“As soon as you’d like,” Thomas said. He pulled me close and kissed me deeply. “The sooner the better.”
I grinned. “Sounds perfect,” I said softly.
Chapter Twenty
June
“How’s everything going?”
I shuddered as Thomas nuzzled my neck and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me against his hard body. He smelled good – like fresh shower gel and new cologne – and I closed my eyes, savoring the scent of my boyfriend.
Boyfriend ! I thought excitedly. I’ve never had one of those before. I still can’t believe it!
“It’s going pretty well,” I said. “Dinner should be ready in about ten minutes.”
“Excellent,” Thomas replied. “It smells incredible.” He leaned over my shoulder and inhaled deeply.
I blushed. “You think Brett will like it?”
Thomas nodded. “Oh, yeah,” he said. “His favorite food is spaghetti with meat sauce.”
I nodded. “Angela said this recipe wouldn’t disappoint – it’s from her Sicilian grandfather.”
Thomas laughed. “Sounds good, babe,” he said. He kissed me on the cheek and I flushed and squirmed, desperately craving more of his touch.
“Hey, Dad!” Brett raced into the kitchen. “What’s for dinner?” When he saw me, he stopped dead in his tracks. “What’s Miss Rogers doing here?”
Thomas chuckled. “Son, please call Miss Rogers June, at least when she’s in our home.”
“Am I in trouble?” Brett asked nervously. ‘What’s going on?”
“No, not at all,” Thomas said. “Brett, I’d like to tell you that June and I have begun to date.” He glanced at me and I flushed nervously, biting the inside of my mouth. “And she’s going to be moving in here with us.”
“At first, when you’re here, I’ll be at my old apartment,” I explained quickly.
Brett looked nervously from his father to me. “Okay,” he said. “Cool.”
Thomas raised his eyebrows. “I’m glad you’re okay with it, son,” he said.
Brett nodded. He puffed out his chest, trying to look more adult than his soon-to-be-eleven years.
“Yeah, I’m cool with it,” he said. “Miss Rogers was always my favorite teacher. Er, I mean June,” he added. “Sorry, June.”
“It’s fine.” I laughed nervously. “Whatever you want to call me is fine. You know, except for stupid or anything else mean.”
Brett shook his head. “Don’t worry,” he said.
“Well, I’ve got something for you, Brett,” Thomas said. “Why don’t you go into the living room?”
Brett’s eyes widened and he raced out of the kitchen. When I looked at Thomas with my eyebrows up, he chuckled and jerked his head to the side, indicating that we should follow Thomas.
“Dad, are you serious?” Brett’s voice screeched from the other room. “No way! This is too cool!”
Thomas chuckled. As we walked into the living room, Thomas took my hand and squeezed. Brett was kneeling on the floor in front of a box covered with Japanese print.
“I can’t believe it, I can finally have it?”
Thomas nodded. “Yes,” he said. “Sorry it took so long to get the damn thing inspected. It was hard to find anyone familiar with the technology.” He turned to me. “That’s a PlayStation Five,” he added. “It hasn’t been released in the country yet.”