Page 35 of Under Control
After leaving Olivia’s place Sunday, he’d made it maybe twelve hours before seeing if she had plans for the evening. She didn’t, so he’d gone back to her apartment and they’d managed to eat dinner before falling into her bed. He’d made it home late, but he got enough sleep to get by. Last night, though, he’d nodded off and gotten home in time to only grab a few hours. And, of course, today hadn’t been a slow day that allowed for naps between calls. It had been a hellish day in hellish heat and humidity. And there was still a late thunderstorm in the forecast, so he didn’t see falling into his bunk anytime soon.
“Speaking of the kids,” Rick said. “Has she met them yet?”
“No. I haven’t even told them I’m dating anybody yet, actually.”
“Do you think they’ll hate her?”
He frowned. “Why would they hate Olivia? There’s nothing to hate about her.”
When Rick held up his hands, he realized he’d asked that in a sharper tone than he’d intended to. “Let me rephrase that. Do you think they’ll hate that you’re dating, no matter who it is?”
“I don’t know.” He wasn’t going to share Amber’s news with anybody yet, since it wasn’t his to share and they had a lot of mutual friends. Even though he knew he should be able to talk to these guys about anything, it was a small community and it would get back to her. “They’ve had a lot of change already, and since they get less time with me, they might be less inclined to want to share.”
“How does she feel about kids?”
He took his time trying to come up with an answer to that one. “I think she has a plan for her life and having kids is still a few years down the road.”
“Have you asked her how she feels aboutyouhaving kids?”
“No. It’s probably too soon for going that deep.”
Rick turned his head to give him a look that might have been almost fatherly if there were more years between them. “I saw you two together at Kincaid’s. And you get this look when you talk about her. Maybe you should have that talk before you get in any deeper than you already are.”
He knew the LT was right, but it really did seem too soon to ask her straight out if she could see herself settling down with a guy who had two kids. And if he asked the question, he was giving her the opportunity to admit she really didn’t. And logically he knew it was better to know that sooner rather than later, but emotionally he didn’t want to open that door.
“She knows about Julia and Isaac,” he said. “It’s not like I’m keeping any secrets.”
“But knowing there are kids is one thing. Spending time with them and sharingyourtime with them is another, especially to a woman who doesn’t have kids of her own.”
“I didn’t want to bring her into their lives until I knew it was serious.”
“Past tense?”
Derek chuckled. “Busted. Yeah, I think it has the potential to be serious. But don’t forget I just met her a month ago. We don’t get to spend a lot of time together and...I guess I’m being selfish. When I’m with her, I want it to be about us. For now.”
“You’re going to wear yourself out.”
“Yeah.” After taking another swig of water, he looked over at Rick again. “You mind if I ask you something weird?”
“If it involves a rash or anything parental controls would block in an internet search, I mind. Otherwise, go for it.”
“You and Jess...she was raised with money, right? Like maybe not super rich, but she always looks like a million bucks and she was used to nice things.”
“Like Olivia?” When he nodded, Rick shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. And no, she’s not buying those shoes on my salary, but she still has all the nice things she wants because she works her ass off. She didn’t give up her career for me and I hope you’re not thinking Olivia would for you. Especially since Jess built her success at her father’s side before branching out but Olivia built hers from scratch.”
“Of course I wouldn’t expect her to give it up.”
“I get that it would be tough, though,” Rick continued. “When Jess and I got together, she left San Diego behind because I was here, and her grandparents. But Olivia already has her own life here and blending them together wouldn’t be easy.”
“I’ve seen her life and I know mine and...let’s just say they wouldn’t blend well.”
“I guess if you haven’t talked about kids, you haven’t talked about that, either.”
“Not yet.” It was going to have to be soon, though. He knew it, even if he was trying not to think about it.
Gavin turned the corner and offered a small stripe of shade as he stared down at them. “I was wondering where you went. Danny said we should be able to get out of here in a few minutes.”
Derek pushed himself to his feet, groaning a little, and then offered a hand to pull his LT up. “I’ve never wanted a shower so bad in my life.”
