Chapter 12

Twelve

Gemma

“ M om, look!”

Glancing up, using my hand to shield my eyes from the sun, I watch as Sutton throws the ball clear across the yard to Beau. Catching it, Beau tosses it back, the ball landing directly in the center of Sutton’s glove.

“Good job, boys!” I call out, clapping. “You guys are getting so good at that!”

It’s a little after four in the afternoon, and I’ve been sitting on the porch, attempting to work, for the last few hours as the boys play together. Blakely is with my dad and stepmom for the weekend, and Grace had to work, so I’ve got Beau for the rest of the day. I have a dozen things I need to get done, and so far, I’ve checked very little off my mile long to-do list. But one thing I have completed is writing, and I’m feeling pretty damn good about it. For the last few weeks, I’ve been stuck on the story I’m working on. It was like I’d hit a wall, but it seems as though I’m over the hump because, as of last night, the words have been flowing.

Movement catches to my left, my breath getting stuck in my throat as I turn my head and look at what it is. Everett’s jogging up his driveway, his white t-shirt removed from his body and tucked into the back of his black running shorts. A red baseball hat sits atop his head, and his chest is glistening with sweat. I watched him leave about thirty minutes ago, but he was fully clothed and not sweaty then.

Lord help me, that man is fine as hell, and my vagina sure notices.

Part of me wonders if my newfound creativity is inspired by the sexy, sweaty man approaching. Be it the way he plays with my son or the fact that he’s fixing appliances for me.

Catching me looking at him, he waves, a smile splitting his face. I return the gesture, my stomach doing a flip at the sight of him under the afternoon sun.

“Everett!” Sutton calls out, waving at him. “Wanna play catch with us?”

Plucking an earbud out of his ear, Everett grabs the t-shirt out of the waistband of his shorts, using it to wipe his face as he smiles over at my son and my nephew. “I’d love to,” he says enthusiastically. “Let me run inside and change really quick, and then I’ll come over.” His gaze slides over to me. “Is that okay with you?”

“Of course.” I nod, my lips curling up into a grin as my cheeks heat. Christ, he needs to put a shirt on if he’s going to keep looking at me like that.

“Mom’s on a deadline,” Sutton offers, and a pang of guilt hits me in the chest at the annoyance in his voice. Not that I blame him. I do my best to not work on the weekends, be as present with him as possible, but it was unavoidable. With the start of school this past week and the start of baseball practice, I wasn’t able to get as much done as I needed to, and he’s right, I am on a deadline.

Everett glances over at me, something passing through his eyes that I can’t quite place, before he looks back at Sutton with a bright smile. “Well then, give me a couple minutes, and we can play a little ball together while we let her work. How’s that sound?”

Both boys smile at that, nodding before Everett disappears inside his house.

I’ve learned over the years that being a single parent comes with guilt. And being the only parent while also being the breadwinner means a lot of juggling. I have to juggle time with him while also making sure I get my work done so I have money to pay our bills and put food on the table. There are many nights after Sutton’s gone to bed when I stand in his doorway and watch him sleep, feeling like a failure. Feeling like I’m letting him down because I’m not able to be there as much as I’d like.

When I got pregnant with Sutton, I never planned to do this alone. I don’t think anybody really plans for something like that, and I’ve done my best over the years to navigate it as best I can, but some days, like today, I feel like I’m disappointing him. Is he going to look back on his childhood and only remember the times his mom was sitting with her face in her computer screen? Or will he look back and know that I did everything I could to make sure he had a good life? Will he know that everything I do is for him? Or will he just remember all the times he had to play by himself while I worked?

There’s no instruction manual to being a parent, and I think that’s the hardest part. Never knowing if what I’m doing is good enough, or if I’m inadvertently damaging him. Not knowing if he’s going to have to go through years of therapy later in life because of the life I’ve given him. Most days, I’m able to give myself grace. I know that I’m doing the best I can with the circumstances I was given and that we have it a lot better than most single-income families in this country. He could have it a lot worse, but that doesn’t ease the guilt when I’m drowning in work and the weight of my deadlines rest on my shoulders.

Juggling being a mom and being a business owner is overwhelming on even the easiest of days.

True to his word, Everett is crossing over from his yard into ours about five minutes later, fully dressed— what a shame —with his own baseball mitt in his hand. As they start practicing, I shift my focus back to my work, letting the outside world fade away as I immerse myself into the story I’m telling on the screen.

I’m not even sure how much time passes, but I glance up from my screen as the boys run past me and into the house. Everett approaches the porch, his hand still in a mitt. “I was thinking of picking up some pizzas for all of us. Is it okay if they come with me to grab it? That way you can keep working.”

“Oh, Everett, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure it would be much easier to go by yourself.”

“No, I don’t mind.” He smiles and I feel it in my gut. “ Besides, they’d be able to hold the pizzas while I drive and keep them safe.”

I know he’s doing this to help me, which makes the guilt I was feeling earlier grow, but I also can’t deny how sweet it is. “Well, at least let me give you some cash. You can’t pay for all of us to eat.”

“I can,” he says sternly, his tone sending a shiver down my spine. “And I will. It’s my treat.”

“Everett…”

“Any particular pizza you want me to get?”

“I’m not picky,” I say with a shake of my head. “Get whatever and I’ll eat it.”

“I don’t want to get whatever,” he replies, tone low. “I want to get something you want. What’s your usual go-to?”

Biting the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling, I murmur, “Taco pizza, please.”

Everett huffs out a small laugh. “That’s my favorite too.”

“Really?” My brows rise.

He nods, a smile tipping his lips, just as the boys come barreling out. Reaching into the pocket of his shorts, he pulls out his phone, unlocking and handing it to me. “Here, put your number in. I’ll text you so you have mine, and then you can reach us while we’re gone if you need anything.”

Taking the phone from him, our fingers brush, and a spark zips its way up my arm. My eyes dart up to see if he felt it too, but I find him already watching me. Under the weight of his stare, my body warms, and I glance down at the phone, plugging in my number as I try to calm myself down .

God, get it together, Gemma. I know it’s been years since I’ve thought about a man in that way, but there’s no reason my heart should race this fast from a single touch of our fingers.

Maybe my sisters are right; maybe I need to get laid already.

I hand him the phone back after I send myself a text, and he pockets it before tossing me a wink that makes my pulse race and my mouth dry. “We’ll be back.”

The three of them pile into Everett’s car and leave, and somehow—miraculously—I’m able to focus on the task at hand and get a decent chunk of work done before they get back. Enough that I’m content putting the laptop down for the rest of the weekend. After we finish eating, I clean the kitchen as Sutton turns on the new DC movie that just came out that he’s been dying to watch for weeks now.

As I’m loading the rest of the plates into the dishwasher, Everett strolls in, and it’s like all the air in the room is sucked out by his presence. “Thanks again for fixing my dishwasher,” I murmur with a smile. “It’s been really nice being able to use it again.”

“No problem.” He rests his shoulder against the entryway. “Want help with anything?”

I shake my head, meeting his gaze. “You’ve done plenty.” I breathe out a laugh. “I hope you know you don’t have to stay and watch a movie with them if you have stuff to do or if you don’t want to. It’s okay for them to hear no every once in a while.”

A tingle trickles down my spine as I watch Everett’s eyes trail down my body appreciatively before landing on my face again. “Gemma, I don’t do anything I don’t want to,” he replies, voice deep. “I enjoy hanging out with them, and you. Frankly, I would love to hang out with you more.”

My body flushes hot, chest squeezing, as a smirk tips up on my lips without my permission. “Is that right?”

His bright blue eyes glint as his lips curl into a grin. “Yeah. That okay?”

“Depends.” Turning off the water, I dry my hands on the towel next to the sink, resting my hip against the counter. “Are you this friendly with all your students’ parents, Mr. Windward?”

The stark reminder that he is, in fact, Sutton’s teacher, and therefore should be way off limits, should put out the flame growing inside me. Except it doesn’t.

It makes it burn hotter.

He breathes out a laugh, scrubbing a hand over the stubble surrounding his mouth. “Only the ones I can’t stop thinking about.”

“And how many is that?” I arch a brow, biting back a smile. With our proximity, my body feels drawn to him. Like there’s a magnetic force between us, trying to pull me closer.

All humor fades from Everett’s face as his eyes gaze into mine. “Just one,” he murmurs, and those two words send goosebumps littering my skin all the way to my toes.

“Come on, you guys!” Sutton calls out from the living room, breaking whatever spell Everett just had me under. “You’re going to miss the whole movie!”

I blink, swallowing thickly against the dryness coating my throat. “He’s right. Let’s get out there. Wouldn’t want to miss the whole movie.”

Everett steps to the side, gesturing for me to go. “After you.” He grins, and my pulse kicks up a notch, knowing that he’s probably staring at my ass as I walk.

Suddenly, I’m forgetting every reason why I shouldn’t be flirting with my very hot neighbor.

Back in the living room, I sit in between Beau and Sutton on the couch, while Everett takes the recliner. They’re all on the edge of their seats for most of the movie, clearly enthralled with what’s taking place on the television. Sutton has been a die-hard DC fan since he was much younger, and while I don’t necessarily share the same love for the universe as he does, I enjoy watching them with him, mostly because I know how much it means to him.

Once the movie is over, Everett heads back to his house as I load the boys into my car to take Beau home. On the drive to Grace’s and back, my mind replays the entire afternoon incessantly. The way Everett came over and played catch with the boys again, then the way he took them to get pizza so I could finish working. The way he so shamelessly flirted with me in the kitchen.

But more than that… how much I enjoyed it.

Yes, he’s Sutton’s teacher, which makes things a whole lot more complicated, but maybe having a little fun with him wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. A friends-with-benefits situation like Grace and Georgia suggested.

Remembering that I have his phone number now, I consider texting him later after Sutton goes to bed. Maybe invite him over for some wine and see where it takes us?

The thought alone makes my stomach clench, but it also makes my heart race a little faster. It’s a feeling that brings a smile to my face… one I want to feel more of.