Accidental Neighbor by Sharon Woods

Chapter 24

Jennifer

I’m dressed in regular blue jeans, a white t-shirt, cardigan, and sneakers, ready for the day at the zoo with Thomas and the girls. I wander out of my room to the kitchen to eat some toast before heading next door. Thomas said we need to leave at nine, but I want to arrive a bit before to help him get the girls sorted and in the car.

Entering the kitchen, I see Mom. “Morning love, do you want tea?”

“Morning. No, thanks.”

I glance at her before stepping to the pantry to grab the bread. I spin and I can see my mom frowning, assessing my outfit. “Where are you going?”

How am I going to get away with this? I don’t want to lie. Taking a deep breath, I lift my gaze to meet hers and answer confidently even though I am silently shaking. “Going out on a day date.”

My mom’s brows shoot up and her lips form an O. Then she asks, “With who?”

Shit. I’m not ready to say Thomas. “It’s still early, Mom. I’m still getting to know him.”

“Well, when do we get to meet him?”

I take out the bread, putting a slice in the toaster. “I don’t know. I'll ask him today.”

She is standing in the kitchen, leaning against the counter; she stopped washing the dishes to address me. “How about dinner? He could come here and I could cook a nice dinner for all of us.”

“Okay, Mom, I’ll ask him.”

I know if I don’t agree she won’t stop asking. The toast pops so I spin, grab it, and layer peanut butter on, taking a bite. She continues washing the dishes. “Okay, will you tell me anything else?”

I shake my head. “No. Anyway, I have to leave now. I will see you tomorrow.”

“Hang on, young lady.” My dad’s voice sends goosebumps running over my skin. “You're staying at a boy’s house?” He is coming out of the bedroom, obviously hearing the last of the conversation between Mom and me.

My muscles tense and I clench my jaw. “A man’s and yes. I’m not little anymore, you do realize?”

“Don’t be smart with me. I’m allowed to ask questions under my roof,” he curtly says.

I huff. “I get that, but I don’t need a lecture. I have shown you how hard I work with my job promotion and now you discredit me.”

He comes to a halt in the kitchen. “Not true. Your mother and I are very proud.” I can see my mom’s head nodding up and down vigorously. “It doesn’t change the fact that I want to know you’re safe, young lady."

“I know, and I am grateful that both of you care. But you two need to trust me.” I plead to my dad with my eyes. Growing up, Megan and I used to know all the tricks like giving him our sad eyes, to get my dad to cave, but as we have gotten older it doesn’t always work.

“I want to meet him,” he replies.

I nod. “Okay, okay. I’ll ask him today if he will come for dinner and I'll arrange it with Mom. But I’m safe and very happy. I have to go or else I'll be late.” I take another bite of my toast and walk up to the door, talking around mouthfuls. “Bye.”

“Bye,” my dad grumbles.

Closing the door, I walk slowly next door, finishing my toast, trying to figure out how I’ll go about asking him to meet my parents when I am not even sure we are officially together. I will need to ask today. There is no way my parents will accept anything else if I don’t arrange a meeting.

Finishing off my toast, I reach up and knock loudly. The girls begin to scream and squeal with excitement. My mouth curves into a happy grin; the giddiness of the girls makes my heart constrict. They are so easy to love and be around, just like their father.

The door opens a moment later and Thomas stands in view. I take a sudden step back. Standing there in a sexy black bomber jacket, black t-shirt, and black pants, he has finger-swept his hair back and his brown eyes shimmer in the morning light. Suddenly feeling flustered from how sexy he looks, I have to drag my eyes down to see the girls to recover.

“Hi, girls,” I say. They have each clutched a leg for cuddles. They pull back and stare up at me when I address them. I smile down at their wide giddy grins.

“We're going to the zoo,” Lily calls out excitedly.

“Yes, sweetheart. We sure are. Are you ready?” I ask them. They nod their heads.

“Alright, girls, let's get into the car.” He bends down to pick up Rose, adjusting her on his hip. Lily steps out of the house, and Thomas comes out, dragging the door shut behind him. He locks it and spins. I slowly close the security door and he locks that before he steps forward and kisses my lips in an all-too-brief kiss, but the unexpected kiss leaves me breathless. He stares back at me with a hint of humor; he knows exactly what he did. His lips twist into a smirk. I glance back to Lily who is standing by the car, and I help her get in the car, breaking the tension that is built around us when we are around each other.

The drive to the zoo is a little less than thirty minutes. We have the music going for the girls, and they dance in their seats as I relax in mine. Thomas doesn’t talk much on the drive. His focus is on driving, which I don’t mind because it allows me to work out the best way to approach my parents’ dinner offer with him.

He pulls up into an empty parking spot, and we both get out and each grab a child. I grab Rose, juggling her on my hip. “I will just get the stroller out for Rose. Lily, please stand next to Jen while I grab it.”

Holding my hand out for Lily, she rushes over and places her tiny hand in mine. She jumps up and down on the spot and we step over to the sidewalk to wait. I clutch Rose to my hip and I watch Thomas open the trunk and remove the stroller. Closing the trunk, he opens the stroller and pushes it over to us, taking Rose from my arms, then strapping her in. Lily and I continue to hold hands.

Thomas begins to push the stroller, and I follow with Lily, taking in Thomas from behind. A small smile forms on my lips. He’s in his element of being a dad out in a social setting, and watching him sends warmth flooding my body.

We arrive at the gates within a few minutes and Thomas pulls out his wallet. “Thomas, I can pay for myself.” He swings around with a glance that insinuates I have insulted him.

He shakes his head. “No, I pay.” He faces the cashier to pay the bill. Before moving forward, he grabs a map from the display stand and moves to the side. “What animal would you like to see first?” Thomas pops the brake on the stroller before squatting down to show Lily and Rose the map.

“Ummmm.” She gazes around the map before pointing to the lion. “I want to see Mommy first.”

I watch as Thomas becomes frozen, no words leaving his mouth. My brows furrow, trying to understand what Lily means. He snaps out of his daze and clears his throat. “Okay, let’s go,” he huffs. He releases the brake and strolls off, not waiting or explaining what is going on. My mouth parts. What is happening? Lily tugs my arm, reminding me we are standing still as Thomas walks farther away, disappearing in the distance. I start walking, Lily’s hand in mine, and we try to close the distance at a quick pace.

We still trail behind, and I can see the tension rolling off Thomas’s body. He stops outside of the lion enclosure, and we creep up next to him. Lily is bouncing up and down on the spot. “I want to see them.” I bend down and lift her to let her see into the enclosure. I don’t say a word, taking a side-glance at Thomas who is standing like stone, clenching his jaw, his eyes narrowly watching the lions pacing the enclosure. Returning my gaze to the lions, my heart beats faster in my chest. I want to ask Lily why the lions are her mom, but I don't want to upset Thomas further. There is a niggling feeling in my stomach, but I push it away.

“Let’s see the next animal on the map.” His voice is strained. I lower Lily back down and her feet hit the pavement. Clasping her hand, we follow Thomas and Rose around the bend to the next animal, which are the giraffes. Standing next to the stroller, I can see the tension relax from Thomas’s body.

We wander around the zoo for another hour until Lily is hungry. We find a coffee stand with some benches. Standing at the kiosk, we browse the menu. “What do you want me to get the girls to eat and drink?” I ask him.

It’s the first time I have directly spoken to him. He sinks his hands around my waist and I freeze, then I melt into the welcome surprise. “I will get it. You came on this date with us. I pay.” The word date rolls off his tongue with ease, and it makes me giddy. I enjoy the embrace and peer down at Lily who is not fazed about it. She keeps her eyes ahead, and we shuffle up to the front of the line. As he pulls out of the hug, the cool air hits my back. I shiver from the loss of his body warmth. He orders and I take the girls to a table. Thomas joins us with the food.

We hand the girls each a sandwich which they happily eat. I pick up mine and say, “Thanks for this,” then I begin to eat. He nods before diving in to take a huge bite.

Unable to hold it in any longer, I ask, “Are you okay? You seemed upset at the lions.”

His eyes glare back, and a flicker of hurt washes over before he glances away and answers, “It’s all still raw, I guess. I’m okay, and then something the kids say breaks open wounds that I think I'm over,” he whispers so only I can hear.

Lily is preoccupied with eating and singing.

Before I lose my nerve, I whisper, “How long has it been?”

The silence makes me feel like I shouldn’t have asked, the question too deep. The shimmering sadness in his eyes pangs my gut.

“Over a year now.” He sighs.

I'm elated he answered me, but I’m also riddled with worry; is he ready for dating?

Or are we just having fun? Is it too soon? Am I a rebound? The side of my temple is beginning to throb from all these thoughts.