Page 57 of Starlight Wishes

TYLER

IT MAY HAVEbeen Natalie’s intention to use dinner to drive a wedge between Jen and me, but it served to do the opposite. If I hadn’t already fallen for Jen prior to that evening, I most definitely did afterward. As a man, I’d always assumed it was my place to protect a woman, but Jen showed me true partners stood up for each other. We didn’t hear from either my father or Natalie in the week following the dinner.

Jen had mentioned to me that the air conditioning was still out at her apartment, but that had been earlier in the week. I’d given her a key, and neither of us brought up the idea that maybe it had been fixed by now, avoiding any reason for her to leave. The thought of her returning to her apartment left me with a feeling of emptiness I wasn’t ready to handle. Anytime our schedules didn’t conflict we spent together. Even on days I worked and she didn’t, she made herself at home at my house. I loved pulling into my driveway and seeing her car parked. She usually had music on and something bubbling away on the stove or baking in the oven that emitted the comforting smells of a home cooked meal.

But best of all was the knowledge she was somewhere in the house waiting for me. Sometimes I would find her reading a book out in the enclosed porch she loved so much. She’d be so engrossed in the story she wouldn’t hear me approach, providing me an opportunity just to study her. She would be curled up on the loveseat, her face an expression of complete concentration on the story while she absentmindedly twirled a strand of hair around her fingers. However, as soon as I cleared my throat, her mouth would curve with a beautiful smile, and she would turn her face upward for the kiss she knew was coming and that I was glad to deliver.

Today, I found her singing softly along to music while she monitored something in a metal bowl spinning on a mixer. Jen had been delighted to discover I hadn’t gotten rid of my grandmother’s cooking supplies. I just hadn’t been able to bring myself to do it; there were too many memories of sitting in this kitchen while she baked pies and cookies. Jen didn’t hear me over the whir of the beaters as I snuck up behind her and slid my arms around her waist.

She jumped, then turned in my arms and gave me a scolding look. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

I ignored her comment and kissed her. She tasted sweet and chocolaty. “What are you making?” I asked after several minutes, looking over her shoulder.

She turned back to the machine and turned it off. She ran her finger through the mixture and held it up to my mouth. I closed my lips around her finger and swirled my tongue around its length several times, slowly sucking off the sweet, creamy chocolate while holding her gaze. Her blue eyes widened, and her mouth opened slightly at the seductive movement. Slowly, I pulled it out of my mouth. “Yum,” I murmured.

“It’s, uh, it’s icing for Aiden’s birthday cake,” she stammered. “His party is in a couple days, and I promised Kayla I’d make his birthday cake since Theresa broke her arm. I thought I’d get a head start since I work tomorrow.”

With all the drama of the past weeks, I’d nearly forgotten I had volunteered to let Aiden have a pool party at my house. “I didn’t think about that.” Theresa owned a local bakery. She was also Aiden’s grandmother that no one knew about until she’d come forward this past spring after many secrets and confessions had come to life regarding Aiden’s family.

“So, are you ready to have your home invaded by a bunch of energetic boys?” She raised an eyebrow.

A sudden image of a bunch of boys overtaking my house like the D-Day invasion formed in my mind. “You’re going to be here, right? You’re going to help me, right?”

She had the nerve to giggle at my momentary panic attack. “Relax. Kayla, Alex, and his parents will be here to help. And so will Chris. And yes, I’ll be here, too. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, then tensed again. “Wait. What am I supposed to do with them?”

“Calm down, Doc. They won’t even need to come inside except to go to the bathroom, and Kayla has a few outdoor activities already planned in case they get bored. Mostly they’ll probably just want to play in the pool. We’ll just need to keep a close eye on them. It’s only for three hours. I promise it’s no big deal. Kayla and Alex will be here early to help decorate. You don’t have to do anything. You’ve already done enough allowing them to have the party here.”

“Seemed the least I could do,” I said. We were all very conscious that this was Aiden’s first birthday without his parents who had been killed only days after his fifth birthday last year. The last pictures he had of them were from the party Mia had put together for him. Possibly we were over-compensating, but I think all of the adults in his life wanted to do just about anything to help get him through this difficult anniversary.

She ran her fingers through my hair and eyed me sympathetically. “I know this is a difficult time for you as well,” she said. She glanced at the stove clock. “Dinner’s almost ready. Why don’t you go change your clothes?”

I was so used to plastering on a positive attitude for everyone else, it never ceased to amaze me that she could see past the façade and know the pain I still felt over losing one of my best friends. Still within my embrace, I squeezed her tighter. “Thanks, baby. You know, you don’t have to cook for me every night. Not that I don’t enjoy it,” I added hastily. She had cooked dinner every night this week except one when she had to work, and even then she made sure I had enough leftovers to get by with a full meal.

“I like doing it, Tyler. I’d cook for myself anyway, and it’s a lot more fun knowing there’s someone else to enjoy it with me. Help me with the dishes and we’ll call it square.”

“Deal.” But I found I couldn’t pull away from her. She didn’t speak, but her eyes, those beautiful swirls of blue, told me things that I hungered for; feelings that I hadn’t been on the receiving end of for a very long time. My hand entwined in her hair and pulled her head toward mine. She moved willingly toward me, her eyes closing. I tried to communicate all the emotions and desire I felt for her in our kiss. I wanted to say the words, tell her I was falling hard for her, but I sensed Jen was still in a vulnerable place, and I sure as hell didn’t want to scare her off right after I got her to take a chance on me. I think she was still afraid to trust that what we had was real.

Pulling back from our embrace, I gave her one final kiss on top of her hair. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I whispered.

As I rounded my bed a minute later, I saw a lacy scrap of material peeking out from under the bed. I bent down and pulled out a pale blue bra. As I turned the water on in the shower, I saw bottles of who knows what on the back corner of the counter. And dangling from the faucet was a new pink, round scrubby thing that Jen used to wash her body, as well as more bottles of smelly stuff for whatever it was she used them for. I was a simple guy. One bottle could serve my hair and body, and my hands were a good enough tool to wash myself. Never had I thought I’d enjoy seeing so many feminine things in my personal space. Hell, I’d almost never let a woman spend the night at my house, much less leave her things behind. Now, however, I was standing in the midst of them and grinning like a fool.

Two days later Jen was in the kitchen giving some finishing touches to Aiden’s cake while I was outside doing one more safety check around the pool, making sure the chairs were pushed far enough away from the edge to avoid a tripping hazard. I heard the gate swing open and glanced up to see Alex walking toward me.

“Hey, dude.” I greeted him with a slap on the back. “Haven’t seen much of you lately. The ball and chain keeping you tied up at home?” I teased.

He grinned. “Nobody I’d rather be tied up with,” he answered.

I laughed. “You’ve got it good,” I admitted. I was thrilled to see my best friend so happy. He’d been nearly crushed last year when his sister died, but he’d had to put it all aside to take on the new role of fatherhood to his nephew. I was worried about him until Kayla fell into his lap, literally, and brought a new form of peace to both of their lives. “Where is your beautiful bride anyway?”

He jerked his head toward the house. “Kayla’s in the kitchen with Jen. They were making all kinds of fuss over the cake, where the decorations were going to go, and where the presents should be placed.” He rolled his eyes. “My testosterone levels were overly challenged when they started asking my opinion about all of it.”

I chuckled, understanding his discomfort. “Where’s the birthday boy?”

“My folks are bringing Aiden and a couple of his friends over just before the party is supposed to start. The other boys will be dropped off by their parents.” His eyes turned solemn. “By the way, thanks for doing this. It’s been good for him to have something to look forward to.”

“Glad to do it. It’s good to all be together, especially now.” I pretended not to notice Alex’s eyes blink hard.

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