“You ready, buddy?” I smile at Jackson as I pull open the back door and help him from the car.
He slides out excitedly, eyes wide as he looks up at his new school. I swear I’m a nervous wreck, but Jack seems anything but. I do gain some comfort in the knowledge that he’s excited to start school and not the other way around.
“Now remember what I said—just be yourself and everyone will love you.” I kneel in front of him, helping him into his book bag.
“I know, Mom.” He sighs dramatically, probably sick of hearing me say it a million times over.
“I think he’s got this, Bree.” I hear Ant chuckle behind me.
Throwing him a playful glare over my shoulder, I slowly stand, taking Jack’s hand in mine.
“And remember, if you get lost, find an adult and tell them you’re in Mrs. Jones’ class,” I say, leading him up the sidewalk toward the front doors.
“I know, Mom,” he repeats again.
“And don’t climb up on top of the monkey bars on the playground. I’ve seen so many kids doing that, and you don’t want to fall and hurt yourself. And make sure to use your manners. And be nice to all your classmates. And, and…”
“Hey.” Ant stops my rant with a gentle squeeze to my shoulder. “He’s going to be fine,” he says under his breath so only I can hear.
I meet his gaze, taking a deep breath in before letting it out slowly. I swear I’ve been on the verge of tears since we left the house twenty minutes ago and, truthfully, I’m not sure how I’ve fought them off this long.
Nodding, I give him a weak smile as we slow to a stop just outside of Jackson’s Kindergarten classroom.
“Alright, buddy, here we are.” I smile down at my son, feeling an overwhelming wave of both sadness and pride rush through me.
“You’re going to do great, kiddo.” Ant reaches over and rustles his hair.
“Nana is going to be here to pick you up in a little bit, and I’ll see you when I get home from work, okay.” I lean down and drop a kiss to the top of Jackson’s head. “I love you so much.”
“Mom,” he whines, batting me away.
“Hey.” I grab his chin gently and lift his face upward. “I said I love you.”
“I love you too, Mom. Can I go already?” He taps his foot impatiently.
“Okay, okay. You can go.” I take a step back and let him pass through the doorway.
It feels like just yesterday that I was holding this little miracle in my arms for the first time. At seventeen, I didn’t have a single clue what the hell I was doing, but I was determined to be a good mom, no matter what. I like to think I’ve done pretty well so far.
And now here I am just five years later, watching my messy-haired kid skip excitedly into his new classroom. Parents and other children bustle all around us, but my eyes are only focused on him.
Ant reaches over and squeezes my hand, sensing that I need support. He always seems to know exactly what I need, how to ground me when I feel myself slipping.
“He’s going to be fine,” he whispers words of encouragement while I do my best not to melt into a puddle of tears.
Just when I’m not sure I can hold them in any longer, Jackson spins around and offers us an excited wave. The pure happiness on his little face is enough to calm my fears and remind me what a bright, brave little boy I’ve raised.
“Yeah, he is.” I turn my smile to Ant who winks before leading me away from the classroom, back through the busy hallway, and out into the warm morning sun, not letting go of my hand until we’ve reached my car.
“Thank you for coming with me.” I turn toward him. “I’m not sure I could’ve gotten through this without you.”
I was initially unsure about Ant coming with me today, afraid that it might send the wrong message. But then I realized that it really doesn’t matter. Jack is too young to really understand the changes happening between Ant and me, and I really don’t care what anyone else thinks. As far as all these other parents know Ant is Jackson’s father, and I’m okay with that. More than okay with it, in fact.
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Thank you for letting me come.” He gives me one of his megawatt smiles, the ones that always send my heart into overdrive. “Come on, we’re gonna be late for work if we don’t get a move on.”
“The last thing I want to do is go to work right now,” I admit, climbing into the driver’s seat.
“Then let’s not.” Ant grins mischievously as he slides into the passenger seat next to me.
“Whatever. We can’t just blow off work.” I brush him off.
“Why can’t we? Neither of us has missed a day since we started. People do get sick from time to time you know.”
“Stop it,” I laugh, backing out of my parking spot before pulling onto the street. “You’re really making me consider it.”
“Good. That’s the point.”
“You’re such a bad influence.” I throw him a playful glance before turning my gaze back to the road.
“I’m pretty sure you’re the bad influence on me,” he disagrees, shaking his head adamantly.
“How am I the bad influence?” I fake offense.
“This question coming from the girl who thought it would be a good idea to suck me off while I was on a video conference call with my boss. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to keep a straight face?”
“Hey, you did pretty well up until…” I give him a knowing smirk.
“I don’t think I’ve ever hung up on a call that quickly before. He probably wondered where the hell the fire was.”
“It was totally worth it though,” I state without question.
“Fuck yes it was.” He laughs next to me. “Which is precisely why you should call off work and spend the day with me?”
“Planning to return the favor, are you?” I keep my eyes on the road and try not to squirm in my seat at the thought.
“That’s exactly my plan.” His hand finds my upper thigh and squeezes firmly. “Besides, you’ll be worried about Jack all day if you go to work. Why not let me keep you occupied until his first day is over.”
“You’re starting to wear me down,” I groan, knowing there’s no way I can say no—not when he makes it sound so good.
“Oh, baby, I plan to do more than just wear you down,” he promises, his voice thick.
“Tell me we’re doing this right,” I murmur as I lay in Ant’s arms, our naked bodies twisted together in a heap of limbs and sheets.
“Doing what right?” His fingers move lazily through my hair as he stares up at the ceiling.
“This. Us. I feel like we went from zero to a hundred overnight. Do you ever wonder if maybe we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves?”
“Do you?” He shifts below me, turning so he’s on his side now facing me. He reaches out and pushes my hair over my shoulder, his fingers grazing the side of my neck as he does, causing goose bumps to race across my skin.
“A little.” I shrug.
“Elaborate.”
“I mean, it’s been less than two weeks since we slept together the first time, and already I feel like we’ve been together forever.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” he questions, his blue-gray eyes holding my gaze intently.
“No.” I think on it for a moment. “Yes.” I hesitate. “I mean, I don’t know. I guess I’m just having a hard time wrapping my head around all this.”
“And you’re worried about Jackson,” he states, already knowing where my mind is going.
“I am,” I admit. “What we do here affects him too. He’s become extremely attached to you over the last couple of months. I hate to think that our actions are going to somehow hurt him in the long run. I mean, what if this doesn’t work out?”
“Bree.” He tips my chin, pulling my gaze back to him when I attempt to look away. “That’s a risk you take with any relationship- but I can promise you that I will do everything in my power to make sure I never hurt that boy… Or you.”
I think on his statement for a long moment before finally asking the question I’ve been dying to bring up since this whole thing started.
“And what about the apartment?” I ask, remembering how easily he took the news that the apartment he had been holding out for was rented to another tenant. “Are you still looking? Have you found any you think you might like?”
“I have a couple in mind, yes, but whether I decide to take one or not is completely on you.”
“How so?” I question, propping up on my elbow, the sheet falling low enough that Ant’s gaze instantly goes to my chest.
He takes a deep inhale, and when his eyes meet mine again I can tell I’ve somewhat distracted him.
“Do you want me to get my own apartment?” He waits for a long moment before adding, “Or do you want to look at making this living arrangement a more permanent one?”
“Are you asking me if you can move in, like—move in, move in?”
“Yeah, I guess I am.”
“You don’t think it’s too soon?” I question, even though there’s nothing more in the world that I want than to have him stay here forever.
I can’t even stomach the thought of him leaving.
“I already live here,” he reminds me, lifting up to drop a sweet kiss to my lips.
“I know, but there’s so much to work out. I still haven’t talked to Courtney. Tess will probably disown me when she finds out about us being together, especially when she learns how long I’ve been keeping it from her. Then there are my grandparents. Oh my God, my grandma is going to lose her mind. Do you realize how many people I’m lying to right now?” I sit up, a sudden rush of panic settling on my chest.
“Slow down there, killer.” Ant chuckles, pulling me back down before quickly positioning himself on top of me. “I didn’t say we had to tell everyone what we’re doing. We can ease into it. Maybe we can have dinner with your grandparents, break the ice a little. And Tess and Courtney, that will work itself out eventually.”
“God, you make it sound so simple,” I groan beneath him.
“You don’t have to run in guns blazing, Kingsley. I’m already here; it’s just a matter of whether or not you want me to remain here or if you’d rather me get my own place. We can figure the rest out later.”
“So you would move in officially, like this would be your room too?” I question, liking the sound of that probably more than I should.
I’m terrified with how quickly things between us escalated over the last couple of weeks, but I’m also completely powerless to stop it. Honestly, I’m not sure I want to anyway.
“Well, that would be ideal.” He grins down at me, dropping his elbows on either side of my head to support his weight. “I sleep in here every night anyway,” he reminds me, grinding his now firm erection into my pelvic bone. “And if you’re worried about space, don’t be. I left pretty much everything I own back in Rockfield. I come with two tubs of clothing and a couple boxes of miscellaneous items, and that’s it.”
I consider what he’s proposing, try to look at it from every angle, but I can’t seem to see past his gorgeous smile or the way that smile makes my heart flutter in my chest. I’m blind to anything that is not Anthony Treadway, and I know without a moment’s hesitation that there’s nothing more I want than to make this official.
“We’re really going to do this?” I ask, wrapping my hands around the back of his neck.
“This is what I want, Bree. I want this. All of it. You and Jack. Getting to wake up with you every morning. Getting to go to bed with you every night. Maybe it’s too soon, but fuck if I care. You’re all I want, and I want you all the time.”
“I want that too,” I admit, knowing that even if I wanted to, there’s no way I can deny just how much I mean that statement.
“So then, we’ve made a decision? Apartment hunting is officially over?” He smiles at me, his boyish charm oozing from every orifice of his body.
“Apartment hunting is officially over,” I confirm, squealing when he abruptly turns and I somehow end up on top of him, straddling his waist.
“You make me so fucking happy, Bree Kingsley,” he says, lifting my hips just enough to position himself at my entrance before slowly sliding inside of me.
“Mmm,” I groan, my mind instantly diverted to the deep seeded need that only Ant can fill.
“So fucking happy,” he repeats as I lift up and slide back down, taking him in inch by torturous inch.