Page 25 of Fractured

I stop dead in my tracks, shocked to hear this. Is this guy for real? I’d never dated anyone with a heart for others. Gabe wouldn’t be caught dead spending time with a kid who needed mentoring, even if they worshipped his rich, sorry ass. I turn to look back to where Nick and his ‘little brother’ are standing. Nick is pointing toward the field as if he’s explaining the game to the kid.This guy is too good to be true.

“Come on, Kat. Let’s get the kids and Jake and head out. I want to get cleaned up before my hot date with my husband.” Mel grins. Walking arm in arm, we stroll down the grassy field, and unable to help myself, I turn, my eyes immediately meeting Nick’s. My heart quickens a little at the contact. Pushing the stray hair which has fallen from my braid behind my ear, I continue to walk with Melanie, curious about this enigma of a man.

Nick

Standing next to Gavin, I watch as Kat and Melanie walk away toward Jake and the kids. I must’ve been staring too long as I suddenly feel an elbow jab my ribs, and Gavin clears his throat.

“Man, that Kat is a hot piece of ass.”

Before I can stop myself, I’ve smacked the back of his head. “Watch your mouth, smart-ass. You don’t talk about…” I clear my throat and try to get a handle on my irritation. “You don’t talk about women that way.” I quickly correct, trying to keep my voice down and not let him realize this is about her.

“Ha ha. Chill, man. She’s too old for me anyhow. I know you have your mark on her.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Ah, come on, Nick. I’m not stupid. I’ve got eyes. You’ve got it bad for that one.”

Jesus. Is it so obvious even this kid can tell? What the hell is happening to me?

“Come on, playa, let’s grab my stuff and head out,” I say, grabbing him around the neck as we continue to walk.

As we stroll over to grab my things and head for the car, I notice Kat up ahead. She greets both Ruby and Seth with hugs and exuberance. They’re all walking toward the parking lot together, Kat with an arm draped over each kid. My smile is back, and I can’t help replaying those earlier thoughts of Kat as a mother in my mind.

“Thanks, I’d love to drive,” Gavin says heartily.

“What?”

“Ha, you can’t keep from staring at her ass. I should’ve asked you for some money. You would’ve handed it right over,” he guffaws.

“All right, all right. So funny,” I quip.

“Man, you need to tap that.”

Again, my hand is sailing through the air, connecting with the back of his head. “The fuck, Gav? What did I just say?”

“Oh my god, you’re pussy-whipped,” he chortles.

“Jeez, Gavin. Were you raised in a barn? What makes you think it’s okay to talk about women that way?”

“All women, or just your woman?”

“All women, you little shit,” I say, shoving him forward playfully.

“Okay, okay. I’ll try to watch my mouth when I’m referring to your girl’s ass.”

Glaring over at him, I decide to leave things well enough alone. I’m getting nowhere with this kid. I just hope he doesn’t talk like this once we get to Dad’s.

Approaching the car, I consider Jake’s recent invitation to their Halloween party. Clearly, Katarina is very close with this couple. Unless she’s working, I’m sure she’ll be attending. I’m not daft. I could tell she was admiring me from across the field. With any other woman, this might annoy me, but I’m happy to give her something to look at. I guess I’m coming dressed as the ‘soccer stud,’ as Jake put it. I just need to bring some extra heat to this party. I’m tired of circling this girl. I’m all for giving her space as she’s requested, but there’s obviously a connection between us. This isn’t one-sided. I need to make it very difficult for her to reject what we’re both feeling.

* * *

I’m finally home at the end of a long day, showered, and sitting on the couch with a cold lager. The afternoon turned out better than I hoped. Well, after Mr. Potty mouth got his shit together and focused on working in the yard and not on Kat’s ass. Luckily, he kept his antics to a minimum around my dad. Maybe money was the driving factor, but he worked hard while he was there and didn’t cause me to get in trouble with child protective services for continuing to need to smack the back of his head.

Taking a long pull from my cold brew, I lean my head back against the couch and channel surf for something mindless. Nothing. All of these channels, and there’s nothing worth watching. I grab my phone. Not a social media guy, I open my news app to see if anything big happened today that I may have missed. Multiple ads pop up for Halloween-related products, and I think back to Jake and Melanie’s party.

8:20 p.m.

Nick: So, are you off for the Halloween Party? I was thinking about coming but won’t know many people there.

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