Bumbled Love by Lila Rose
Chapter Four
Dustin
Hey,” I called to the pizza delivery guy. “I’ll grab them.” I took the steps two at a time to the front porch of my house. I handed over the money for the pizzas, and the kid shrugged, gave me the boxes, and took the money—which I’d forgotten to leave in the first place. Luckily, I hadn’t really needed to go anywhere. It’d been a ruse to get Brooke over here so our friendship could start. I planned for Benjie to warm her up before I got back, and she’d stay to have pizza with us while we got to know one another.
It would be better for Reagan and Carter if we were friends. That was what I kept reminding myself when she rocked up in a simple sweater and jeans, which seemed to hug—
No, I wasn’t going there.
Unlocking the front door, I slipped in and made my way down the hall when I heard giggling. At the mouth of the hall to the living room, I stopped. I hadn’t even seen my ex’s car out front; I’d been too keen to get inside. Yet, there she was, sitting on the floor with what looked like Play-Doh eyebrows.
“Pizza,” I called.
Emily’s gaze lifted, and she smiled. I was lucky to have a good relationship with her after our breakup. Benjie jumped up from the middle of the women and ran at me with Play-Doh sideburns, but I noticed Brooke had turned to face me with a Play-Doh mustache.
Smiling, I braced as Benjie knocked into me with a hug. “Looks like you guys are having fun.”
“We are.” Benjie nodded, his gaze on the pizza boxes. The women got busy removing their facial hair and putting them in the containers.
Tapping Benjie’s nose, I told him, “Go help pack up the Play-Doh and then wash up before we eat.”
With a quick nod, he raced back over to the coffee table and helped while I ducked into the kitchen to put the pizzas down. When I got back into the living room, Emily stood and brushed off her pants. “I better get going. Benjie, give Momma a kiss, and I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
Benjie did, along with a tight hug.
Brooke quickly bounced up. “I’ll walk out with you and leave these two to dinner.”
It didn’t slip by me that she kept looking away from me.
“No, Miss Brooke. You have to stay for dinner. Please, please, please stay so you can read me a book later.”
Good job, Benjie. I wanted to chuckle and rub my hands together like an evil villain would. My plan was working.
Emily smiled down at our son and met my gaze. She nodded, to what I wasn’t sure. She looked back to Brooke. “You can’t say no to that, right?”
I hadn’t expected help from my ex. Though, I was grateful for it.
Brooke nibbled on her plump bottom lip, and my cock gave a jerk in my jeans in response. Her eyes flicked to me and back down to Benjie. “I’m not sure—”
“There’s plenty of pizza,” I added.
Her brows dipped. I could tell she wanted to run, but as she looked back down to Benjie, who had his hands clasped in front of him silently begging, her expression softened.
“Okay. I’ll stay for pizza, but then I’ll have to see what the time is. I’ll need to get some rest for work tomorrow.”
“What do you do?” Emily asked.
“I’m a high school counselor. It can be challenging sometimes.”
Emily snorted. “I bet.”
“What about you?” she asked, like they were starting a new friendship and bonding.
Why hadn’t she ever asked me questions?
“I’m in real estate.”
Before they could continue this little chummy chat, I butted in. “Em, didn’t you have to get going?”
“Oops, you’re right. Dustin, walk me out.”
“Sure.”
“It was lovely to meet you, Brooke.”
“You also, Emily.”
Emily bent and kissed Benjie on the cheek, and with another tight hug, she started for the door, and I followed. When she stepped outside, she turned back. “Benjie adores her, Dustin.”
“You’re not worry—”
She waved me off. “No. I think it’s great. She’s a sweetheart with him. I really like her.”
“Good. She enjoys spending time with Benjie, and I trust her with him if I need to go to some event or something. Saves me leaning on you all the time when it’s not even your turn to have him.”
“You know I don’t care, and I agree, she is trustworthy. Is there anything between you two?”
A lot of exes didn’t get along, but Emily and I got together when we were young, and I think that was what burnt us out. We’d loved each other, but in the end the love was more for a friend than a partner or lover. She would always be in my life, and I couldn’t help but be thankful, because she was a great woman. We were open with each other, which was how I knew she’d started seeing someone, but Benjie hadn’t met him yet.
Shaking my head, I admitted, “She’s a good friend with Carter’s woman—”
“Carter has a woman?” She gaped.
Chuckling, I leaned against the doorsill. “Well, not yet, but he’s a goner for her. I’m trying to get on Brooke’s good side and become friends since we’ll be in their lives no doubt.”
Emily crossed her arms over her chest. “What did you do?”
“I— What?”
“Brooke seems pretty easygoing. What do you mean you’re trying to get on her good side? Was there a bad side to begin with?”
Sighing, I scrubbed a hand over my face. “There was a small misunderstanding.”
“Dustin.”
Quickly, I rambled, “She thought I had asked her out, but I already had a date set and I’d intended her to mind Benjie. I didn’t realize until a few days later.”
Emily winced.
“Exactly my reaction when I figured it out.”
Emily reached out and patted my arm. “Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
“And there’s nothing else you want besides friendship with her?”
No. Yes. Maybe were the first words in my head.
“Friendship right now.”
“Well, you better get in there and work your charm. Just don’t overdo it and act like a douche.”
Scoffing, I spread my arms wide. “When do I act like a douche?”
Her brows rose before she started laughing and walking off.
“Real nice, Em.”
“Bye.” She waved over her shoulder.
Grumbling under my breath about not being a douche, I made my way back down the hall and into the living room. Only no one was about. I walked into the kitchen and found them sitting at the counter with plates of pizza in front of them.
“Was there something you liked?” I went over and flipped a box open, drawing my own plate close to pile it with some meat lovers. When Brooke didn’t answer, I looked at her. Brooke’s gaze roamed over me with heat to her cheeks.
Interesting.
Did that mean she liked what she saw?
Fuck it, of course she did. I knew I was appealing to the opposite sex. I couldn’t help but flex a little as I drew some pizza up to my mouth. Not that I was supposed to flex; friends didn’t do that for each other.
“Miss Brooke liked the Hawaiian one like me.” Benjie beamed at Brooke, who smiled back, redder than before.
“Good to know.” I winked at Benjie. “How come Momma was here?” I’d forgotten to ask Emily.
Benjie glanced away. “I forgot Bugs.”
Leaning over the counter, I tapped his nose. “Make sure you double-check everything. Saves Momma coming this way, yeah?”
“I will,” he said a little solemnly and took a small bite of his slice. I noticed he’d managed two pieces already.
“Good, kiddo. Though, at least it was good Brooke and Momma got to meet this time.”
Benjie brightened. “It is good.” He turned to Brooke. “Now you can come to my other house too, and we can play there.”
Brooke laughed as she reached out and hugged Benjie to her side. “I’ll have to see, buddy.” My son was an awesome kid; it was good to see Brooke had already noticed it. Her fondness for him was obvious.
What about me?
I was talking about friendship fondness though. Benjie started talking about a book he wanted to read since he’d heard it was good from a friend, and as I ate, I watched and listened to them. It was like she’d been around him more than a couple of times. Like they’d known each other longer. Benjie usually took a while to warm up to people, yet he hadn’t with Brooke. That said a lot about her.
Yeah, I wanted to get to know Brooke as well.
“How was work today?” I asked when the conversation broke away.
She glanced at me and then down to her pizza. “Good. Though, I had a student make an appointment to see me because she wanted to question me about Reagan and Carter.”
“Can I go play for a little bit?” Benjie asked.
“Go for it,” I told him with a wink.
I caught her tense when he bolted from the kitchen, but she picked up her slice and took a bite. “How long do you think it’ll take Carter and Reagan to get together?”
Her smile was soft. “Not long. Anyone with eyes can see they’re half in love already. Besides Reagan.”
“They’re good for each other.”
She nodded. “They are.” She wiped her hands on some paper towel she or Benjie must have gotten out. “You weren’t gone long before.”
Grunting, I shrugged. “I thought it would have been longer. Do your family and Reagan’s get along?”
Her gaze shifted behind me to the doorway. Was she thinking of running?
“My parents passed away a long time ago. I have some aunts and uncles elsewhere in the world, but it’s been Nana Bev and me for a while.”
“Sorry to hear about your parents. I don’t see much of mine since they’re in Texas.”
“So, you are a cowboy?” She smirked.
“Born and raised.”
“Where’s the accent gone?”
“It comes and goes, darlin’.”
Her lips parted when I put on the Texas tone. Since I’d lived out of the state for a damn long time, I’d lost a lot of it. It only showed when I drank.
Brooke cleared her throat. “Right. That’s, ah, cool.” She stood and picked up Benjie’s plate along with hers, moving over to the sink. I quickly stuffed the rest of my pizza in my mouth and walked around the counter, stopping at her side as she rinsed the plates. Her hand swept out for my plate. I gave it to her and rested my hip against the counter.
“Benjie loves hanging out with you.”
There was another soft smile for my son. When was I going to get one?
“He’s a great kid.”
“Sorry about Emily showing. I didn’t expect you’d meet my ex that soon.”
Her brows shot down. “But you expected us to meet?”
“Well, yeah. Unless you’re going to stop seeing Benjie.”
“No, I wouldn’t do that to him.”
“Good.”
She put the last plate in the dishwasher and faced me. “Emily seems really nice.”
Smiling, I nodded. “Yeah, everyone loves her. People were shocked we split up, but we got together young and drifted in different directions. The only thing keeping us together had been Benjie. Before it soured, we wanted to end it while we were still friends.”
Surprise was written on her face, in her eyes, brows, and mouth. “That’s… really amazing. There’s not many couples who do that.”
Shrugging, I smiled. “Yeah, I know. But it was the best for Benjie as well. This way we spend all the major holidays together. Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter as well. When I’m not playing, that is.”
“Do you get annoyed with work dragging you away?”
She was asking me questions. Wanting to know me. This was damn good.
“Sometimes it pisses me off, but then I get on the field, and I’m lost in the game. It’s still a thrill. Do you like what you do?”
A laugh dropped from her plump lips.
Lips I had to stop looking at.
Jesus, what the hell was wrong with me? I was trying for friendship and yet everything she did had my attention. The way she shifted, when she brushed her hair behind her ear, her lips, eyes, body… fuck me.
Friends, jackass. I had to remember my mantra.
“I have my days. Today wasn’t one of them. What is it with boys and their junk?”
Sputtering out a chuckle, I asked, “What?”
“It’s like you can’t keep it in your pants. A teacher found a boy in the restroom with his dick in a handmade glory hole in the wall. He’d gotten stuck.”
That time I roared my laughter. “Oh shit, that poor kid.”
“Poor kid? Poor Tom. He’d come to me for advice. I told him the kid will need it to go down before being free. Tom went back and told this kid, and do you know what he did?”
“Ah shit, he didn’t?”
“I suggested to Tom to tell him to think of gross thoughts, but no, apparently this kid decided to finish so his dick went down before he escaped.”
“What did Tom do?”
“Ran from the room when the kid wouldn’t listen and waited for him to finish. The kid didn’t even care he’d done that around teachers.”
“Couldn’t Tom get in trouble if the kid says something?”
She snorted. “Who will he tell? He was scared a fellow student would find out, but he didn’t care about the teachers. Tom also filed a full incident report, called his father, and told him what was happening while the kid, ah, finished.”
“Jesus, I would never show my face again.”
“We’ll see if he comes—” I chuckled at her choice of words. Her cheeks pinked and she groaned. “Wrong choice of word there, but you know what I mean.”
“At least not all boys are like that,” I offered. “I had a friend who would have done the same if he’d thought of it. His sex drive was crazy. He’d jack off in the bathroom all the time. Me, I’d prefer to do it in the privacy of my bedroom.”
Brooke straightened. “I should get going.”
What did I say?
It was then I noticed before she cruised by me that the pink on her cheeks had deepened, and her eyes had heated.
Sweet Jesus, she was picturing me handling myself.
Why did that please me so much it sent a bolt of desire to my cock?
“Benjie, I’ve got to get going, sorry,” I heard before I followed her with a damn huge smile on my face. She caught it when I stopped beside her and glared.
“But, Miss Brooke, what about reading?”
“I’m sure your daddy would love to do it, and I promise next time I’ll stay to read.”
His hand shot up with his pinkie out. “Pinkie swear?”
Brooke grinned and hooked her pinkie around his. “Pinkie swear.” She bent to hug him, and I wondered if I could ask for one.
It was too soon probably.
“I’ll walk you to the door.”
Brooke picked up her bag and shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Thanks, ah, for the dinner and… yeah. Bye.” She swiftly went down the hall and then I heard the front door open and close.
Poor Brooke seemed flustered. I’d have to remember to bring up masturbating again around her.