Phoenix is every inch his father’s child in navy blue pants, and a white polo. With the exception of his brownish-blonde hair and baby face, he was a replica. The sight of Houston in black pants and an OLA t-shirt made my lip twitch upward. He scowls at me playfully, and I look down to hide my smile.
“You guys are so cute," I squeal.
I kneel and open my arms, holding my little miracles close as I kiss their cheeks.
“Are you ready to eat so you can go to Kindergarten?”
The enthusiastic chorus of yes makes me grin. I meet Houston’s soft gaze over their tiny frames. Houston gives me a full out smile that turns me to goo. Smiles from him aren’t in abundance these days.
“Okay, special breakfast time. Then we need to take some photos, okay? I have a bunch of things lined up for us, so we need to get started.” I stand, and they rush to the table with us trailing behind.
“You ready for this, Dad?”
“I’m feeling like an old man. They’re about to turn five, and soon I’ll be forty.”
“You wear it well. That’s all that matters, right?” I ask with a wink
.
He turns the intensity of his gaze on me, wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me closer. “ I can always count on you to make my day brighter.” He places a sweet kiss on my temple. For a millisecond I wonder what it would be like if he aimed for my lips. Wait. What? The wayward thought scares the bejesus out of me. We have a good thing going. I can’t let whatever I have going on ruin that. I force my muscles to remain relaxed and inhale deeply.
After breakfast, I snap a million pictures, and we load up into the off-white restored Woody station wagon. The drive is a short one, and I ignore the stares we get as we exit the car and lead the children inside. I’m usually mistaken for one of two things, a nanny or the girlfriend. I’ve learned to let it all roll off my back. I’m not here to meet their approval. It’s all about making sure the kids are okay.
As the little ones find the friends they’d made recently at a pre-kindergarten picnic, I'm the one tearing up.
Houston rubs my back. “I knew you weren’t going to make it. You’re such a freaking softie.”
“Shut it, Hous,” I say as he leads me out of the classroom. It’s only half a day, and I’m a wreck.
“You want to go to the Boo Hoo Breakfast in the gym?” he asks rubbing the back of my neck with his calloused hand. I shake my head and burrow my face into him.
His body shakes with laughter, but he keeps his teasing comments to himself as he leads me out of the school.
“It’s just a few hours, and we’ll be picking them up again. You took the day off, right?”
“Yeah. They fell all over themselves to give me the date. They know they owe me for all the overtime I’ve been putting in with this new campaign. People think Public Relations is all fun and friendships, but it’s truly a lot of research, ass kissing, finesse, and to a point trial and error. The past few months I feel like I’m a cyborg cause everywhere I go there's an electronic device in my hand. I’m always on the net.”
“We need to plan a trip and get away,” he says.
“You make it sound so easy.”
“Cause it is.”
“Oh please, Mr. workaholic is not lecturing me about needing a break from work.”
“Hey, I been getting much better with it. I had to work like that when we were starting up.”
I place my hand on his arm. “I know, and I’m so proud of everything you’ve accomplished.”
His face turns a light shade of red, and I wink. He hates praise. Which only makes me want to tell him how amazing he is. Not many men could handle being a single dad of three and run a successful business. He opens the door for me, and I climb into the cab. He’s got impeccable manners. I’m shocked he’s still single. From the looks of the women coming into the shop to ask about modeling opportunities during the car shows, it’s not for lack of women trying. He hasn’t had a date since Rain left him at the altar.
Part of me is relieved. Embarrassed, I roll down the window to cool my heated face. It’s sick, this codependence we developed. But without it, I’m alone. If he ever finds a woman, I’ll back off. I’d do anything to see him and the kids happy.
“We have some time to burn. Where do you want to go?” Houston asks.
“Wherever the road takes us.”
“Thank you, Doc. Brown. We’re not going back to the future, though. We’re on a tight schedule.”