Left (Left 1)

“Hey yourself.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just someone trying to peddle some bullshit. Nothing to worry about.” I push the letter of my mind and focus on the woman I plan on spending the rest of my life with. I pat my knees. “Have a seat.

“You haven’t gotten enough of me, yet?” she asks.

“Impossible,” I say as she sashays over.

She sinks down and I wrap my arms around her waist and bury my face into her neck, inhaling her scent to calm my fraying nerves. Together, we got this.

Chapter Five

LIV

“Will you be here in the morning?” Phoenix asks.

“Yes baby, I will.”

“That’s a lot of sleep overs. I like it. I wish you could be here all the time.” I glance across the bed at Houston. He fake coughs to cover his laugh and I narrow my gaze.

“Me too, buddy. I love spending time with you guys.”

He lets out a sleepy yawn. “Now to bet with you, so we can get up in the morning.”

“Okay, Livy, Love you.”

Houston bends down and brushes his son’s forehead. The boy gives a giggle at the tickle of his beard.

“Love you little man.”

“Love you too, daddy.”

The bond between them is beautiful to witness. Houston is never shy with his affection or imposing with his beliefs on gender roles. If Phoenix wants to play house, or baking, it’s embraced with open arms. He shows Echo and Deja all about cars without hesitation. It’s part of the reason I fell for him. We’ve been dating for a few months, and I’m home less and less. His room has become our room and the children are starting to notice. Our friends and family have been kind enough to keep their comments to themselves while we stumble through this process.

We’re working on dismantling the walls we’ve built up and forming a new home together. It’s all backwards. There’s no getting to know you period or courtship. We’ve been thrust deep into the waters of a serious relationship. It’s like coming home after a long quest. We stand from the bed and move into the living room.

“They’re exhausted,” Houston says.

“Wasn’t that the point of breaking out the kiddie pool after school? “I ask.

“It was. I have plans for you that don’t need to be interrupted.”

“Oh, are we going to play a mean game of Scrabble tonight?”

“I was thinking more along the lines of hide the sausage.”

I choke out a laugh. “You’re awful.”

“Just eager to spend time worshipping my beautiful goddess.”

“You’re as good with your words as you are with your hands. Do you know that?” I thread my fingers through his growing hair and massage his scalp. He groans, and his eyes go to half-mast.

“I’m glad you think so. But I’m more a man of action.” He pulls my body to his. Dating is different when children are involved. Late nights on the town, romantic dinners at the fanciest restaurants, and weekend getaways are few and far in-between. Still, I don’t feel as if I’m missing out. What Houston and the children give me is more fulfilling than any other relationship I’ve been in. Through the eyes of children and the strong man who fathered them, I’ve learned the meaning of unconditional love.

“I think it’s time we take this to someplace a little more private.” He scoops me up behind my knees and holds me to his chest. I wrap my legs around him grateful for the time he’s put in at the exercise room he set up in the house. I’ve never felt so cared for by a man. For a man who looks like a lumberjack, Houston has a romantic streak that would put most Romcom’s to shame.

I li