Jake and I, along with Kyle and Kenzie, watched from a distance as Luke attempted to flirt with a woman at the open bar. It seemed to be going well at first, with him sliding in next to her and offering up some funny tidbit to break the ice. She smiled, tilting her head back. Definitely interested. This was good. Jake and Kyle clinked their beer bottles together, proudly cheering on their protégé. They’d spent the last hour giving him lady-wooing tips, and once they felt their baby bird was ready to fly, Luke was kicked out of the nest; or in this case, the luxury poolside cabana we were all sharing.

It was family week on the Outlast tour. True to his word, Luke had secured time off work and was staying with us for the last six days of the kids’ visit. Kenzie had arrived in town a couple of days before him, but I hadn’t seen much of her. She and Kyle had been holed up in a hotel room. I didn’t blame them one bit, as the two hadn’t been together for nearly three months due to work responsibilities.

Since moving to Los Angeles, Kenzie had become quite the social media darling after starting her own YouTube channel for small town girls living in the big city. Her fun personality combined with a talent for connecting with the average, everyday person had brought her millions of subscribers and started her on a path to a whole new career.

Initially she’d planned to take her show on the road and travel with the tour, as she’d been doing since getting together with Kyle. The two had even bought their own motorhome for the road. But then an opportunity presented itself that she couldn’t pass up. Kenzie was tapped to fill in for a daytime talk show featuring a panel of women when one of the leads went on a three-month maternity leave after the birth of her child. Although she’d appeared on a reality show, Kenzie had never done live television so she was initially quite hesitant to accept the job. Kyle was the one who ultimately talked her into doing the show and so began their long-distance relationship.

Jake and Kyle, having the day off, joined us at the pool. The cabana was in a secured area, so Jake was able to relax without worrying about being bothered, and the kids were currently off having a blast at the hotel-provided child care facility. This was adult time, and we were sucking up the quiet moments.

My hand in Jake’s, we sat side by side in our own individual lounge chairs watching the Luke show. Although there were ample chairs around them, Kyle and Kenzie had squeezed into one lounge chair, vying for butt space.

“Hey,” Kyle said, wriggling around. “Hands to yourself. I don’t appreciate it when you manhandle me like a piece of meat, Kenzie. I have feelings.”

“We’ll talk about your feelings when you get your hand off my ass.”

“I only have it on your ass to keep you from crushing my balls.”

Jake audibly groaned before getting up and dragging another lounge chair up next to them. “There. Problem solved.”

Following Jake’s entire spectacle with his eyes, Kyle turned back to Kenzie with a dopey grin on his face. “Geez, what’s his problem?”

“I know,” she agreed. “As if we want to be apart. I like squeezing in with you, sweetie.”

“Me too, honey-pie.”

“Oh, my god. Can you two take that cutesy shit someplace else?” Jake grumbled, but the upturn of his lips gave him away. “I can’t hear what Luke’s saying.”

“He’s across the pool, dipshit,” Kyle explained. “You couldn’t hear him anyway.”

“I know, but I just want you to shut up. Oh, damn, look at that…a hand on the shoulder. That’s a bold move,” Jake said, assessing Luke’s performance.

“Too bold,” Kyle replied. “We told him no physical contact at the first meeting. Makes him appear desperate.”

“But she looks interested, right?” I asked, a hopeful tone to my voice; but one look at the female in question and the way she leaned away from him answered my question. “Crap. She’s not.”

And just as predicted, the woman got off her stool and walked away.

We all let out an audible sigh. Another one bites the dust. Luke walked back with a dubious smile on his face as if to say, ‘See, I told you.’

Obviously, baby bird was not yet prepared to fly, and after giving it his all, he had plummeted to the ground in a puff of feathers.

Luke dropped into an open chair, sprawling out every which way.

Kyle, who’d taken to being his wellness coach asked, “Did you ask to buy her a drink?”

“I did,” Luke affirmed. “And she accepted.”

“And you told her a joke to break the ice?”

“Yep. She was squirting some Germ-X on her hands when I walked up, so I told her hand sanitizer was a gateway drug for OCD.”

“Nice,” Kyle smirked. “Good one. And did you compliment something about her?”

Just by the look on Luke’s face, this was where things had gone downhill. “I told her she had nice lips.”

“Lips?” Kyle’s brows shot to the roof. “Lips? That’s just… Dude, come on, that’s just creepy.”

“What? You said nothing cliché like eyes or body.”

“I know, but I also said to compliment her shoes or watch. Something she won’t take offense to.”

“And I would have – had she been wearing a watch or shoes,” Luke said, sounding exasperated by the interrogation. “She was wearing a bikini! There was no safe thing to compliment. I panicked.”

“Okay. Maybe I was being too ambitious with you. Clearly we need to take baby steps here. Start small… and with fully dressed females.”

“Like you’re such a closer, Kyle,” Kenzie jumped in to the conversation. “I fell for you the first day we met. I followed you around with these honkin’ lovesick eyes of mine, and you had no clue.”

“Right, but in my defense, you smelled pretty bad.”

Kenzie laughed, poking Kyle in the side. “You’re such a dick.”

“I guess that just leaves us with Jake,” I said. “Do you have any swagger you’d like to share with my brother?”

“Yes, Jake,” Luke leaned in, interested in his answer. “Please teach me how to objectify women.”

“The only time in my entire life that I’ve ever pursued a woman was your sister. Would you like to hear how I objectified her?”

“No,” Luke threw his hand up to stop Jake. “I’d rather die alone. But thank you anyway.”

* * *

“Who wants to go for ice cream?” Luke called out.

His two intended targets, Sydney and Riley, shot up and ran for the door, screaming, “I do! I do!”

“Anyone?” he joked. Again the kids shrieked. “If only there was more enthusiasm. Hey, do you two want to come?”

“No, thanks,” I answered, eyeing Jake with interest. He’d better say no. We hadn’t been alone in nearly a month, and Luke had just opened up a window of opportunity.

Catching my vibe, Jake scanned me with a knowing smile before answering, “No, I’m good.”

Luke glanced between us, no doubt sensing the smoldering tension, before his face dropped in disgust. “Ew. I’ll be sure to get a double scoop.”

Once the three had left, I snuck up to the door and peeked out the peephole.

“Are they gone?” Jake asked, his voice full of hope.

I turned around and, using the same high-pitched voice Luke had employed to entice the kids for ice cream, I asked, “Who wants to objectify his wife?”

Jake shot up and ran for the door. “I do!”

Tucked against Jake’s sturdy frame, his arms tight around me, I smiled at the memory of our quick and feverish lovemaking session.

Before he’d even finished his sentence, I was in his arms, legs wrapped around his waist, and was pressing impassioned kisses onto his lips. Together we toured the room in a tangle of arms and legs before Jake dropped on top of me on the bed, and we were off. There was no foreplay or sexy banter, just the quick, frenzied sex that came from having no extended alone time together. And then it was over, and here I was, panting in his arms. I giggled at the absurdity of it all.

“What?” he asked, and I could feel his smile against my cheek.

“Nothing. I was just thinking that this is how sex will be once we have our own kids.”

“You mean fast? Yeah, sorry. My bad.”

“No,” I said, turning around to face him. “Not fast. Frantic.”

“Shit, I know. That was like a quickie on crack. I keep thinking the kids are going to walk in on us.”

“And that’s why I have you check the lock…”

“Three times, I know,” Jake groaned, rolling onto his back. I turned too, propping myself on an elbow just to soak in his handsome face. “Is it weird that I’m going to miss them?” He added.

My chest burst with love for this man. Even though the whole babysitting thing had been pushed on him, he hadn’t shied away. He’d gotten in there and done the job. Yes there were times he seemed way out of his league, but he’d surprised me on more occasions than not. Even with that potty mouth of his, or maybe because of it, Jake was a big hit with Syd and Ri. He might not realize it himself, but my husband was a natural at fatherhood.

Gliding my fingers over his face, I kissed him and whispered, “You’re such a good man. Do you know that?”

The smile that forced its way across his lips was not lost on me. It was so subtle, but I knew what to look for.

“What was that?” I asked.

He played dumb. “Huh.”

“That smile. Why are you fake-smiling?”

“I’m not faking anything,” he protested. “That’s the way I smile.”

I stubbornly stared in his eyes, trying to get him to admit his deception. He stared back defiantly. At an impasse, I asked, “Why do you do that? Why do you doubt that you’re a good person?”

Surprisingly, he let the tension roll off his shoulders and answered me truthfully. “Maybe because I’m not, Casey. Has that thought ever occurred to you?”

“Do you honestly believe that?”

Jake regarded me a moment, behind the hair that fell over his eyes before unexpectedly sitting up. “I don’t want to do this right now. Please, just let it go.”

I reached for him, but he stood up and moved away from the bed. I watched him grab for his boxers and slide them on.

“I mean, everyone has done something they’re not proud of, right?”

“Casey.” Jake shook his head. Clearly he was frustrated with me, and couldn’t seem to decide what to add to his sentence, so he just stopped at my name.

And now I had a choice: keep pushing for an answer and watch him walk away, or give up on bedside counseling for the sake of peace. I chose the latter simply because I was cold.

“Hey,” I said, patting the sheets. “Come on. Don’t be pissed. Lie back down with me.”

He contemplated his options, clearly hesitant to trust my intentions.

“I promise I won’t bring it up. Just come back and warm me up.”

Jake relented and crawled back under the covers with me. Pulling him into my arms, I gently placed a kiss on the tip of his nose. A moment passed while we looked intently into each other’s eyes.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I don’t know why I did that.”

I traced my fingers along his chest, contemplating how I wanted to reply. “Someday, Jake… someday you’ll trust me with all your secrets.”

He seemed to be considering my words as his body slowly relaxed under my touch.

“Maybe someday, Case. But not today.”