When Elena finally accepted my invitation to dinner tonight, I wanted to jump for joy right there. But I figured I needed to keep at least a little of my dignity intact, being that I had followed her around the gym like a puppy dog. Not that I really minded. There are worse views.
That little extra swing in her hips as she walked away didn’t go unnoticed by me, but I know she’s still reluctant. I’m not sure if she’s more hurt about how I handled coming back, or afraid I’ll leave again. Either way, I’m hoping tonight will help reassure her that I strongly believe my prayers were answered. I don’t care if Libby is ultimately the one who made the decision that changed everything; it’s what I had wanted all along.
Next time my ex pulls that shit, and I’m not dumb enough to think there won’t be a next time, I will be stronger and will fight more. I promised myself that months ago. Now I have to convince Elena that I won’t break my promise.
Puttering around the kitchen, I do a last-minute check of my food prep. The pasta doesn’t need to be put on until the chicken is almost done cooking. I’ve already flattened the chicken breasts to one-quarter inch thick. Fresh green beans are soaking in cold water. And the wine is already chilled. There’s nothing left to do except season the meat and pop them in the oven.
A knock at the door stops my preparations and makes my heart speed up. Racing to the door, I have to stop myself from answering too quickly. Yes, I’m desperate. No, I don’t want to seem that way. She likes calm, cool, collected Greg. I can introduce her to neurotic, overly-excited Greg later.
A quick sniff of my pits and my breath, and I’m good to go. Until I pull the door open.
That’s when I see her and I swear I stop breathing.
Her dark blond hair is sleek and shiny. Her plump lips painted a dark pink color that I want to kiss off. Those twinkling hazel eyes smile at me, even though they look like they’re still unsure. And of course, she’s wearing one of those skirts Callie must have given her. I hear her business is thriving. Not that I really care about what Callie’s been up to right now. The skirt is too distracting. It flares from Elena’s hips, making her look curvy and accentuating that ass I love.
She’s so fucking beautiful.
“Are you going to let me in?” She gestures inside the house.
“Sorry!” I blurt, realizing I’ve been standing there looking like an idiot. Pulling the door wide, I wave her in. “Yes, please. Come in. You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she says, as she steps over the threshold and I feel like I can finally breathe again. Elena is in my home. She’s willing to have me in her life again. What that will ultimately look like remains to be seen. But this is a good start.
“I bet it looks different than the last time you were in here, huh?” She drops her purse on the couch, although I’m not sure why she brought it since she lives next door and can run home if she needs something. “Mr. Blitman’s kids redid the floors and Joie made me do some painting.”
“I’ve actually never been in here before.” She looks around at all my pictures and knickknacks. There aren’t many, but most of the ones of Peyton are up. “Oh! Look at Pey! She’s so big now.”
She runs a finger over the latest shot I have of my baby girl. It was taken a couple of weeks ago at my parents’ house. We’re in the backyard during a pool party they had and I’m holding Peyton. I’m smiling at her, and she’s looking at the camera with the biggest, cheesiest grin on her face. I can’t remember what was making her smile, but it’s such a good candid shot, I had to print it out.
“She turns three on Wednesday.”
Elena’s eyes whip over to mine. “Already?”
“I know. I can’t believe it. Next weekend will be my first full weekend with her. I’m having a birthday party for her on Saturday if you want to bring the girls.”
“Ok,” she says softly.
“Oh!” I exclaim. “Let me show you what we did to her room. I can’t wait for her to see it. She hasn’t been over yet, so it’s a surprise.”
Guiding her around the corner and down a small hallway, I open the door to the bedroom. Elena gasps.
“Ohmygod, Greg, it’s so beautiful.”
I can’t disagree. The walls are painted a very soft, pastel purple. Her small bed has a white canopy over it, draped from the ceiling. White bookshelves and storage cubes line one wall, all her toys put in their proper places. And a long white dresser is on the far side of the room. All the knobs are either purple or pink and have various princess paraphernalia painted on them.
It’s perfect for my princess.
“You did this all by yourself?”
I chuckle. “Uh, no. I suggested purple since it’s the favorite color right now.” Elena sniggers. She’s got three girls. She knows the phases. “But Joie really helped me put it all together. She’s really creative.”
“I’ll say.” She runs her finger tips over the dresser as she looks around. “I may have to hire her if I ever get around to decorating my girls’ rooms.”
We stand there for a few minutes, me looking at her as she looks around the room. After being away for so long, it feels surreal to have her right next to me. I could spend the night just watching her and be perfectly content.
And then her stomach lets out an angry growl. It’s a good thing, too. My creepy, stalkerish thoughts were starting to freak me out.
“I guess you’re hungry,” I laugh, as she covers her face in embarrassment.
“I can’t believe that just happened.”
“Your stomach always gives you away. Come on.” I grab her by the hand, intertwining our fingers and lead her out of the room. She lets me, which makes me smile even bigger, if that’s possible. “Let’s go finish cooking so we can get you fed.”
We make our way into the kitchen to finally get dinner going. I wish I had started baking the chicken earlier. It may have been her stomach that growled, but mine isn’t far behind.
Handing her a glass of her favorite wine, Elena tells me all about her new job at the elementary school, and all the drama that happens outside of the classroom. Homeschooling looks like a viable option for Peyton’s future if this is what teachers are really like. Who knew there was so much scandal behind the scenes?
“Having a day job looks good on you,” I remark as I rub more seasoning on our dinner. And it does. She looks happy. Settled. Content.
Licking her lips after taking another sip, she sets her wine glass on the counter. “I think I just like being useful. Not that I wasn’t before. But now that the kids are a little older, they aren’t as dependent on me for everything. I guess I got a little bored being home all day and not having adult interaction at night. This seems to balance me out a bit.”
“Does Max go to daycare?”
She shakes her head. “My mom and Callie switch off days keeping her.”
“Callie keeps her?”
Quirking an eyebrow at me, she says, “Have you met Christopher? Having Max over keeps him entertained for a few hours so she can get things done.”
“I’m surprised those two don’t destroy her house when they’re together.”
“Oh they do,” she jokes. “But no more than if he was by himself.”
“What about Fiona and Maura?”
She shifts on the stool and watches as the chicken finally goes in the oven. Just thirty more minutes until dinner. I hope we can hold out that long. “Usually they come home with me. I got so lucky getting a job at their school.”
“Sounds like it.” Setting the oven timer, I thoroughly wash my hands, because salmonella would be just my dumb luck, and dry them on the new hand towel Joie insisted on getting me as a house warming gift. Cheapskate. “I don’t have to start the pasta for about fifteen minutes. You want to hang out in the living room while we wait?”
She nods and slides off the stool, making her way to the couch and sinking down on the cushions.
She practically purrs, “I love this couch. I missed this couch. It’s so comfortable.”
I missed her on the couch. Mostly because of all the memories I have of her laying on it with me on top of her. But I’m not going to go there tonight.
Pushing the memories aside, I situate myself next to her. I can’t help myself when I grab a lock of her hair from off the head rest and twirl it around my finger absent-mindedly. She turns her head to look at me, but doesn’t pull away. That’s a good sign.
“How was San Antonio? Was Peyton ok? I worried about her the whole time she was living with that guy.”
I smile. This is another thing I love about Elena. There was no “out of sight, out of mind.” She loves my child enough to worry about her safety and well-being. I’m glad I get to reassure her.
“Aputi was a huge surprise,” I admit. “I thought for sure Libby had gotten herself involved with some crazy dude. But he was great.”
“Aputi? That’s an unusual name.”
I chuckle. “He’s an unusual guy. He’s this huge Samoan dude. Played football in college and liked San Antonio so much he stayed. He’s really interesting.”
Elena smiles evilly. “You got to know him? I bet that pissed Libby off.”
“I didn’t know him well. Just a little chitchat here and there when we would pass Pey back and forth. The first time I went to go pick up Peyton, though, ohmygod, I had no idea what he’d be like.”
“He’s the one that answered the door?”
I snort. “Libby didn’t even look up from her phone when I got there. She sat on the couch while we sized each other up. Here Aputi was, all tatted out with this menacing look on his face. He stood there staring at me, his arms crossed. I thought for sure he was going to try to kick my ass.”
“I take it he didn’t.”
I shake my head. “Not even close. We stood there for a second, but I never backed down. Finally, he said, ‘I’ve got a daughter. Her mom moved and took her away.’ What do you say to that, ya know?”
Elena nods. She gets it. There was no good way to respond to him.
“But then he said, ‘I respect a man that uproots his whole life so he can still be with his kid’.”
Elena gasps.
“I know,” I respond. “That wasn’t what I expected either. Anyway, Pey came running up behind him and wrapped her arms around his legs, peeking around him. As soon as I saw the way he stroked her hair to reassure her, I knew she was in good hands.”
“Wait,” Elena interrupts. “Why was she afraid of you?”
“She wasn’t. As soon as she realized it was me, she came running out the door and jumped in my arms. But knowing she felt comfortable enough that he would protect her, that made me feel comfortable, too. Aputi and I got along great after that.”
“I don’t get it.” She turns to face me, making the lock of hair fall away. “If he was such a great guy, why did Libby leave him?”
I shrug. “That’s the million-dollar question. Before I left, I made it a point to go back over and thank Aputi for being so good to Pey. He was really tight-lipped about what happened, but I could tell the break up wasn’t his choice.”
“Aw. That’s kind of sad.”
“Yes and no. I hope he finds someone wonderful someday, but I know from experience, Libby is probably not it.”
We sit and stare at each other, not really sure what else to say, but knowing we’ll never have enough time to say it all.
“I really missed you, you know?” I finally whisper.
“I really missed you, too.”
Stroking her silky hair again, my gaze wanders to her lips. I’ve missed those lips so much and I can’t stop myself from wanting to taste them. A quick glance in her eyes find her looking at my lips, too. Knowing we’re on the same page, I lean in, anticipating the moment when I finally get to kiss her again. My mouth is just centimeters from hers…
And the smoke alarm goes off. And not one smoke alarm… all of the smoke alarms begin screaming at the same time.
The home inspector wasn’t kidding when he documented that they all work.
Jumping up off the couch, I race to the kitchen and throw the oven door open, waving away the thick black smoke as it billows out. Once I can see a little better, I grab the pan of chicken with a hot pad and drop it on the stovetop, while still flapping the hot pad to move the smoke out. Everything on the pan is all charred and black.
“I opened the front door.” Elena walks into the room, her hand moving to and fro in front of her face and grimacing. She immediately opens the back door, too, and the breeze blows through almost instantly, making it easier to breathe. “What happened?”
I look down at the oven again. “What the…? How did I turn it up to six-hundred degrees?”
“I didn’t know ovens go up that high.” She looks over my shoulder and points to the knobs. “Probably because the timer is right next to the dial. I bet you bumped it.”
I shake my head. This could only happen to me, just when I’m about to make-out with the woman of my dreams.
It takes a few minutes to disable all of the blaring smoke alarms—pretty sure every single one in the house went off—and get most of the smoke cleared out.
Looking at our ruined dinner, I realize this is worse than I thought. “I think I might need to go oven shopping.” Not to mention, not only do we not have much to eat now, but the moment of seduction is gone. Damn cockblocking oven.
Then Elena giggles and nothing else matters. I haven’t heard that carefree, happy sound in so long. As cheesy as it sounds, it’s almost makes me feel like I’ve finally come home. It’s wonderful.
“How in the world did you burn it all so badly?” She glances over my shoulder at the charred remains, still giggling.
“I have no idea. Most of the appliances were replaced so I assumed this one worked, too.” She quirks her eyebrow at me. “Yeah, I know. I made an ass out of you and me and all that crap.”
She laughs even harder, which makes me smile, and suddenly I want to keep this oven if burning things will make her smile. But we still have the problem of dinner.
“So I haven’t had time to go full-on grocery shopping yet,” I admit. “Which means the only thing left for dinner is pasta and green beans.”
Rounding the corner, she grabs her purse of the couch and gestures for me to follow. “Then it’s a good thing you know your next-door neighbor. I know for a fact she’s stocked with all kinds of things to eat.”
Racing to catch up to her, I grab my keys and lock the front door behind us. The back door can stay open for a while. With a privacy fence backing up to more neighbors, I doubt anyone will even notice.
“Oh yeah? What does she have that we can make quickly for dinner?”
She flashes a flirty grin over her shoulder as she answers. “Hot dogs.”
And I just fell in love all over again.