13. Good Life Era

13

GOOD LIFE ERA

LIVVIE

R iver and I waited on the front steps for Blake’s truck to appear, while my knee jiggled up and down in rapid succession. I side-eyed Spence over on his lawn, pruning back his bushes; I was not happy with a certain situation.

He waved. “Hi, River.” My child waved back.

I rolled my eyes and ignored him. Between him and Nancy, I just didn’t know what to think right now.

Finally, Blake appeared, only not in his truck. Instead, he drove up in a red mid-sized SUV. The car shined like new.

Blake got out and spread his arms, stepping through the grass to the house. River ran and jumped into them. For even more fun, he tossed our son into the air a few times and caught him. I stared and couldn’t have adored this moment more. My heart could burst, growing fuller at the sight of the two of them together.

“Wait, you’re not River, you’re Billy the dog!” Blake’s goofiness recognizing the costume brought out squeals of laughter and they tumbled into a tickling match on the front lawn.

By the end of today, River could call Blake Daddy. At last, having a father all his own. I worried all day about how River would handle the news. Then again, I had other things that bothered me as well.

“Oh hey, Spence. I didn’t know you lived in this neighborhood,” Blake yelled over, like he was friendly with the guy. While holding a giggling River upside down by his ankles, he finally came up the stairs.

“You folks enjoy Halloween now.” My weird neighbor went back into his house.

“How do you know Spence?” I practically attacked Blake as he joined me sitting on the steps with River on his lap.

“He works on the Knights Security team with Nate and Dillon.”

I arched a brow at his nonchalance. “Really? So he’s all right, like you guys did a background check on him and he’s not some psycho killer? Because he seems a little odd to me.”

“Eh, maybe he’s a little eccentric. But yes. He’s a good man on the team. Nate worked with him out in Las Vegas, and in particular have a special case they’re working on now.”

“What case?”

“Sorry, sweet pea. You’ll have to understand that sometimes in my line of work, I can’t tell you all the details.”

I sighed heavily, dropping my head, and massaged my temples. “I suppose now I owe Nancy a big apology.”

“How so?”

River spilled the beans before I could. “Mom yelled at Spence for giving me a ride on his lawnmower yesterday while grandma was asleep.”

Blake cocked his head, questioning us.

“She was supposed to be watching him while I was at work. But when I came home, she was totally out of it on the couch, and River was riding around on Spence’s lap on the mower. It just freaked me out.”

“But I liked riding on it, Mom.”

“Honey, we don’t know a thing about him. He’s a stranger, and the next thing I know, you’re left in his care? I just don’t understand how Nancy could have been so thoughtless.”

“Spence said he’d teach me how to drive it, too.”

“Negative, little man. You don’t pick up a driver’s permit until you’re sixteen. You want Officer Robbie to arrest you?” Blake winked at me, but used a voice of authority. I hoped it was enough to scare River into compliance. “Don’t worry, I can vouch for Spence as a good guy. But if it’ll help, I’ll talk to him about it, too?”

I nodded and drew in a deep breath, then let it out as if releasing it all. “Okay, listen. We don’t want to be late to the party, and I know you’re excited about it, Riv. Blake and I have to get into our costumes and you’re going to be so surprised. So let’s go inside and get ready.”

“Yay!” River bounced back to happy again and ran into the house. We followed, but I stopped short heading in, seeing Nancy there at the screendoor, like she’d heard the entire conversation. She moved out of our way so we could enter. I mumbled sorry to her under my breath as I passed by, leaving it at that for now. There were times we spat like sisters, this was nothing new.

Blake and I had texted all morning and decided, while I’d surprised River this morning with his Billy costume, we would surprise him together, dressing in our Chilly and Tilly outfits.

We had him wait on the couch for us, as we changed in his bedroom. “Come here.” Blake grabbed me the second I shut the door. He picked me straight up off the floor. His mouth tore into mine, tongue seeking, deepening down my throat like a man on fire.

“Fuck, I need you, sweet pea.” His lips continued down my neck to my cleavage.

“I can tell.” My eyes fluttered back into their sockets with all the attention he lavished on me. Heated for him was another reason for my sleepless night. I longed for the feel of his cock again. But he suddenly growled and pulled away.

“I have to stop now or I won’t be accountable for what I do to you in our son’s bedroom.” He chuckled and set me back on my feet. I giggled and started to strip off his sweatshirt I was wearing, like a little tease dance for him.

Then I froze. My scar… I couldn’t let him see it.

“Come on, baby. Don’t get all shy on me now.”

“Maybe you should turn around. I-I wouldn’t want you to go crazy on me in our son’s bedroom seeing me naked.” I quickly covered for my actions.

“Nope. You’re right. Today isn’t about us, it’s about River.” He turned. Of course, I had no problem at all watching him break down to his tight black boxers. The man had an ass that was made for ogling. By me. Only me.

We both donned black sweat pants and long-sleeved shirts to wear under the costumes. Tilly had a bright purple wig, with a dress in purple and blue tones. Whereas Chilly had a yellow Hawaiian shirt and blue trunks, and a pair of sunglasses always dangled out of the shirt pocket. As a finishing touch, I used gel and spiked his hair as best I could.

“Are we ready?” I knew he was dying to show River.

“Let’s do this.”

I called through the door. “We’re ready.”

Despite our argument, Nancy had agreed to take video and photos of River’s reactions. We walked down the hall, and I let Blake go in first. He struck Chilly’s trademark pose in front of the TV, one arm pointed into the air, the other fist on his chest and yelled. “Who is ready for an adventure with Chilly?!”

River gasped, then jumped on the couch and up into his arms, laughing. “Me. I’m ready. You’re Chilly?”

“And don’t forget about Tilly.” I appeared before him.

“Chilly, Tilly, and Billy.” He pointed at each of us, then to himself. “Like a family.”

My hand clutched my heart, my chin wobbling. “Is that what you want, River? A family?”

“Uh-huh.” His sweet little head bobbed up and down.

“You have me as your mother. But guess what? You have Blake as your father now, too.”

We hadn’t exactly worked out when to tell River or how, but since he was making the connection about family at the moment, this seemed a good time.

“My father?” He stared wide-eyed at the man holding him tight. His little hands even reached out, cupping his cheeks, like he couldn’t believe it yet.

“That’s right, little dude. I’m your dad and you’re my son.”

“For real?” He asked, and I worried he wasn’t comprehending this conversation enough to make the jump from cartoon character family to reality.

“Yes, River. For real. I know I haven’t been around in the past, but I’m here now, with you and your mom, and I’m not going anywhere without you. You’re my son, and I’d love nothing better than for you to call me Dad, or Dada, or Daddy, or Father, Pop, or best buddy. Whatever you want.”

“But Mom, you said I didn’t have a dad, only uncles.”

“Oh baby, I was wrong. That’s all my fault.” I approached and rubbed his back, trying to think how I could best explain this. “The day Blake rescued you from the tree is when I remembered he is your father. That’s why I screamed when I saw him for the first time, because it suddenly came to me. You’re his son.”

“Daddy?” His hands traced the outline of Blake’s face with tears in his eyes. “I have a daddy?”

“Yes, River. This is very real and you’re my son.” His voice cracked, and he clutched River so tightly to him I thought he’d break him. Tears flooded my eyes.

Nancy joined my side then, swiping away her tears, too. “You better hold on to Blake, Liv. He’s a keeper.”

“Yes. And I’m sorry I yelled at you so much about last night.”

“I deserved it. I still don’t know how it happened. One minute I was carrying on a conversation with Spence and the next I woke up on the couch. I must have been dog tired. I swear it’ll never happen again.”

We hugged it out, friends once again. Then everyone hugged and sniffled and broke into happy chatter, filling this home with so much heart. It was simply one of those joyous life events and Nancy captured plenty of photos to commemorate the day. Our first as a newly formed family.

A few minutes later, the three of us walked out of the house, Blake and I each holding one of River’s hands between us. The two of them beaming so proudly, chests out, enormous smiles on their faces. Blake already gave me one day to remember, my twenty-first birthday. Now this day sat side by side with it, as the best two days ever.

“Here mama bear, why don’t you get behind the wheel?” He tossed me the keys. With everything going on, I’d completely forgotten about the shiny red car outside.

“You want me to drive?”

“It’s yours, so get behind the driver’s wheel.”

“Mine? Blake, you didn’t.” I protested.

“I did.” He hadn’t stopped grinning yet.

“But…where’s my car? My beetle?”

“Don’t worry, I think I found a buyer for it once I get it fixed up. Nate mentioned wanting to buy Porsche her first set of wheels. Although he said Tori worries about giving her freedom like that.”

“No! I mean, thank you for all of this, but I bought that car with money I saved for years. That was my first and only major purchase as an adult. When I bought it, it gave River and me freedom. Without it, we wouldn’t have escaped St. Louis.”

“Escaped?” His face fell.

“Uh. Figure of speech. I guess I’m not ready to part with it.” I handed the keys back.

“Okay. Then I’ll have it totally fixed it up, bumper to bumper, including a brand new paint job, whatever color you’d like. Would that make you happy?”

I gnawed on my bottom lip. “I know I’m being silly. It’s just a car, but yeah, that’d make me happy.”

“You could still drive this new car today. The dealer gave me three days to take it back or trade for something else.”

Well, it was a pretty shiny thing. “Oh, in that case. River, we’ve never been in a brand new car. Want to see what one smells like?”

“Heck yeah, I do.” He ran up to it. Blake clicked the button to unlock it and let River climb allover the inside. While outside, he took me in his arms for another hug before I could get in.

“Hey you. That was pretty special in there, what you did just now. Thank you, sweet pea. I’m officially a dad.” He stroked his fingertips up and down my back, and I loved hearing the smile in his voice.

Now I felt bad about not taking the new car. I knew he only had good intentions. River honked the horn, and we laughed, breaking apart. “You have to understand, these types of things aren’t what we’re used to, Blake.”

“What things?”

“Good things. New cars. New dads. New towns with caring people who help each other. New everything, and it’s all good, none of it bad.”

“Hm. If everything you had was bad before we met again, then allow me to usher in your Good Life Era, baby.” He brought me back to him with his hand possessively behind my neck, crushing my lips with his in a searing kiss that sent waves of electricity shocking through my core.

River yelled out the window. “You’re kissing my mom? Ew.” We parted again.

“Ew?” I chortled and planted my hands on my hips.

“Yes, I am. Isn’t your mom beautiful? She deserves to get kissed a thousand times a day. So get used to it, River. There’s bound to be more.” He kept an arm around my shoulders and I froze. Without knowing what he was doing, he traced his fingertips right where my scar was. “I’m beginning to understand my friends with kids now when they say how important it is to find alone time together.”

“Well, Porsche did offer to babysit sometime.” I hoped my voice sounded normal because inside I freaked out. Blake and I would be getting more intimate. How long could I keep him from seeing my past permanently marked on my back?

“Set it up then. ASAP. Of course, once you meet my sisters at the party today, they’ll fight over babysitting and be begging to.”

“Speaking of, we better go.” I used the excuse to step away out of his hold. “Hear that River? You not only gained a father today, but you also will meet your two aunts.”

“Wow, my family keeps getting bigger and bigger.”

“Yep. Now let’s grab that car seat from Nancy’s car and head down the road,” Blake said. I drew in a shaky breath and watched as they trotted off to the garage together.

“One step at a time, Liv,” I mumbled. Today was a huge leap forward. But Blake’s promise for my Good Life Era almost seemed too good to be true. Would the promise still stand if he ever found out the truth about what happened in St. Louis?