Jackson
I WAS ALMOST DONE WITh my coffee, and things had been going great, when Millie reached over and ran her finger over where my wedding ring used to be.
“I, ah, noticed that you took it off,” she began, and I knew there was a question in there.
I closed my eyes for a moment, enjoying the light caress of her finger on mine, then opened them and gave her a wry smile.
“I’d known Julie all my life, our parents were friends, and we went to the same schools together,” I said, turning my hand under hers and holding it in place. “We started dating in high school, which made our families happy, and we just sort of settled into things from there. It was never love at first sight, or a match made of passion.” I paused, realizing my inner literature nerd was coming out, then I chuckled and continued, “Sure, we had the sweaty palms and stolen kisses of any teenaged relationship, but soon we just fell into an easy relationship. We went to college together, then Julie got pregnant and we moved back home to get married.”
“Well, you got an amazing daughter out of it,” Millie said, her hand squeezing mine compassionately.
“Yeah, K is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
I realized we were both done with our drinks and snacks, but wasn’t ready to leave yet, so I asked, “Would you like something else? A water?”
“Yeah, that would be great,” Millie replied sweetly, and I felt relieved that she wasn’t ready to end this thing yet either.
I excused myself to go to the counter and buy two waters from the barista, then looked back at Millie while I waited. She was sitting at our table, looking around the dining room with a smile on her lips. I hadn’t really paid attention to my surroundings, but I followed her gaze and took in the décor of Rooster’s.
It kind of reminded me of my grandparents’ house . . . Mental note, it’s time to make a visit, Kayla and I haven’t been to Grandma’s in a few months.
Once the mental note was cataloged in the calendar in my mind, I grabbed the waters and strode back to Millie.
“Where were we?” I asked as I placed her water on the table and took my seat.
“You moved back home to have Kayla,” she supplied, then opened her water and said, “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” I replied, then thought back to my time with Julie. “She dropped out of school and we got married, while I transferred here and started taking classes. We rented a crappy two-bedroom row house, but we were happy. Excited about the baby. A few years after I started teaching, we had enough money saved to put a down payment on the house I live in now. Our marriage was a partnership. We didn’t fight, or have some deep-seated resentment about getting pregnant before marriage. We were just your normal family. When she said she was leaving, I was blindsided. One hundred percent.”
I lost my words as I thought back to that day, when Julie said she was leaving, and I swear, I thought she was joking. It had never occurred to me that we wouldn’t spend our lives together.
“She said she needed to live her own life. That she’d given up everything to become a mother and wife, and she wanted to see what else was out there. I told her she was crazy, that she’d regret it, and asked how she could do that to Kayla . . .”
“What did she say?” Millie asked softly, her hand once again on mine.
I brought my eyes to Millie’s, caught momentarily in the green and gold flecks I saw there.
“She said she was sorry, but that Kayla would grow to understand, and then she left.” I sighed, then took a sip of my water. “I haven’t heard from her since.”
“What about your parents, or hers; are you all still close?”
“Yeah, my parents still live next door to hers, and Kayla spends time at both of their houses. She’s the only grandchild for both, so they spoil her to death. We go to my parents every Sunday for brunch, so she sees them at least once a week, sometimes more.”
“That’s wonderful, that she gets to be close to her grandparents, and I’m sure it helps you a lot, that they’re all so close.”
I nodded as I thought about last Sunday, when we all celebrated Kayla’s birthday together. She got to have her party with her friends, and then another with her family. She’d been over the moon, and even though I sometimes worried that we were all spoiling her too much, while we all tried to make up for her mother leaving, I couldn’t regret making my little girl happy.
“I don’t know how I would have made it without them,” I admitted. “Whenever I have something going on at school, they help me out by watching her, and anytime she wants to go shopping, or get her nails done, my mom and Julie’s, are always happy to take her.”
“And, have they heard from Julie?” Millie asked gently. “Her parents?”
Shaking my head, I replied, “No, at least not that they ever told me, although I haven’t asked in months. They felt just as abandoned as we did, and I know they’ve wondered where they went wrong. They were always very close, especially Julie and her dad, and he was just as baffled as I was when she left.”
“That’s terrible, I’m so sorry for you all,” Millie said, then looked up at me through her eyelashes. “Do they also babysit when you go on dates?”
I fought back a grin at her question, knowing she was trying to find out if I’d been seeing anyone since Julie left. I liked that she wanted to know. I hoped that meant she wanted to see more of me, because I sure as hell wanted to see more of her.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I haven’t dated anyone since Julie.”
“Really?”
“Really,” I replied, then I turned her hand in mine and brought her palm to my lips. I kissed her there once, a soft brush of the lips, then placed her hand back on the table. “But, I’m hoping that will change. Maybe they can babysit Friday night, while we go to Prime Beef?”
A beautiful smile blossomed over her face, and she gave a slight nod.
“I’d like that. Let me check our schedule and see what I can do.”
“Do you have an event?”
“We always do. Our only day off is Monday, but, I can always take a break for dinner,” Millie said, and although I was disappointed that I wouldn’t get a full date with her, I loved the fact that she was willing to rearrange her schedule to fit me in. “It helps that Prime Beef is right across the street,” she added with a laugh.
“Okay, great. You check your schedule and see if you can swing it, and I’ll check with my parents and see if they can take Kayla.”
“Sounds like a plan,” she said, and I fought back regret when she rose from her seat. “I’d better get back.”
We walked back to Three Sisters hand in hand, Millie talking happily about the menu she’d prepared for a bridal shower they were catering that evening. All too soon, we were at her door and she was turning to me, her face flushed with pleasure, as she said goodbye.
“Thanks for going with me today,” I said, reaching out to tuck a long lock of hair behind her ear, my heart racing when she turned her cheek toward my touch. “I had a great time, and can’t wait until Friday.”
Her face went soft at my words, and I noticed her eyes were trained on my lips.
Although it had been almost fifteen years since I experienced a first kiss with a woman, I knew the moment was right, so I took a step closer, one hand on her waist and the other cupping her cheek. Millie’s eyes fluttered closed as I bent my head, and a soft moan escaped her lips when I brushed mine against hers.
She tasted of caramel and cream, and when I ran my tongue lightly across the seam of her lips, she opened for me, and I accepted her invitation.
The kiss was sweet, with just a hint of reckless, and I knew when she sagged slightly against my chest that it was time to pull away. With what felt like the strength of twenty men, I did just that, then dropped one more kiss on her lips before taking a step back.
I knew I’d keep a picture of that dreamy look on Millie’s face with me forever, and when I walked to my truck, there was a spring in my step.