Page 54 of Savage in the Sweets
“He’ll be spending a lot of his formative years here, and that matters to me.”
Is it possible to fall in love with a man based on a single sentence?
“Michael’s really lucky to have you.”
“I invited you over here because I need to tell you something. Face to face.”
“An explanation as to why you had to sex dump me?”
We sit next to each other on his couch, and after a solid minute of Colin looking down at his hands, he begins.
“Seven years ago, I was working as an emergency medical technician, and I went out on a call. The woman in distress was Michael’s mother. She hadn’t received any prenatal care because she was having a hard time kicking her addiction, so some issues with her pregnancy were missed.”
My jaw drops at the revelation.
“It was bad. Somehow, she knew. I stayed with her, delivering Michael before I could get her to the hospital. Michael was fine, but she was not. I’ll spare you the details, but after multiple blood transfusions and other emergency care, we all knew she didn’t have long. Something made me stay with her. I just had to see it through. Before she passed, she looked up at me in a moment of clarity and asked if she could put my name on the birth certificate. I said yes. The papers were quickly brought to her for signing.”
There are no words, so I simply mumble out, “Oh, God…wow!”
“From that day forward, I’ve done everything in my power to give him the best life possible. I opened a gym, I involved myself in the community, I stopped drinking, I avoided dating, not wanting to bring disposable people into his life.”
“I guess I can understand that.”
“And yesterday, when you sent me that text, it occurred to me: you’re not disposable.”
My heart beats in an unfamiliar way. It’s such a beautiful story, marred by a tragedy that weighs heavily on my soul.
“I treated you horribly when we first met because addiction comes in many forms. Drugs, alcohol, sex, food—I was an ass.”
“And I forgive you. Completely. I’m so sorry.”
“You have no reason to be sorry. I was so dumb—so arrogant—”
I don’t let him finish. Instead, I hook a hand behind his neck and bring his lips to mine.
We melt into each other for countless minutes, not so much in primal lust but more from a deep need to connect.
There is no doubt that I am falling in love with this man.
“Ummm….Aunt Lacy?” April’s voice forces me into reality.
Colin and I pull back from each other, wide-eyed, and both of us suffering a mild form of shock.
“Dad, are you gonna get laid?” Michael says excitedly.
I burst into laughter as Colin’s cheeks redden.
“I’m definitely going to have to have another talk with him about that later,” he whispers to me.
I pat my stomach. “You know, I’m really hungry.”
“Then hurry up! Dad made meat and Brussel sprouts!” Michael says.
“Lead the way,” I say, taking Colin’s hand into mine.
Lacy
After a delicious dinner, Stephanie picks April up, and I wait for Colin on the couch while he reads Michael a bedtime story.
