“Well, he said that you guys are old,” Brandon says with a smile, making me smile into the beer I just brought to my mouth.
“Didn’t you just turn eighteen?” Cash asks, and Brandon nods. “You think you can run a strip club?”
“I don’t think I can. I know I can,” Brandon says, and pride fills my chest.
“You’re a kid,” Nico says.
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
“It does when there are naked women around,” Trevor says.
“So, are you tryin’ to say that Mike sleeps with the women who work at the club?” Brandon asks. “Or that Joe does?”
“I didn’t say that,” Trevor says, looking at me.
“Well, then, why would you think that I would do that?”
“You just turned eighteen,” Cash repeats.
“And?”
“I think he could do it,” I say.
All eyes come to me.
“Look at it this way. Joe and I opened teasers when we were in our twenties. I have never slept with or even touched one of the women who work for me nor do I want to. It’s a job and nothing more. I think that, if he went to school, got some business classes or management classes under his belt, he could do good by the club and the girls. I know that he is young, but if he continues down the road he is on now, he will do amazing things one day,” I say and turn to look at Brandon. “If you prove to me and Joe that you really want to run the club one day, I would be honored to hand the reins over to you.”
I watch as his eyes go soft and a look I often see from his mom appears on his face before he looks away. I now know that I will do anything in my power to make sure he succeeds in whatever he chooses for his life and fully understands what my mom said to me when I told her that I wanted to own a strip club.
“All I have ever wanted was for you to be happy, son. So if this is what makes you happy and is a reason for you to get out of bed every day, then who am I judge it?”
From that moment on, my mom was my biggest ally, and I know that I will be that for Brandon.
“Thanks,” Brandon says quietly.
*
“How do you think Brandon would feel about you guys living with me?” I ask Kat.
We have been going strong for a few months. Most mornings, when I get off work, I just come straight to Kat’s. Even if I’m just going to be sleeping, I like knowing that Kat is in the next room. I can’t stand being away from her. The idea of her moving in with me has been floating around in my head for some time now. Her townhouse is nice, but my house is nicer. I also have more space. Brandon wouldn’t feel like we are living on top of him like he does now. I remember what it’s like to be a teenage boy, and no way would I want my mom’s room next to mine.
“You want us to move in with you?” Kat asks, her already large eyes getting larger.
“We basically live together now. I just figured we should make it official.” I shrug like it’s not a big deal even though my gut is twisting and my heart rate has sped up.
“Are you sure you want that?”
“Yes,” I say immediately.
This is the next step for us. At this point, we’re just putting off the inevitable. We spend all of our free time together and I never go home to my place anymore when I get off work unless there is something I need to do.
“I…” She pauses, looking around her place. “I wouldn’t feel good about moving Brandon. Not right now in the middle of the school year.”
Shit. I didn’t even think about that. “Okay, so we wait and I’ll move in here until the school year’s done.”
“You would do that?”
“Living with you isn’t a hardship.” I smile, crowding her against the counter in the kitchen. “Sleeping next to you.” I nip her neck. “Waking up with you.” I kiss her lips.
“So then, I guess we just need to sit down and talk to Brandon about it?” she whispers against my lips.
“You want both of us to talk to him or do you want to do it on your own?”
“I think I should talk to him first,” she mumbles, looking down at her fingers that are now playing with the buttons of my shirt.
“Are you worried?” I ask, tilting her head back so I can see her eyes.
“No. I mean… I don’t know.” She shrugs. “He’s been so good lately that I’m nervous about messing that up.”
“Look, if we have to keep things the way they are right now, I’m cool with that.”
She nods, and I kiss her on the mouth just as the front door is opens.
“Mom, Mike, I’m home!” Brandon yells.
“I’m gonna head home and you call me when you’re done talking with him,” I tell her, kissing her once more.
“Hey,” Brandon says when he walks into the kitchen. His eyes go from his mom to me then back again.
“How was school?” Kat asks him as he opens the fridge door.
“School,” he mumbles, pulling up his pants.
I don’t even understand why he’s wearing a belt when his pants are hanging off his ass anyways. I look at Kat, who blows out a long breath, looking at her son.
“I’m gonna head out,” I say.
Kat pulls her eyes from Brandon’s back before looking at me. “I’ll walk you to the door.”
“See you soon,” I tell Brandon. I know he is supposed to be meeting me at the club in a few hours. Joe has some questions for him and wants to have a sit-down.
“I’m just gonna grab some food then change. I’ll see you in a while,” he mutters, not pulling his head from the fridge.
Kat squeezes my hand, and I follow her out of the kitchen to the front door.
“Call if you need me.” I lean in and kiss her forehead then lips.
She nods when I pull away, and I can tell she’s worried about talking to him about us.
“Look, if he’s not okay with us moving in together, I’m cool with that.”
“Who’s moving in?” Brandon says from behind us.
Kat whispers, “Shit,” under her breath before turning her head to look over her shoulder.
“If Mike’s moving in, then I want to move to his house.”
“What?” Kat asks, looking at him.
“His place is bigger.” He shrugs. “Can I have the downstairs apartment?” he asks, taking a drink of his Coke and looking at me.
“That’s up to your mom,” I say, looking at Kat.
“I… Well… I guess that’s something we will have to talk about,” Kat says, stunned.
“Okay,” he mumbles before walking up the stairs. “I have to head out to meet Asher before going to the club. Is it okay if I use the car?” he asks from the top of the stairs.
“Sure, honey,” Kat tells him then looks at me when he is out of sight. “Okay, so that was weird.”
I put an arm around her waist and pull her closer to me. “Looks like you’re moving in,” I tell her.
She looks from where Brandon just disappeared to me. “We are.” She smiles.
Chapter 7
KAT
“So what’s your day like?” Mike asks, crawling into bed next to me.
I close up my computer then look over at him. “I’m going to shower. I have to go to the school to meet with Brandon’s teachers. Then I have a doctor appointment at two,” I tell him, smiling when he pulls me closer to him.
“Why do you have to go to the doctor?”
“Just a checkup.” I shrug like it’s no big deal.
I don’t want to tell him that I’m going through menopause. I hate getting old or older. It’s not something you want to admit is happening when it’s happening, but I can no longer pretend like I’m not going through the change.
“You sure?” he asks.
“Yes, I’m sure,” I say, laying my head on his chest so that he can’t read my face and figure out that I’m lying.
“What about Brandon?” he asks after a few seconds.
“His guidance counselor wants to meet about college.”
/>
He nods then leans back looking up at the celling.
I continue. “I know that he is adamant about not wanting to go away for college, but I really want him to hear all the choices before making a decision.
“Want me to come with you?” he tilts my face back to look at me.
“No.” I shake my head while fighting a smile. I love him so much, and knowing that he cares about my son only makes that love grow even deeper.
“If you change your mind, let me know. I’m going to sleep while you shower,” he says sleepily.
As much as I want to lie in bed with him, I know that, if I stay, he won’t sleep. Since we’ve moved in, it has been getting harder and harder for him to go to the club in the evenings, and when he gets home in the morning, it’s hard for me to leave him in bed alone.
“Get some rest and I’ll see you when I get home.” I kiss his jaw then roll out of bed and hurry to the bathroom without looking at him. I know that, if I see him in bed, I won’t be able to help climbing back in with him.
*