“She’s Charles’s mother, of course you’d want her to live.” She touches my face and cups my cheek. “I wasn’t lying before, I think I’m falling in love with you, Darby. And I’m not sure if I want to.” Her words knock me back. If I were standing, I would have taken a step away from her. But we’re lying down next to each other, and her hand is gently stroking me.
“I have a son to think about.”
She nods, her hand dropping away. “I would never hurt him.”
I shake my head. “It’s you I’m more worried about. How would you be with him?”
“What do you mean? Because I lost my own child, I want to replace her?”
My mouth opens and closes. She sits up and looks down at me on the bed, her legs crossed.
“I could never replace my daughter. Charles is yours, and I would hope it would be okay if one day I loved him as well. I will never be his mother, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t love him like one.”
“It’s not just me, though, Olympia. I come as a package.”
She throws her hands up. “You don’t think I know that? Of course, I know that.” She stands from the bed, and I don’t want to have another stupid fight with her. I’m over them.
“Let’s sort us out first is all I’m saying.” I reach my hand out for her. She glances at it then finally takes it. I pull her to me so she falls on top of me, and I grip her tight.
“I want you. So, let’s do this thing.”
“I quit work, so I won’t be there all the time now. You’ll have to come and see me. Fit me into your schedule,” she says.
Oh yes, Johnny’s back.
“Of course, I will.”
She laughs. “This should be interesting considering how much you work.”
I slap her ass, and she wiggles beneath me. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” She does it again. I’m not dressed so my cock hardens at her touch, and she keeps on doing it until I flip her over and pin her to the bed. “I did warn you.”
“I like living on the edge,” she whispers, lifting her hips up to meet mine. “Have your way with me, big man.”
I do, I so fucking do, and we both fall asleep exactly where we landed.
And her words of love ring through me all night.
I’ve never gotten love from another woman.“Come and see him, I know you want to.”
Olympia’s leg bounces up and down in my car. We had to leave the house, or if we didn’t, we would have stayed there all day. We went out to eat when my father called saying he had plans, so here I am, in the car, out front of my apartment building trying to convince her to come in.
“I don’t want to intrude. I can call a cab.”
“You aren’t, I invited you. Come in, Olympia, I’m sure he’s missed your singing.”
She offers a shy smile at my words. “I’ve missed him.”
I get out and walk around, opening her door. She places her hand in mine as we make our way to the door. My father’s there holding a smiling Charles, who puts his hands out for Olympia when he sees her.
“See, he wants to see you.” I let go of her hand as she lifts it to take him. My father notices our hands are joined and smiles too. He gives Charles over easily to her.
“He likes you,” my father comments. It’s true. Charles screams in people’s arms, he doesn’t like many people. The only ones he likes to be holding him if I’m near is Ma or my father. But his little hand goes up and touches Olympia’s hair, pulling it. She watches him while walking inside.
“You like her.” I keep watching her, not because I don’t trust her but because I like seeing her like this. A smile I’ve never seen before is on her lips, and I want to keep it there.
“Yes, I do.”
“She’ll be good for you, I know it.”
I notice Dad isn’t dressed in his normal attire, he’s dressed up in slacks and a nice button-up shirt.
He looks… more like me.
He even smells like me.
“Where are you going?”
He shrugs, his cheeks reddening. “On a date.”
My eyes go wide. No way. He waves me off.
“With who?”
He hasn’t gone out much, so I don’t know how he had time to meet anyone.
“Ma, I’m taking her out.”
I smile. I like that. More than he knows.
“Spoil her, she’s a woman who needs it because she’s never gotten it.”
He nods and walks out, pauses as the door goes to shut. “This isn’t weird for you?”
It is, but I’m not going to tell him that. “No. Now have fun and don’t break her heart.”
He glances past me to where Olympia’s now singing to Charles who’s looking up at her as if she’s hung the stars for him. Maybe she did.