“We do.
“Give me a glass of whatever’s cheapest,” I say
“You don’t want what’s cheapest. It’s shit.”
I laugh, looking Logan over. Physically, he looks exactly like his twin. They wear their hair the same and probably share clothes. But there’s a distinct difference between the two, with the biggest being how obviously Logan is crushing on fellow bartender, Danielle. I’ve been watching him flirt and get flustered when she’s around, and she’s giving it right back.
“You work for Wes. I’ll put it on his tab.” Logan steps away and returns a minute later with a glass of sweet red wine.”
“This is good,” I say after I take a sip.
“It is, isn’t it?” Logan looks across the bar at Danielle, spacing out for a second before turning back to me. “What’s it like living with my brother? He can be very, uh, uptight at times. Though he’s dealt with an unfair amount of shit in his life.”
“He’s great. Jackson too.”
“You can be honest,” Logan jokes.
“Really,” I laugh. “We get along well, which is nice. I’m there for Jackson, but it helps, ya know? We eat dinner and watch TV together and it’s not weird.”
“That’s good. Going and living with someone would be weird on its own.”
I nod and take another drink of wine. “It takes a while to get used to. I know he wishes he didn’t have to have a nanny for Jackson.” I look over at Wes again. “He’ll never admit it, but I think he feels guilty for being away.”
“He does. My big brother might be a tad prickly at times, but nothing is more important to him than family.”
“I can tell,” I say as my gaze drifts back to Wes. “It’s a very admirable quality, and if I’m being honest, it’s not one I see too often.”
“Right,” Logan agrees.
I can’t help the smile that pulls up my lips or the flush that colors my cheeks. I’m still looking at Wes, and Logan catches me watching.
“So your place is really nice,” I blurt, feeling almost as if I’m having an out-of-body experience. The last time I was at a bar, things went very different. I actually can’t remember the last time I went to a bar just for fun like this. This isn’t me. It’s so far from the version of myself I usually am it’s jarring.
But I like it.18WestonI put my squad car in park and get out, stepping into the quiet night that surrounds my house. It’s been a long week, and I’m looking forward to having the weekend off. The living room light is on, and I can see the fuzzy outline of Scarlet sitting on the couch through the sheer curtains.
Several pumpkins and a few pots of mums are on the porch steps, and it looks like she and Jackson finished putting up the little graveyard scene in the lawn today, finally decorating for Halloween. She’s been here for two weeks now, and we’ve fallen into a good routine.
A good routine that involves awkwardly avoiding the very obvious fact that we’re both extremely attracted to each other.
We eat meals together whenever I’m home, and on the nights the sky is clear, Scarlet goes outside to look at the stars. I’ve joined her a few times, but it’s harder and harder to keep my hands to myself and my heart in my chest whenever I’m around her.
Jackson loves her, and having the stability has already made a difference in his behavior and mood. He’s always a happy kid, but not having to get up at the crack of dawn makes a huge difference on the kid. He’s not a morning person.
My life has been simplified in some aspects as well, and not having to try to fit in cleaning and making dinner has been a huge relief. I shouldn’t be as tired as I am, but I’ve had a hard time falling asleep knowing Scarlet is just down the hall. I wake up almost every night after dreaming of her, cock hard and heart racing.
She’s beautiful, but it’s more than that. She’s good with my son. Takes care of him and makes him happy. The rare times I’d let my mind wander and would think of dating again, I always came back to the same issue: Jackson.
Dating isn’t easy. Dating with kids is even harder. Not only do I need to find someone who is fine with me having a kid, they’d have to bond with Jackson before I considered moving into anything serious. It’s almost like things have been done in reverse with Scarlet. She came here for Jackson, and I know he’d approve if we—
“Stop,” I say out loud to myself. It’s not going to happen.
A gust of wind blows through, rattling the trees. Misty rain begins to fall, and I hurry into the house. I take off my shoes and coat, and head upstairs to lock up my gun for the night.