, though.” Ling grimaced. “He’s growing so fast!”

“He’ll be big like his dad.”

Ling smiled. “I hope so.”

“I have to go,” Remi said, regretfully. “I have the Stars for Reading program starting in a few minutes.” She handed Josh back to his mother reluctantly and her arms felt empty. She sighed, but smiled as she left Jennifer and Ling chatting.

Babies were so sweet and precious and she’d never admitted it to anyone, but she wanted one of her own. A crazy thing to want when she wasn’t married and didn’t even have a boyfriend. Probably she just wanted to replace her brother and sister with someone else to look after. She rolled her eyes at herself as she hurried down the hall toward her classroom. Except…she’d always loved babies and kids. Hell, that was why she’d become a teacher. She sighed.

Jase was in her classroom when she arrived and she went from soft longing to tingling awareness in the blink of an eye. As he worked with the kids, he seemed more focused this week, though very tense. Which was exactly how Remi felt. Damn. She plastered on a smile for the kids and made it through the reading session. Once again, Jase hung back until they were alone.

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