Dream Keeper (Dream Team 4)

Do you have any free time this

weekend? I’ll get a sitter for Juno.

We have to talk.

I ditched the texting and phoned Auggie.

“Hey,” he answered.

“Corbin isn’t there?” I asked.

“No,” he confirmed.

“He’s texting me, telling me we need to meet this weekend and talk.”

“Do you want to do that?”

“No.”

“Are you gonna do that?”

“No.”

“Should you think about that?”

“No.”

“Pepper—”

“Auggie, I told you, it’s not happening.”

“I know, but maybe you need to be as clear with him as you are with me so he’ll move on.”

“First, he won’t move on until he understands with a clarity I can’t give him with just words and then he’ll be an ass for a while, he’ll probably go cold and man-pout for a while and then maybe, if all the stars in the universe properly align, he might get over it.”

“What’s second?” Auggie asked.

And honest to God, I loved that he did.

Not only because I was ranting and most men didn’t prompt a woman to rant on, but also he was keeping track of what I was saying enough to know I had a list (doing this while I was ranting).

“Second is that I feel the need to calm down a bit after discovering that Corbin feigned interest in something at Juno’s school only as an opportunity to make some play with me. And now he’s out. Mr. Sykes seemed to have some capable volunteers helping, so Corbin not showing probably isn’t a loss. Though obviously you are by far the most capable, seeing as you can not only wield a hammer, if there was an imminent threat of attack, you could get everyone to safety and capture the bad guys so the police could have an easy night.”

Auggie started chuckling.

I finished, “But you don’t pitch up for your daughter and then ditch. It isn’t cool.”

“You’re right, it isn’t.”

I tried to stay calm and not fume.

“Is there a third?” Auggie asked.

“No.”

“Can I say yes now to grabbing some food before you go to work tomorrow?”

That made me smile.

“Yes.”

“I’d want more time tomorrow, baby. But things are busy, and I have something to do for work. I’ll be done in time to take you to an early dinner, though. Cool?”

“Absolutely.”

“It only reflects on him. Not you. Not Juno.”

He was back to talking about Corbin.

“I know, but I don’t want her disappointed.”

“Okay, I didn’t want to say anything to worry you, because she handled it great. But she was obviously torn last night, Pepper. She wanted to hang with me. She wanted to hang with her dad. He and I steered clear of each other. She hung with her dad, but she kept smiling and waving at me, like she wanted to be sure I knew she was grateful I was there. Patrick let her give me a hug hello and one good-bye, but it wasn’t a mellow sitch. Do you know what I mean?”

“Now there’s totally a third. Because I’m also not meeting up with Corbin so I don’t poke his eyes out or kick him in the groin.”

“Probably a good call,” Auggie murmured, sounding amused.

“She does appreciate that you’re there. And I do too, Auggie. Please know that. It’s incredibly sweet you’re spending your nights doing that.”

And then he did it.

He said it.

He…said…it.

And what he said was, “Pepper, for there to be an us, we all need to be an us. If this works, where I am now will be part of the territory. Now, I could either be at home, watching TV or out for a drink with one of the guys, both scenarios wishing I was spending the evening with you. Or I could be here, doing something that means something to Juno. I pick door number three.”

See?

Totally it!

“I…am…so…jumping you the next time I see you. Don’t even think of trying another teasy sneak attack. If I have to tackle you to the floor, I’m paying you back for being so awesome.”

“Paying me back by tackling me to the floor?”

“To give you an orgasm.”

“Right.”

That was totally amused.

I was totally tackling him.

But for now…

“Say goodnight, Auggie.”

“Goodnight, baby. Text when you get home safe from work.”

“Will do.”

And I did.

* * *

Saturday didn’t start off stellar because I had set that day aside to use the information Auggie gave me to reach out to my brother.

Also, Aug was busy with work, so even though I got my morning text from him asking me to connect when I woke up, and I did, and he sent an xx? in return, he was obviously busy because that was all I got from him.

Which I was taking as good, the universe telling me it was the perfect shot, a clear schedule with errands run and a tidy house and Auggie working, to focus on connecting with my brother for the first time in over a decade. Doing this knowing what kind of man he’d become and having the news I had about our mother to share with him.