Accidental Neighbor by Sharon Woods
Chapter 25
Thomas
Hating that I made it so obvious, I can’t help having a reaction whenever the kids bring up their mother and my mind flashes with memories. It brings up feelings I thought I had buried.
I look at my kids. The vision in front of me hits me hard. Lily is staring and speaking to Jennifer with a big toothy smile. I inhale a deep breath and prepare for more hard questions.
Jennifer’s gaze meets mine, and I give her a small smile. There is something about her that draws me in, and I don’t know what it is. But my heart instantly starts to accelerate.
“Lily, where should we go next?” Jennifer asks. She takes a sip of her drink.
I frown, expecting more questions, but I’m elated that we don’t have to have the conversation here. She is thoughtful when it comes to my girls. More than I realized. They don’t know about anything other than their mom is an angel in the sky. But I can't avoid the questions forever.
“Ahhh, the butterflies, we haven’t seen them,” Lily says.
I sip my coffee, checking on Rose who is quietly eating. “Okay, let’s finish our food and drinks, then hit the butterflies.”
Sitting across from Jennifer, I can’t help but stare, amazed at how effortlessly she fits in with my family. I never could have imagined being connected to another soul other than Victoria’s. When it happened, I thought I never could move on and date, yet I sit here today, and we are on a family date. No matter what we do, she never comments or complains if the girls come with us.
Finishing my coffee in silence, I let my brain ponder. I can tell she has a lot on her mind also.
“Are we ready?” I ask.
Lily jumps up. Rose kicks her legs in the stroller, and Jennifer drains her cup before getting up to put everything in the bin. We wander off and spend a few more hours in the zoo before we walk back to the car. Rose has fallen asleep, and Lily looks ready for a nap, and she passes out as we walk through the zoo gates.
I want to reach out and hold Jennifer’s hand, but I resist the urge. I still get sweaty hands, and I’m constantly scanning for cars. The first few months driving after the accident were the worst. I would get anxious sitting in the driver’s seat, but I had to drive to work or get the girls around. My symptoms settled to a lesser degree, and I have managed to maintain control. I will never be the same and I have accepted that. I’m grateful I can drive at all.
We have been driving for ten minutes and I glance in the rearview mirror, double-checking the girls are asleep.
Taking the opportunity to talk to Jennifer more, I say, “Did you have a good day?” I don’t take my eyes off the road, but I can sense her eyes on my face, which makes me smile.
“Yes, the date was perfect.” I can hear the happiness shine through.
“I’m glad. I do have to take you on a real dinner date… No girls.”
“Today was great. You don’t have to. The girls are a package deal and I love them.”
I know the girls are easy to love, but hearing her utter the words makes me feel lighter. “I know. They are awesome, but it’s not the same,” I moan.
“I’m happy with anything. So does this mean we are officially dating?” My lips twitch in the way her voice lowers like she was scared to ask.
I chuckle. “Well, I haven’t dated in years, so I don’t know how this works, but I don’t plan on dating anyone else. I enjoy what we have going on. But how do you feel?”
I wish I could watch her face right now, but I will not remove my eyes from the road. We aren’t far away from home now.
“I don’t have much to compare. I have dated very little, but I agree. I love where this is going. I feel comfortable and at home around you,” she answers in a light voice.
Her answer makes heat radiate through my chest. Could she be any more perfect?
“So, while we are talking, uh, my parents know I’m dating someone, and I didn’t tell them it’s you. I didn’t want to say anything until we were official, but I guess now we are, so I can tell them. But I would love to do it together. They want you to come for dinner.”
Her family, especially her father, have been so kind to me and the girls, I don’t see a reason why not.
“Of course, I would love that. I’ll get Mom to come and mind the girls.”
“Oh, don’t be silly. They would be upset if you didn’t bring the girls.”
“Are you sure? It might be a lot for them.”
“Yes, I’m sure. All three of you for dinner. Mom will be so excited.”
I laugh at her comment. “I’m glad someone is. I'm not going to lie; I’m scared. It’s been a very long time since I met someone’s parents.”
The car is quiet and I know she is thinking of how to ask or what to say. I'm bound to get some questions soon. “It won’t be anything you can’t handle,” she says, surprising me as that was not what I had thought she was going to say.
“Are we home yet?” Lily’s voice comes out of nowhere, making my body jump in its seat.
“Soon, baby. We are around the corner. Are you hungry or thirsty?”
“Yeah, both.” I check Rose and she is still asleep. “Just a few minutes and then I'll get you a snack.”
“Okay,” she moans. I smile.
I pull up into the driveway and twist in my seat to face Jennifer. “Can you please bring in Lily? I want to carry Rose to her crib.” She nods her head, so I hand over my keys. She swiftly takes them and climbs out of the car before I have a chance to peck her. I climb out my side and step around to get Rose out of her car seat. She stirs a little when I reach for her but otherwise returns to sleep.
Jennifer opens the house and holds the door open for me. Lily has already gone inside. I peck her on the lips as I pass, watching her mouth drop open in shock after I move past her. Moving gently to Rose’s room, I put her down in her crib to nap.
When I step into the hallway, I can hear Jennifer in the kitchen, making Lily a snack. Lily is plastered beside her and from the looks of it trying to assist in the preparation. I rub the back of my neck before rolling it on my shoulders, trying to relieve tension. “What’s going on over here?” I walk to the front of the counter, grabbing a blueberry and popping it straight into my mouth. The little sweetness explodes in my mouth, and I want more so I reach over, but she smacks my hand gently, scolding me.
“Wait for a second. I'm making a plate.”
I sit back on the stool and watch. No words leave my mouth; I just stare in utter fascination. After a few minutes, this plate of fruit is beautifully decorated and I smile wide at Jennifer, whose eyes are shimmering. “This looks so good,” Lily says as she grabs fruit directly from the plate.
“Lily, I will get you a plate and you can pile what you want on it,” Jennifer says.
“Oh, yes.” She has her hands on the counter and jumps up and down.
“Please,” I ask.
“Please, Jen.” She still bounces.
Jennifer opens the cupboard to retrieve a plate. Lily begins pulling the fruits onto her plate.
“I’ll bring it to the table, and you can eat it there.”
“Okay, Daddy.” She runs to the table and sits up waiting. I take her plate and take a seat beside her.
“What do you feel like having for dinner?” Jennifer asks.
She stands in my kitchen with this casual look, looking right at home. Am I dreaming? She raises her brows as she waits for my answer.
I clear my throat. “I’ll eat anything.” My double meaning causes her to flush from her neck to her cheeks, and her eyes dart away from my intense stare.
I never thought about sex that much since Victoria. It was always something I just did for relief. But since Jennifer, I crave her body, her sounds, her taste. She is addictive.
“That’s not helpful,” she huffs, blowing out her cheeks.
It makes me chuckle out loud. “What’s funny, Daddy?”
“Nothing, sweetheart,” I reply.
Lily just shrugs her shoulders and continues to eat her fruit. I glance over at Jennifer who is biting her lip between her teeth. “I’ll check out the fridge and see what I can pull together.”
“I will give you a hand,” I say, my chair scraping along the floor as I stand up. Walking into the kitchen, I enter the pantry, surprising Jennifer, and I know Lily can’t see so I grab her around the waist and spin her.
“Oh,” she squeals in surprise. My hands are on her lower back, keeping her body against mine, her softness to my hard muscles; it's the perfect puzzle piece. I lean down and breathe her in, my skin sensitive to her. Every hair on my body stands for attention whenever I get this close.
Her eyes flutter closed and her mouth parts, soft pants leaving her lips. I close the distance between our lips, and her soft lips move with mine until I slide my tongue across her lower lip, seeking entry. I groan but pull away, not wanting to be caught by Lily. Jennifer whimpers from the loss, and my mouth twitches into a grin at her sedated state. I love how I can unravel her with just a simple kiss.
“Later,” I whisper, my tone dark and seductive. A cheeky giggle leaves her mouth. I smack her butt and spin around to walk back out to the kitchen, and Lily is right there behind me, watching. “Shit, Lily, you scared the crap out of me.”
A frown crosses her face. “Daddy, you just said a bad word.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, sweetheart.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “Well, I think you can go into time-out.” I roll my lips between my teeth to prevent myself from laughing at her sass. I can hear Jennifer behind me struggling to hold it together, so I quickly push Lily out of the pantry.
“Why were you kissing Jen?”
More questions, this inquisitive age is really testing. “Because she is my girlfriend.”
Lily’s face scrunches up. “What? That's gross; boys have germs.”
A deep chuckle escapes this time.
“I know, really gross.” Jennifer winks as she saunters out, passing me with the cheekiest grin on her face.
I step to the playroom, but Rose begins calling out from her crib, so I wander to her room and pick her up and cuddle her. We walk out to the kitchen where she sees Jennifer and she begins kicking and pushing off to get down.
“No, Jen,” she mumbles. When she gets down, she runs to her, and Jennifer squats down to take Rose up in her arms, flying her through the air. Rose squeals in delight, lighting up the room. I never thought I would see this day; my daughter is falling for another woman other than my mom.
“Rose, come and play with Daddy and Lily. Jennifer is trying to cook us a surprise dinner.” I glace from Rose to Jennifer. Rose glances up at her, and Jennifer nods in acknowledgment.
“I won’t be long, sweetheart,” Jennifer coos and strokes Rose’s face. I wander over and scoop her up in my arms. The rest of the night is seamless, and Jennifer and I work as a team. When the girls are in bed, I pour us each a glass of wine and settle on the couch. She nestles beside me.
I bring the glass of shiraz to my lips and take a large gulp. Giving myself liquid courage, I stroke her arm up and down as we watch television.
“Lions remind us of Victoria, my late wife.” My heart is beating wildly in my chest. Beads of sweat form on my forehead, and I feel her flinching in my arms so I continue to stroke in slow motions until her body is relaxed again. “Victoria was fierce like a lion and didn’t take any shit from anyone. She was strong, independent, and stood up for what she wanted. No bullshit approach. When she passed away, I used to tell the girls their mom reminded me of a lion, so now they are obsessed with lions.” My lips form into a thin line.
My stroking continues, but I take another pull of my wine, my heart rate picking up in my chest after the mention of Victoria to Jennifer. I don’t know why. I feel comfortable with her, but this topic is unnerving. It rattles me. I feel exposed. She hasn’t said a word yet, but I can hear and feel her steady breaths.
“They are wonderful traits to have and it's good the girls can have a positive thought about her. I see Lily takes after her then, her strong-willed personality.”
“Definitely, and the more she grows, the bigger the sass. But I love it.” Talking about my girls warms my soul; having kids will change you forever. It is one of the hardest yet rewarding jobs of my life. They have taught me to be patient, to love, and to cherish. They are my world and without them, it wouldn’t be worth living. I have them to thank for ripping me out of depression after Victoria’s death.
“The tattoo on your chest is about Victoria then?” Her voice is soft and kind.
“Yes. I got it in her memory after she died.”
Thinking back to eight months ago, after I left the hospital I was angry, furious at the world for taking Victoria from me and the girls. Every day I had painful memories flash behind my eyes, but the scars that marked my torso were a daily reminder I loathed.
The car crash inflicted shards of glass from the shattered windshield into tiny fragments, searing into my torso. They only took a month to heal but I can feel them under my fingertips every time I wash my body under the shower. My torso is now laid with the constant reminder I no longer want to feel.
Making the decision one night to get a tattoo, six hours later I ended up walking out of the tattoo parlor with more than one. The marks are now disguised by different tattoos, and when I remove my shirt, I see the colorful art that’s displayed on my body.
A small bead of sweat trickles down my face. Not wanting to continue this conversation, I trace my fingers across her collarbone, down her neck. Her body shivers underneath them. I drain the rest of my glass of wine and push up. Sensing my movement, she lifts up off me and swings her legs off the couch to a seated position. Her head turns to follow my movements, and I open my hand to take her glass as she hands it to me. I walk to the kitchen and put our glasses in the sink before returning to stand in front of her. My heated stare fixes on her glassy hooded brown eyes. I hold out my hand in front of my body. She gazes between my face and hand before she reaches out and clasps her hand in mine, and a smirk plays on my lips. Staring at her lips longingly, my tongue skims my lips in need.
Her lips lift, and I tug her to me in one swift motion. She jolts up directly to my chest. Her hands land on my pecs, where they tighten under the brush of her touch. Grabbing her face, I smash my lips to hers, and I kiss her with a sense of urgency, thrusting my tongue inside her mouth with soft sweeps, massaging my own with hers. Her hands are on my neck, bringing me closer to her. I’m not sure how much closer we can get. I rip my mouth away from hers, heavy breathing racking my body. Peeling her hands off my neck, I tug her toward my room. When we get to my room, I ask in a growl, “Are you staying tonight?”
She nods her head, biting her lip. “Yes,” she replies huskily.
Unable to hold back my restraint anymore, I return to kissing her with such passion that a squeak leaves her mouth. Stepping farther into my room, I break our seal for a minute to close my bedroom door, then I turn and reach for the edge of her cardigan, slipping it off her shoulders until it slides onto the floor. I trace my fingertips along her forearms to her biceps until I reach her shoulders where I descend down between her breasts to the lower edge of her top, scrunching the soft fabric in my hands. I lift it up and her arms automatically rise so I can remove it all the way, letting it fall to the floor. Her plump breasts sit high in a navy bra, and I harden from the sight. Magnificent. I lean forward and kiss her from the neck up to her ear, my breath tickling her skin. She shivers, and her body goes slack underneath my lips. From under her ear, I move to claim her lips again. Snaking my hand around, I grip the bra, unclasping it, and my fingers guide the straps off her shoulders. I grab the bra and throw it across the room. Feeling her hands slipping my jacket off my broad shoulders, it lands with a thump on the floor, and she reaches for the bottom of my top. I lean back and watch her lift it up and yanking it over my chest, then I take over and pull it the rest of the way off. She sucks in a sharp breath, and I know she is staring at my tattoos and scars. My heart is beating wildly as she moves her hand to my chest, tracing my lion tattoo, her soft fingers bumping over the scars. I haven’t told her about the accident, but I need to… I just don’t feel ready.